Russian Army 'Poorly Led' and 'Not Motivated' in Ukraine: Ex-General

Former U.S. Major General James Marks said Saturday in a CNN interview that Russia's army is being "poorly led" and that its soldiers are not "motivated" in Ukraine.

"This Russian army that's been trying to modernize over the course of the last couple of decades and it's done a fairly good job of getting the right equipment and capabilities, but they are poorly led," he said. "There's nothing worse in any organization than crappy leadership and that's exactly what the Russians are displaying."

However, the Russians are stepping up their attacks on Ukraine, with Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov saying Friday that Kinzhal hypersonic missiles were used to hit a military warehouse in the west of Ukraine. The missiles were used for the first time since the war unfolded late last month.

"The Kinzhal aviation missile system with hypersonic aeroballistic missiles destroyed a large underground warehouse of missiles and aviation ammunition of Ukrainian troops in the village of Delyatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk region," he said, according to news agency RIA.

Marks explained that the Russian offensive is "not going according to any plan" as the army had key objectives that included taking over the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and Odesa among other areas, but these goals have been "stalled except for the devastation that's really taking place."

The retired general pointed out some of the Russian troops' shortcomings, and added that soldiers are "not motivated."

"They haven't been able to get out of their vehicles and really kind of exercise and maneuver at a pace and with the momentum they demonstrated they've learned anything from their training and they're now transitioning to a defensive posture which means they've culminated," he said. "They're at the end of their logistics, they've transitioned to defense, which means they're incredibly vulnerable and Ukrainians know that."

On Thursday, a U.S. Pentagon official, who requested anonymity, made similar remarks about the performance of Russian troops in Ukraine, by telling reporters that Russian forces appear to be struggling with shortages and that commanders are finding it difficult to maintain their troops in combat.

The Pentagon official also said that Russian forces are making minimal progress as they advance on the ground, while Ukrainian troops continue to resist attacks.

The U.S. Department of Defense official said that Russian forces are "basically frozen around the country on multiple lines of axes, struggling to fuel themselves and to feed their troops and to supply them with arms and ammunition."

The official also said that Russia currently appears to be depending more on so-called "dumb" bombs than using weaponry based on guidance in its full-scale invasion that has been ongoing for almost a month.

"They clearly weren't ready for the pushback that they have been getting from the Ukrainians," the Pentagon official explained.