THE RUSSIAN CRISIS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2525, 28 July 1915, Page 2

THE RUSSIAN CRISIS

VIEWED BY A RUSSIAN SOLDIRE

The German report yesterday that Ivangorod had been invested made the position of Warsaw look very serious, because it meant the cutting off of the south-eastern railway. Since then the Austrian communique' only claims that the Austrians aro approaching Ivangorod from the west, and von Mackenscn's Germans from the south and south-east, though the former appear to have got as close as Kozienice, which is to the north-west of Ivangorod, and between, it and Warsaw, but with the Vistula between it and the railway. Therefore tho position, though serious there, is not yet- as acute as it would have been had Ivangorod actually been invested, and this afternoon's cables tell us that the sector between it and Warsaw is being held, by veteran troops determined to punish the enemy for the slaughter of 5000 prisoners by the Germans, "which has further embittered the Russian soldiers. In the present situation it is interesting to see how matters appear through the eyes of a Russian soldier, M. Ivanoff, the violinist, who lias been with us for the past fortnight, and who was not only leader of the Tsar's orchestra, but a soldier of tho crack regiment of the Guards. M. Ivanoff ; explains that the great fortress system that protects the heart of Russia, is looking from south to north, Ostrowice, Ivangorod, Warsaw, Novo' G-corgicvsk, Ostrotenka, Osowiee., Grodro, Vilna, and Riga. Of these the enemy has now taken Ostrowice, and threatens Ivangorod, south of Warsaw, is advancing on Novo Georgievsk from tho north, and has bombarded Ostrolenka 011 tho Narew. When, the Russians held Galicia in their great southern advance, the ' Grand Duke's headquarters wero Warsaw. Now thoy are at the great fortress of Brest Litovsk, tho centre of the Russian defensive system, about 150 miles due east. Crand Duke's System. The Grand Duke's system has been to always rather save men than places. That is the Russian system bom of its great spaces, and so when it has been necessary he has steadily withdrawn his armies, inflicting all the damage on his pursuers lie can, but drawing them out. Thero is only one way to defeat that system, and that is to surround and destroy the armies, and this , tho Russians do not permit. Using his inner lines the Grand Duko may be able to once more save Warsaw, but if ho sees that it would be at the sacrifice of an army ho will not, but will continue the process of sidc'Stopping. And every mile that the Germans : advance east of Warsaw and north of Lublin, adds to their difficulties because it is a great plain, with much forest and intersected by rivers, country that local knowledge . counts for much, just as it did in. the Masurian lakes Tor Von Hindemberg, and ii forests at Suwalki for the Russians in the earlier stages. So that a decisive and overwhelming victory with - annihilation of the foo is necessary for tho Austro-Germans, and that is precisely what they won't be allowed to get, wliilo behind them they will have increasing dilticuities in keeping their armies fed. This 'difficulty is increased at each stage of tho retreat of the Russians 'so completely • laying their own country wasto that there will be no chance, of tile Germans supplementing their' commissariat from it. This process they are piopared to continue till their own munitions aro replenished, and those of t'heir enemy becoming depleted, and for the first condition the Dardanelles operations'are of great importance. Meantime in Russia herself 'and from Japan and America all that can be. got is being' got, while the fronts aro being .contracted.

The llussiau' position, apart from the superiority of tbp Germans in the machinery of war, is Food is plentiful, and prices practically, normal, thanks to the steps taken by the Government, In fact, bread is actually cheaper than, it was before the war, and the people are full of' determination and quiet optimism as to the result..

Meantime, as Mr. Ivanoff points out, the leaders of the Allies are in touch, and wo are likely soon to hear of movements in the West where there has been enormous concentration of shipping—even from as far away as Neiv Zealand—for the moving of Kitchener's Army. The recent silence that has fallen over the West is significant of great movements under tlio veil. On. the East the Austro-Germans are operating over an enormous front, apparently with a view of feoling for the weakest points, but in the country they will presently lie entering they cannot get assured information of this kind, and in the west it is the Allies who. will ba ablo to clioose their attacking points, thanks to their holding of the sea and to the good French railways behind them.

■ He points out that von Mackensen has been working up from and east of country that Napoleon . passed through in his second and 'fatal invasion, and in which lio went 1 through Brest Litovsk, and in spito of the greatly improved facilities of motor transport, which are discounted by the few suitable roads' and the vastly greater numbers to be fed, must prove as dangerous to the present enemy ;.s tliey proved disastrous to the great Frenchman, and meantime tlio enemy is being involved further where it will be difficult to extricate himself when the Kit-, cliener-Joffre blow is struck.