the West

I recently came across an article by a retired American general in which he spoke vividly and quite convincingly (of course, referring to the Western reader for whom the publication was intended) about the weaknesses of the Russian army. Why did the author's text seem impressive? Several arguments can be advanced here:

1) professionalism, since a military officer knows more than a civilian journalist;

2) timing, as the article came out after the withdrawal of some Russian troops from Ukraine, which was presented as a weakness;

3) personal history, as the general described his experience of interaction with the Russian military since the 1990s, visits to Moscow and exchange visits of the Russian military.