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Media from the west has been celebrating the resistance of Ukraine, which is certainly good. Ukranian resistance appears stronger than anyone thought.
However, Putin has the bulk of his higher tech weapons still in Russia and have not been deployed. Further, the bulk of the Ukranian army is in the east. Their main fuel depo was bombed, limiting the mobility of those units. Additionally, Putin controls the air which can make mincemeat of a retreating army. One simply needs to look at images of the scorched Iraq troops retreating from Kuwait to understand this.
If Blitzkreig taught us anything, it is that too many troops concentrated forward against a mobile enemy is not a good idea and is a recipe for encirclement.
Let's hope that Ukraine stages a tactical retreat to prevent their army from being encircled and cut off from the rest of the country. Ironically, on those very same grounds, Soviet armies were repeatedly encircled and destroyed by forces of the Wehrmacht in WW2.
However, Putin has the bulk of his higher tech weapons still in Russia and have not been deployed.
Like what? What post-Soviet tech does Russia have? It's one thing to have nuclear warheads. It's another thing to have a vehicle that can reliably get them there.
The one thing Putin is doing is giving a lesson to dictators like Kim Jong Un. Keep firing your rockets into the sea and keep thumping your chest. Don't bring them out in war and let people know how inept you actually are.
It's more than just having tanks, jets, and missiles. It's also the logistics and this is where Russia has failed mightily. Putin thought it was going to be a cakewalk and instead overplayed his hand while the whole world watches.
Media from the west has been celebrating the resistance of Ukraine, which is certainly good. Ukranian resistance appears stronger than anyone thought.
However, Putin has the bulk of his higher tech weapons still in Russia and have not been deployed. Further, the bulk of the Ukranian army is in the east. Their main fuel depo was bombed, limiting the mobility of those units. Additionally, Putin controls the air which can make mincemeat of a retreating army. One simply needs to look at images of the scorched Iraq troops retreating from Kuwait to understand this.
If Blitzkreig taught us anything, it is that too many troops concentrated forward against a mobile enemy is not a good idea and is a recipe for encirclement.
Let's hope that Ukraine stages a tactical retreat to prevent their army from being encircled and cut off from the rest of the country. Ironically, on those very same grounds, Soviet armies were repeatedly encircled and destroyed by forces of the Wehrmacht in WW2.
Interesting quotes from the BBC article 'Ukraine invasion: 'Would Putin press the nuclear button?'
According to the article "One option for him is to cut gas supplies to Europe, hoping that will make the Europeans climb down. Another option is to explode a nuclear weapon somewhere over the North Sea between Britain and Denmark and see what happens."
The article also states that those things that Putin claims he would never do are precisely the things he ends up doing and that there is no one in the Kremlin to stop him adopting ever desperate measures, and this is especially the case if "would never do" no longer applies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BBC News
Let me begin with an admission. So many times, I've thought: "Putin would never do this." Then he goes and does it.
"He'd never annex Crimea, surely?" He did.
"He'd never start a war in the Donbas." He did.
"He'd never launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine." He has.
I've concluded that the phrase "would never do" doesn't apply to Vladimir Putin.
And that raises an uncomfortable question:
"He'd never press the nuclear button first. Would he?"
It's not a theoretical question. Russia's leader has just put his country's nuclear forces on "special" alert, complaining of "aggressive statements" over Ukraine by Nato leaders.
Listen closely to what President Putin has been saying. Last Thursday when he announced on TV his "special military operation" (in reality, a full-scale invasion of Ukraine), he delivered a chilling warning:
"To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside - if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history."
"Putin's words sound like a direct threat of nuclear war," believes Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov, chief editor of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.
"Putin's in a tight spot," believes Moscow-based defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer. "He doesn't have many options left, once the West freezes the assets of the Russian Central bank and Russia's financial system actually implodes. That will make the system unworkable.
"One option for him is to cut gas supplies to Europe, hoping that will make the Europeans climb down. Another option is to explode a nuclear weapon somewhere over the North Sea between Britain and Denmark and see what happens."
If Vladimir Putin did choose a nuclear option, would anyone in his close circle try to dissuade him? Or stop him?
"Russia's political elites are never with the people," says Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov. "They always take the side of the ruler."
And in Vladimir Putin's Russia the ruler is all-powerful. This is a country with few checks and balances; it's the Kremlin that calls the shots.
"No one is ready to stand up to Putin," says Pavel Felgenhauer. "We're in a dangerous spot."
The war in Ukraine is Vladimir Putin's war. If the Kremlin leader achieves his military aims, Ukraine's future as a sovereign nation will be in doubt. If he is perceived to be failing and suffers heavy casualties, the fear is that could prompt the Kremlin to adopt more desperate measures.
It's not a theoretical question. Russia's leader has just put his country's nuclear forces on "special" alert, complaining of "aggressive statements" over Ukraine by Nato leaders.
That's a laugh and a half because NOBODY has made more aggressive statements than Putin. Apparently it's ok for him to do but not anybody else, especially when they are reacting the exact same way he would if the situation was reversed. Hypocrisy on a grand scale as only Putin can do it.
That's a laugh and a half because NOBODY has made more aggressive statements than Putin. Apparently it's ok for him to do but not anybody else, especially when they are reacting the exact same way he would if the situation was reversed. Hypocrisy on a grand scale as only Putin can do it.
Russia is now trying to blame UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
This Russia situation is really a blessing for democrats. It will distract the masses from their unpopular pandemic response and there's nothing that Biden can really "do" about the situation... What are we supposed to do... go to war with them and get ourselves nuked?
That said, I don't really trust anything any media has to say about anything. It's all propagandized to pander to the type of information each respective nation wants to feed their people. Many are saying Russia is doing better than the media are reporting. The internet itself is largely under "their" control so good luck finding the real truth anymore.
Like what? What post-Soviet tech does Russia have? It's one thing to have nuclear warheads. It's another thing to have a vehicle that can reliably get them there.
The one thing Putin is doing is giving a lesson to dictators like Kim Jong Un. Keep firing your rockets into the sea and keep thumping your chest. Don't bring them out in war and let people know how inept you actually are.
It's more than just having tanks, jets, and missiles. It's also the logistics and this is where Russia has failed mightily. Putin thought it was going to be a cakewalk and instead overplayed his hand while the whole world watches.
Well........................ fuel air bombs for one, which can take out everything in one square mile.
Tanks and attack helicopters have been rendered obsolete by infantry fired missiles.
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