Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Denied easy victory, Russia presses reduced goals in Ukraine
Associated Press ^ | March 19, 2022 | ELLEN KNICKMEYER

Posted on 03/18/2022 11:03:26 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper

The signs are abundant of how Ukraine frustrated Vladimir Putin’s hopes for a swift victory, and how Russia's military proved far from ready for the fight.

A truck carrying Russian troops crashes, its doors blown open by a rocket-propelled grenade. Foreign-supplied drones target Russian command posts. Orthodox priests in trailing vestments parade Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag in defiance of their Russian captors in the occupied city of Berdyansk.

Russia has lost hundreds of tanks, many left charred or abandoned along the roads, and its death toll is on a pace to outstrip that of the country’s previous military campaigns.

Yet more than three weeks into the war, with Putin's initial aim of an easy regime change in Ukraine long gone, Russia’s military still has a strong hand. With their greater might and stockpile of city-flattening munitions, Russian forces can fight on for whatever the Russian president may plan next, whether leveraging a negotiated settlement or brute destruction, military analysts warn.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: americanpravda; apepee; associatedpravda; asspress; ciaagitprop; deagitprop; ellenknickmeyer; keywordnutjob; schwabagitprop; sorosagitprop; ukraine; war
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081 next last

1 posted on 03/18/2022 11:03:26 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper

Reminds me of the scene in “Ruthless People”, Bette Midler says “I’ve been Kidnapped by K-Mart!”


2 posted on 03/18/2022 11:11:51 PM PDT by Kevmo (Give back Ukes their Nukes https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4044080/posts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper

RUSSIA IS LOSING!

And yet they haven’t lost ground and, in fact, continue to gain ground...

Look - I don’t want to see Putin win either - but lying to us doesn’t help anybody.


3 posted on 03/18/2022 11:15:19 PM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper

Too bad some so called Americans want Putin to win so he can restore a major geopolitical rival through unprovoked bloodshed and possibly pave the way for more chaos and death and a new cold war/wwIII between the US and ascendant Soviet Union 2.0 further down the line.


4 posted on 03/18/2022 11:16:35 PM PDT by jarwulf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jarwulf

“Too bad some so called Americans want Putin to win”

Less than 2% of Americans. They are irrelevant.


5 posted on 03/18/2022 11:23:52 PM PDT by nbenyo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Skywise

It’s not a lie to say the Ukrainians denied Putin the easy victory he planned on.


6 posted on 03/18/2022 11:26:36 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper

It’s not?

WHO told you Putin thought it was an easy victory he planned on?

WHAT narrative do you think you’re listening to?


7 posted on 03/18/2022 11:40:32 PM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: jarwulf

It’s inevitable at this point.

Either we give Putin Ukraine or we go to war.

Stopping Putin had to happen before he invaded and that time has passed.

You can thank Biden and the neocons for the predicament we’re in


8 posted on 03/18/2022 11:42:02 PM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Skywise

First of all the article (which you should read) doesn’t say Putin is losing. It says he was denied an easy victory.

Who told you Putin planned to be stalled in places?

Who told you that Putin planned on President Zelenskyy to still be talking to the World on day 24?


9 posted on 03/18/2022 11:51:58 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper

Nobody did - it’s called WAR and the first thing that happens in WAR is that plans go out the window!

AGain - Putin is NOT losing ground - Putin is GAINING GROUND.

You can listen to the propaganda or believe the lying facts.


10 posted on 03/18/2022 11:57:18 PM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Skywise

the nice freezing of central bank reserves plus other targeted sanctions and mass cancelation of anything russian from the last several centuries makes sure any negotiated settlement is difficult.

obviously fedgov wants this war. notice the complete lack of calls for negotiations/cease fires etc. the opposite prevails, in fact.


11 posted on 03/18/2022 11:57:57 PM PDT by WoofDog123
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper

Most of the world is shocked at how easy it has been for Russia to capture so much territory so quickly.

I’m looking at a Fox headline right now...”besieged cities destroyed across Ukraine.””

The damage is frightening, and it’s quite clear, if they really want to, the Russian military could go for the jugular. They are hardly even using their air force.


12 posted on 03/19/2022 12:09:58 AM PDT by blackberry1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Skywise

Again, the article doesn’t say Putin was losing the war.
The brave Ukrainians denied Putin’s invasion plan for an easy victory. Which you now admit fell apart because you know “war”.

The article, if you read it some lonely day, says that Putin has the firepower to flatten Ukrainian cities like he has in the past.
Thereby not losing.

You believe what you make-up without reading the article.
Or the information flew right over your head.
So you’re not qualified to talk about facts.


13 posted on 03/19/2022 12:11:18 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: blackberry1

I am not seeing an analysis of Putin’s rousing military success in Ukraine.

What fairyland information are you looking at?


14 posted on 03/19/2022 12:14:11 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper; Skywise
Who told you Putin planned to be stalled in places?

History suggests that's the way the Russians do it. There's no hurry to dig out the defenders, or fight door to door, or shelter to shelter. The artillery can just flatten what is in front of it until there's not much left to defend. The Russians eventually encircle their target and wait to shoot what comes out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Chechen_War

Siege of Grozny

The Russian assault on Grozny began in early December, accompanied by a struggle for neighbouring settlements. The battle ended when the Russian army seized the city on 2 February 2000. According to official Russian figures, at least 134 federal troops and an unknown number of pro-Russian militiamen died in Grozny. The separatist forces also suffered heavy losses, including losing several top commanders. Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said that 2,700 separatists were killed trying to leave Grozny. The separatists said they lost at least 500 fighters in the mine field at Alkhan-Kala.

The siege and fighting devastated the capital like no other European city since World War II. In 2003 the United Nations called Grozny the most destroyed city on Earth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baghdad_(2003)

The Battle of Baghdad, also known as the Fall of Baghdad, was a military invasion of Baghdad that took place in early April 2003, as part of the invasion of Iraq.

Three weeks into the invasion of Iraq, Coalition Forces Land Component Command elements, led by the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division moved into Baghdad.


15 posted on 03/19/2022 12:17:53 AM PDT by woodpusher
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: woodpusher
From your link which actually describes what a quick victory in the works looks like:
On April 5, Task Force 1–64 Armor of the US Army's 3rd Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade, executed a raid, later called the "Thunder Run", to test remaining Iraqi defenses. The operation began south of Baghdad and went through main roads to the newly secured airport.
Are you expecting the Russians to storm down main roads? I would actually like to see then try that...

Russian forces jump out of 'Z' tank before it's destroyed by Ukraine forces in Mariupol

16 posted on 03/19/2022 12:29:24 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper

“Again, the article doesn’t say Putin was losing the war.”
O’RLY - what part of “Russia presses reduced goals in Ukraine” makes you think the article is claiming Putin is NOT losing the war?

“The brave Ukrainians denied Putin’s invasion plan for an easy victory. Which you now admit fell apart because you know “war”.”
And, again, what paper told you Putin would have an “easy victory” would it be this same associated press that you claim is accurate in reporting?

“The article, if you read it some lonely day, says that Putin has the firepower to flatten Ukrainian cities like he has in the past.”
Then I’m sure in your lonely spare, free time, that you’ve read the other articles that point out that Putin doesn’t WANT to flatten Ukraine but to leave it intact to install a sympathetic government? (Y’know... like WE do?)

“You believe what you make-up without reading the article.
Or the information flew right over your head.
So you’re not qualified to talk about facts.”
No - you’re the one talking out of your butt with propaganda. I’m the one coming with facts - maybe you can cite another source than the AP?


17 posted on 03/19/2022 12:29:31 AM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: woodpusher

If that’s their approach then enough Javelins and SAMs will make the whole thing very costly for them. It happened to them in Afghanistan. What did they ever really gain in that operation?


18 posted on 03/19/2022 12:32:27 AM PDT by Kevmo (Give back Ukes their Nukes https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4044080/posts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Kevmo

There’s other sources that claim the losses are being incurred by Ukrainian separatists (who are doing the bulk of the fighting - remember there’s been a civil war going on in the Ukraine for the last 5+ years) and NOT regular Russian military.


19 posted on 03/19/2022 12:34:54 AM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper

But not to worry - Russia’s going to lose in another 7 days!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10613069/Putins-forces-able-fight-14-days-military-experts-say.html


20 posted on 03/19/2022 12:35:16 AM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson