Posted on 07/14/2022 11:46:34 AM PDT by Dr. Franklin
Lt.Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of the US Army in Europe, told Insider that Russia lacks the resources and capabilities to make significant advancements in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region — where the 20-week-long war has turned into a grinding campaign.
... Russia's arsenal of artillery and rockets is the "only advantage" that President Vladimir Putin's forces have right now and said this is reflected in attacks on Ukrainian defense positions and civilian areas, which cause lots of casualties.
A key to Ukrainian success will be to neutralize these weapons, he said. Without them, Russian victories will be hard to come by.
"It's all about firepower," Hodges said. "The ability to destroy or disrupt Russian firepower advantage is what's going to make the difference."
"Even with the huge advantage that the Russians have in terms of firepower, they've not been able to make meaningful progress over the past several weeks." Hodges said, adding that Russia has also failed to demonstrate "the ability to integrate air operations with ground operations."
Another issue Russia faces is a lack of military personnel. According to recent UK intelligence, this issue may force the Kremlin to recruit prisoners to fight on its behalf.
Hodges said, "the overall weakness of the Russians" can be told through their inability to break through the frontlines in eastern Ukraine and advance west toward major cities like Odesa, Mykolaiv, or Kyiv — the capital city that Putin's troops failed to capture in the early weeks of the war.
Since Russian forces retreated from Kyiv — a much sought-after conquest that Putin and Western intelligence predicted would fall in a matter of days after the February 24 invasion — the conflict has turned into a bloody and slow-moving affair in the Donbas region, with shifting frontlines and constant artillery exchanges.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Why are you people so dumb? all this is propaganda Ukraine as been decimated they are fighting for propaganda that is all. Give it another 3 months then all will be clear and the propaganda fog will go...don’t be an NPC.
The US deep state cut and ran from Afghanistan because they knew they would soon be actively involved in their proxy war with Russia. Things could get ugly (and expensive) there for US soldiers if they were still there today. Plus all that money can now go to Ukraine as well.
Most of the currently occupied areas of Ukraine were stolen in the first few weeks by Russia. Russia has been kicked out of large areas of the north, the area north of Kherson, all around Kyiv, etc. A lot of Russian boys have gone home in bags for nothing.
Question: will "revolt" occur first in Russia, or in various countries of the EU, or even USA?
None of the players is unaffected by this war. And the USA and NATO has its chips all in.
Putin has two objectives which interlock. First is to degrade/destroy Ukrainian resistance, particularly the Azov elements. Advances and withdrawals in some areas of Ukraine are intended to draw out Ukrainian forces, rather than seize and hold territory forever.
The other objective is territorial. To clean out Ukrainian resistance from Russian-speaking separatist areas and secure them indefinitely. And to retain Crimea as well.
From the Russian perspective the operation is a police action in a border area, not requiring mobilization of all forces. It was never designed to be a blitzkrieg across the entirety of Ukraine.
The US deep state cut and ran from Afghanistan because they knew they would soon be actively involved in their proxy war with Russia. Things could get ugly (and expensive) there for US soldiers if they were still there today. Plus all that money can now go to Ukraine as well.
Actually, the “deep state” spent 2021 ignoring Ukraine and partnering with Putin on a new Iran deal. You airbrush history like a good Stalinist. I can see why you’re such a big fan of Putinist Russia.
The gullibility of people buying the media narratives line and sinker against facts on the ground is truly amazing.
Why focus on Kiev redeployment then the strategy allowed to capture almost the entire South coast with minimal damage?
What is Same Island, for God’s sake? The Russians left, Ukraine failed to claim it as well. What is its importance at this point?
The Ukrainian fronts are collapsing, their losses are 8-10 times of that of alles, the cities are falling increasingly quick, but....the Russians are losing:)
Why are you people so dumb? all this is propaganda Ukraine as been decimated they are fighting for propaganda that is all. Give it another 3 months then all will be clear and the propaganda fog will go...don’t be an NPC.
The only thing “decimated” is Russia’s reputation: Flagship sunk by a nation with no Navy, multi million dollar missile equipment so defective the wheels literally fall off, Ukrainian farmers capturing whole armored units, scores of generals going home from battlefield in bags, Russian fighters using commercial off the shelf GPS, etc., etc. Don’t be a KGB dupe.
Meanwhile, Russian troops just entered Siversk and Soledar.
From the Russian perspective the operation is a police action in a border area, not requiring mobilization of all forces. It was never designed to be a blitzkrieg across the entirety of Ukraine.
LOL. That’s simple false. Putin himself has said Ukraine is an illigimate nation and should not exist. Of course now loyal Putinists will airbrush history to match the facts on the ground. Kyiv stands. Russia has lost and is reduced to being a nation of bandits who steal on an industrial scale.
Ammunition depots and supply trucks. Destroy them and the army can’t get enough artillery rounds to grind meat successfully on a large scale. Then it is one-to-one.
LOL, 'slavic/Russian brothers'. Russians are slowly advancing and taking towns and cities by unleashing massive artillery bombardment that has completely devastated captured areas.
Harpoon missiles are being used in a land attack role.
Anyone who knows history knows that the most vicious wars tend to be the Civil Wars.
LOL. Come off the ledge, friend.
The number of pro-Russian posters on Free Republic turns my stomache. This is the last place I would have expected to see so many Putin defenders.
The Ukes have their issues with political corruption, just as do many other nations - including the U.S.; but cheering for Russia, as though the Ukrainians “deserve” to be Putin’s THIRD victim of his Caesar-complex (Georgia, Crimea, Ukraine) is a disgusting calumny. Moreover, if anybody thinks that Ukraine will be the last of Russia’s aggressions, think again. The man has delusions of restoring “greater Russia” to its pre-1914 borders. He has stated and written as much on multiple occasions.
Further, this BS that President Zelinski is a “faggot,” because he did a comic video of himself and others dancing in high heels, is also calumny. The guy was a comedian FFS, so give it a rest. The video was a gag routine.
I’d like to see how many of the “tough guys” here on FR could handle the same situation. I’d bet most of them would be sh*tting their pants, and crying for their mommies.
I think the man has more than demonstrated his worthiness of respect, by his ability to hold his country together under the most barbaric of circumstances - and the Russians ARE babarians. Always have been so and always will be. That is their history. They are a disgusting uncivilized people.
Zelinski could have fled, but he chose rather to remain with his citizens, while they fight for their sovereignty.
Another 3 months, eh? This “special military operation” was supposed to be over in 48 HOURS - and here we are, 140 DAYS later, with no Russian victory. Sure seems like you have a propaganda slant yourself.
“The US deep state cut and ran from Afghanistan because they knew they would soon be actively involved in their proxy war with Russia. ...”
That statement has to be the most asinine thing I have read yet. You Putin apologists really are something else.
The Russians claim to be waging a ‘special military operation’ or as you say it a limited war. My problem with your assertion is that the Russians have consistently failed to bring enough force forward to wage this so called limited war.
After the first week of the war revealed that the Ukrainians were going to resist with significant force the Russians needed to bring forward overwhelming force to shut down the Ukrainian resistance. You’ve been pro Russia all along here, do you think even for a minute that Russia was not in this war to achieve victory?
Victory being the goal in any military operation the Russians needed to respond to the situation on the ground and bring forward sufficient force to put down the Ukrainian military. That the Russians failed to respond to the Ukrainian resistance indicates to me that they do not have the capability to respond to it.
You tell me the Russians have not made total war but from what I can see this is the best level of war fighting that Russia is capable of conducting. If Putin is holding back reserves for some strange reason then he is criminally incompetent.
I don’t think the man is incompetent. I think he’s using the military he has and this is the best they can do.
For the most part Russia has taken everything they tried for and haven’t been stopped.
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Other than failing to take Kiev, Kharkiv and the entire North and Northeast of Ukraine, they have been very successful in losing 50% of their very best and highest trained (the cream of the crop, according to Russian sources) troops in less than a month.
Stopped no, forced retreat after their failed plans, based on two false assumptions, yes.
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