Posted on 01/13/2023 10:53:24 PM PST by Cronos
This war is one that Russia cannot win in any meaningful sense.
Putin's foreign military successes around the world after 2008 were all achieved by using small units of elite forces, mercenaries and local militia groups alongside air power.
This gave Moscow considerable leverage at low cost during interventions in Georgia, Syria, and twice in Ukraine during 2014, first in illegally annexing Crimea and then in creating self-declared Russian statelets in Luhansk and Donetsk.
In every case, Russia moved swiftly and ruthlessly in ways the western world was unable to counter except through graduated sanctions regimes - nothing that could reverse the reality. Putin was adept at creating "new facts on the ground".
In February he tried the same again on the grandest possible scale in Ukraine - and it failed completely in the first crucial week.
Having failed with Plan A to seize the government in Kyiv before President Zelensky's forces, or the outside world, could react, Moscow then switched to a Plan B. This was a more "manoeuvrist" military approach to surround Kyiv and move in on other Ukrainian cities - Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mariupol and Mykolaiv and simply snuff out Ukrainian armed resistance while Kyiv itself would be threatened with capitulation or destruction.
This, too, failed....
In frustration, Russia has now moved to "plan C", which is to give up on Kyiv and the north, instead concentrating all its forces for a major offensive in the Donbas region ...There is no way back for Vladimir Putin personally and he may even be indicted as a war criminal. His only political strategy is to make the war in Ukraine into something else - part of a struggle for Russia's very survival against the "Nazis" and "imperialists" of the West who relish the chance to take Russia down.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
The opinions expressed are based on facts that are known but will likely be incorrect due to facts that are not yet known. I suppose turning Eastern Europe into a nuclear wasteland could be one form of defeat.
You guys are getting nervous lately. Is something big coming?
LOL
The Propaganda is flying! Russians can’t win, China is abandoning them! The world is against Putin, who is mad and will be booted from power soon. Russian boys do not wish to fight the west or Ukrainians. Defeat is the only path for Russia. How do you say Bull Crap in Russian?
No one for a minute thinks Russia could not turn Kiev into a radioactive pit in 15 minutes. If they did—would Europe attack Russia>? Knowing any move would vaporize London, Paris, Warsaw, Berlin? Do we really want to lose New York? Norfolk, Washington, Boston, Atlanta, Denver, La and Frisco? Is it worth it?
good article, thanks. This, from the article, explains putin’s attempts now to re-frame his war of aggression into him as a victim. It won’t work. This is putin’s war of choice and he is losing it:
“One way or another, Russia will have to keep fighting in Ukraine, either against the population, or against the Ukrainian army, and quite possibly both simultaneously. And as long as Kyiv sticks to its current line that demands Russian withdrawal before any concessions can be contemplated, there is not much Putin can do but carry grimly on.
The western powers will keep supplying weapons and money to Kyiv, and will not be lifting powerful sanctions on Russia any time soon. Once Europe’s energy dependency on it is greatly lessened, Russia has so little that Europe really needs, the US and Europe will be able to leave crippling sanctions in place with small cost to their own economies.
There is no way back for Vladimir Putin personally and he may even be indicted as a war criminal. His only political strategy is to make the war in Ukraine into something else - part of a struggle for Russia’s very survival against the “Nazis” and “imperialists” of the West who relish the chance to take Russia down.”
if putin uses a nuke, russia will be decimated
as opposed to zelenskys money grubbing gig?
The only thing certain is that the one the nuke is going to be used on is going to be decimated.
How do you say Bull Crap in Russian?
my russian is very rusty but its like gavno boyvneyet
**** happens
we used nukes twice, russia never
and we bombed those polite japanese....
putin has been warned. if he uses a nuke, the response will be swift and devastating
“putin has been warned. if he uses a nuke, the response will be swift and devastating”
LOL. Are you going to perform a double flip and crap on your own head while at it?:)
First, the tactical situation doesn’t dictate the use of nuclear weapon. Second, there is so little leverage over Russia right now that it can do everything it wants and nothing can he done about it.
LOL
dream om
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