I think Odessa was always the goal. If the Russians get and control it they might call it.
“I think Odessa was always the goal. If the Russians get and control it they might call it.”
Agreed—that was always the prize.
It is always necessary to look at the map first. Aside - Napoleon loved maps, devoted great effort to creating accurate maps, and consulted them obsessively. Perhaps the first great commander to place such value on maps.
There is no way to get to Odessa without crossing the Dneiper, and that is a huge undertaking. Russia lost their best opportunity when they withdrew from Kherson and their Dneiper bridgehead. That was a huge strategic loss, it greatly limited Russian strategic options.
They don’t have the troops and engineering effort going on on the Dneiper bank to restore their bridgehead. And if they tried to move all that there that concentration of units and materiel will be spotted immediately by NATO recon assets.
Macgregor is being fatuous here. He knows the nature of the ground as well as we do.