[wtc911]

You are right though that the Soviet/Russian military is overrated.....

Not by our DoD. I've seen up close for myself the lack of cohesion and discipline in areas where the two of us have served side by side, like Kosovo. Russian soldiers getting high and welcoming a Benz full of hookers while on duty, then sharing their weapons with the next tour.

Russia's economy is akin to Brazil's and the demographics are tilting toward a population that lacks the young masses necessary for large scale militarism. I don't know that the full fury of Russian power could even decisively defeat Chechnya.

[Flying Circus]

Sounds like we cannot expect much from the Russian Army. I think they still can contribute: intelligence (they should still have a lot of the apparatus from the Soviet days) and a brutal determination that comes from living in that part of the world.

They didn't win pretty in WW2, but they did win. In this fight they may be willing to dirty their hands in ways that we wouldn't consider. Historically, Russians have demonstrated a capability to do some very ugly things and absorb some losses in war that would offend the moral sense of the USA.

[Andy from Beaverton]

I don't know that the full fury of Russian power could even decisively defeat Chechnya.
I think you may be wrong on that one. In the previous war and the current war, Russia never fought as strongly as they could have. I think fears of international pressure and sanctions put a limit on the size of the hammer they would use. Now that Putin is going to the UN and proving to the world that this is an international attack upon his country, he can pull out the big stick.