Honestly, I don’t know what to make of it. Their forces can’t be this bad overall. It just very strange. The incompetence in Crimea is also strange.
And yet you have folks talking about how brilliant Poopin is.
The guy is a fool. Look what he has garnered for the reputation of modern Russia. Why it’s the same old crap nation it always was. How utterly refreshing! /s
And as for it’s economy, it’s going to take a massive hit for little more reason that the dumb ass at the top screwed up big-time.
The incompetence in Crimea, you mean the blackouts and food shortages, economic free-fall and how many (if not most) people still want to vote in Ukraine elections even though they have been annexed?
Yes, they can be.
Russia has a few brigades that are relatively well trained and equipped. The Russian armed forces are rife with corruption-- training budgets are used to have soldiers build dachas for officers or work in side businesses, vendors either don't deliver equipment or deliver stuff that doesn't work, etc.
Its difficult for us to image just how bad it really is, but the heavy casualties they suffered against the equally bad Ukrainians is a good indicator.
Ukrainian armed forces and intelligence services were full of Russian spies. Former head and couple of deputy directors of their intelligence service escaped to Russia with Yanukovich just to show one sign. Russian operation must have been long time in preparing, but looks like Russian agents were ignored by the security services.
This creates a situation where Russian side is likely to know what the orders to Ukrainian army are and can even influence the orders given.
Combine that to already shoddy culture of Ukrainian army and it is no wonder they were initially doing so badly.
Unless the Russkies are defending “Rodina’’( The Motherland) they’re not too good when it comes to fighting outside their borders. Hell, in WW2 they didn’t do too good either, not at first anyway.
And as for it’s economy, it’s going to take a massive hit for little more reason that the dumb ass at the top screwed up big-time.”
Not really. Think about that little, fat guy in North Korea. If he liberalized that thing just a bit, they could get some aid, investments etc. and improve rapidly quality of life of people living there... but he would have to open the country for external influence, step by step people there would get to know what a shythole they've been living in and at some point they would revolt. It's just easier to keep them brainwashed and backward. Similarly, Putin is isolating Russia to consolidate his power. He's a bastard but not a fool.