Posted on 03/22/2022 11:34:59 AM PDT by marcusmaximus
Russian troops in Ukraine lack proper cold weather clothing and some have been taken out of the fight by frostbite, a senior U.S. defense official revealed on Tuesday.
The official cited it as another example of how Moscow had failed to adequately prepare for the invasion of Ukraine, along with continuing fuel, ammunition and food shortages.
Nearly a month into the war, Russian troops have failed to seize a single major city and their advance has been halted on nearly all fronts by staunch Ukrainian defense.
Now Ukrainian forces are preparing to retake captured territory as Russian forces battle declining morale - according to the latest Pentagon assessments.
A senior official was asked about logistics problems during a briefing on Tuesday.
'We picked up some indications that some of their soldiers are suffering from frostbite because they they lacked the appropriate cold weather gear for the environment that they're in ... that they haven't - in addition to food and fuel - even in terms of personal equipment for some of their troops they are having trouble,' said the official.
'They're having trouble and we picked up indications that some troops have actually suffered and been taken out of the fight because of frostbite.
'So yes, they are having continued logistics and sustainment issues.'
That includes a lack of guided munitions, he added.
At the same time he said Ukrainian forces had been organising in attempt to retake lost ground.
'What we're what we're starting to see are are indications that they are they are, are now able and willing to take back territory that the Russians have taken,' said the official.
He declined to indicate what their targets might be and said it was difficult to tell whether it was part of a bigger operational plan.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Facts we know:
Ukraine buildings and infastructure are getting hammered
Ukrainians are dying and suffering
Zelensky thinks it’s worth it.
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Exactly. I will add, their military is losing many men and equipment- wars always end, just who will rebuild their Army? Not NATO or the EU, they have rejected their admission since 1991….perhaps best to cut losses and preserve your assets…negotiate, quickly…unless you have been given rebuilding guarantees? Soros comes to mind- beware, he used you.
True, it is warming up a bit now, but there have been some periods below freezing even in the daytime hours across most of the conflict zone in the past two weeks. So if in fact there are Russian forces without adequate cold weather gear then they could in theory have suffered frostbite.
In general terms, it seems to me that Russia is more analogous to Fascist Italy than Nazi Germany, in having a large military force that is not quite up to the same level as some of its smaller opposition, at least in terms of organization. However, if a large mediocre military takes on a smaller excellent one, at some point the sheer superiority of numbers will determine the outcome.
My comments are not meant as an endorsement of the conclusions drawn, just to address the question of whether or not it ever was cold enough for frostbite, and most locations in Ukraine have seen some overnight temperatures in the 15-20 F range and some daytime readings in the high 20s to near 32 F. There has not been very much snow during this cold weather, some places avoided it altogether, and others had small amounts of about 1-2 inches. That has been visible in some video of the conflict, and any traces of it are probably already gone. These milder temperatures at the present time will be turning partially frozen soft ground more muddy even if it doesn’t rain, and especially if subjected to heavy vehicle traffic.
I had a look at the latest weather guidance and it appears that this milder, dry weather will last about a week to ten days with some minor fluctuations where it cools down into the high 30s (F) around this coming weekend, then back up to current levels, but it should stay relatively dry for about two weeks before a much wetter interval develops with temperatures in the 40s and 50s F. If there is still fighting then, it could become very muddy in that time frame (roughly April 1-10).
Bookmark for a year later, Zelensky has been played…..used….sold out….prepare for Zelensky’s Revenge.
Go back to any day from 2/25 on and you’ll find the exact same story. Here’s how the “Russian bear” will be out of gas within a couple of days!
Occasionally something else gets reported. With all the remarkable Ukranian victories that have been won, the front page of the New York Tmes for March 20th was really confusing.
NYT front page 20 Mar 2022
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/03/20/nytfrontpage/scan.pdf
"Russian forces made significant gains in Ukraine on Saturday, advancing into the besieged port of Mariupol, destroying an underground weapons depot in the west and leaving a marine barracks in ruins...." "To the northwest and to the east, tens of thousands of Russian troops are pressing toward the city, Ukraine's capital, backed by columns of tanks, armored vehicles and artillery." David Kilcullen, a retired Australian Army colonel, was quoted saying, "If they really, really want to level Kyiv, they can."
They have already effectively leveled Mariupol. The Ukranians can say they do not surrender until they have to leave their bomb shelters to get water and food.
The Times must be preparing the public for the propaganda bubble to burst.
Zelensky’s cheer leading has it’s limits when destruction and dead bodies - public leaving the country and many won’t be back just increases daily.
But he’ll be fine as long as the nations keep the revenue flowing into his and the leaderships coffins.
Yep. The flood of pro-Uke propaganda is relentless.
<snicker>
Morning 50° F / 10° C
Afternoon 60° F / 15° C
Evening 43° F / 6° C
Overnight 34° F / 1° C
Winter in Ukraine is more or less November/December to mid March. Late winter or early spring, evening and overnight temperatures of 6° to 1° C are winter temperatures.
Is there any independent confirmation of these claims?
“However, if a large mediocre military takes on a smaller excellent one, at some point the sheer superiority of numbers will determine the outcome.”
As in the Russo-Finnish War of the last century.
Just to provide more context, I looked up the highs and lows for Ukraine over the past two weeks, the coldest period was March 8 to 12 when it was generally around 30 F in the daytime and 15-20F at night. There was a second briefer cold spell around March 17-18 but it only warmed up slightly between these two sub-freezing periods. That is when any frostbite might have occurred (a week to two weeks ago). They are not talking about the current milder weather with highs reaching 55 F or higher. Once again, I don’t know how widespread or significant the frostbite might actually have been, the report could be a mixture of anecdotal fact and wishful thinking or mere speculation.
Sounds like they better get their logistics people over to China and start expediting the heck out of everything.
The ceasefire/peace talks are proceeding at a relatively break neck pace. If Putin and Zelenskyy can come to terms before DC widens the war, there will some questioning of why Winston Zelenskyy sold DC out. Maybe the truth about Zelenskyy’s hopeless situation will be allowed to be told. The media masters flip the switch and the next day the befuddled, beaten, cowering wreck, the Russian Army, becomes the all powerful, brutal, methodical Mongol horde about to overrun all of Europe.
“And Napoleon and Hitler were defecated by the freezing cold and the Russians who know how to fight in freezing weather more than anyone else.”
How does that work (I mean, er, biologically speaking)?
‘A senior defense official’ = a sock puppet. No, a literal sock puppet. The writer talks to himself. Look, I’m not buying all the Russian propaganda, but anonymous sources mean nothing; if they won’t put their name on their claim, they’re just telling the press whatever the press wants to hear.
Do I believe the Ukranian numbers on Russian deaths and lost tanks? Yes. It checks out. Do I believe all this anonymous analysis? No.
The sun never sets on British propaganda.
I don’t believe anonymous reports, but it had been very recently into the low 20s most nights.... until about 3 days ago.
“And Napoleon and Hitler were defecated by the freezing cold and the Russians who know how to fight in freezing weather more than anyone else.”
How does that work (I mean, er, biologically speaking)?
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