Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How Ukraine’s offensive changes the equation for Putin and Zelensky
Washington post ^ | 12 September 2022 | David Ignatius

Posted on 09/12/2022 8:58:48 PM PDT by Cronos

...The initial assault toward Kherson in the south wasn’t a feint. It was a major strategic thrust that might yet push Russian troops back from the western bank of the Dnieper River. But deftly, the Ukrainians also moved in the Kharkiv region in the northeast while the Russians were asleep there. They didn’t rush the advance; they softened up Russian lines and then, last week, burst through in a devastating assault that put Russia in pell-mell retreat and regained more than 1,100 square miles of territory.

..Vladimir Putin. He is the loser in this latest round, but he is also the man who cannot be seen to lose

...Putin’s problem now is that all those television watchers in Moscow and St. Petersburg can see that the Russian leader’s non-war is a total mess. His strongest backers on the Telegram channel, and even some commentators on state television, are saying that Russian forces have suffered a severe defeat. The finger-pointing has begun in earnest, and the daggers are out for Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of staff, and Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister.

But not yet for Putin, and probably not ever. That’s the beauty of the system he has created. There is no one to succeed him, almost literally. If he keeled over tomorrow, Russia’s interim leader would be Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, a former head of the Russian Taxation Service. Have you ever heard of him? Of course not. That’s the point.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: allsorosallthetime; bidenwarpimpsonfr; compost; davidfagnatius; davidignatius; deadrussianhomos; frteamsoros; globalistpropaganda; letsgojoe; notamericaswar; notglobalcops; putin; putinswar; russia; russianhomos; russiansuicide; teambiden; teamsoros; ukraine; ukraineisnotinnato; ukraineisnotrussia; waposuckers
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141 next last
To: Cronos

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-12

It is my understanding that this organization does a good job tracking the battlefield positions.


21 posted on 09/12/2022 9:32:16 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BipolarBob

Putin doesn’t trust NATO though Putin isn’t trustworthy either. Putin won’t go outside of Ukraine and attack NATO members. In the end, Ukraine’s borders aren’t our problem, the southern border is, and yet some Freepers love Biden and love him sending tens of billions to Ukraine when America needs it.

NATO bombed Yugoslavia offensively, across its borders, against NATO’S charter, when Clinton was in office, on his behalf when no NATO members were attacked.

NATO did the same against Libya, crossed its borders on Obama’s behalf when Obama made unproven allegations that Gaddafi was going to attack 10k of his own people.

But fake conservative Freepers love Clinton and Obama, rejoiced when these things occurred, love empire, love the MIC, etc.


22 posted on 09/12/2022 9:32:32 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: McGruff

It’s not just him. Al, factor show how clearly Russians do not want this war.

The war is about Putin’s ego and Putin is losing.


23 posted on 09/12/2022 9:33:03 PM PDT by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: allendale

The Ukrainians have kept an escape route open for troops across the river. Not their weaponry but they can run with their shirts on their back


24 posted on 09/12/2022 9:34:45 PM PDT by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: House Atreides

Says the paranoid Putin Stooge who is an embarrassing to all Americans and decent Freedom loving people around the world.


25 posted on 09/12/2022 9:35:07 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: House Atreides

Putin doesn’t trust NATO though Putin isn’t trustworthy either. Putin won’t go outside of Ukraine and attack NATO members. In the end, Ukraine’s borders aren’t our problem, the southern border is, and yet some Freepers love Biden and love him sending tens of billions to Ukraine when America needs it.

NATO bombed Yugoslavia offensively, across its borders, against NATO’S charter, when Clinton was in office, on his behalf when no NATO members were attacked.

NATO did the same against Libya, crossed its borders on Obama’s behalf when Obama made unproven allegations that Gaddafi was going to attack 10k of his own people.

But fake conservative Freepers love Clinton and Obama, rejoiced when these things occurred, love empire, love the MIC, etc.


26 posted on 09/12/2022 9:35:13 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Brian Griffin

This is not the battle of kursk. Putin’s army has no backup, no additional reinforcements waiting and no logistics to get additional troops.


27 posted on 09/12/2022 9:36:01 PM PDT by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

A while back, leaked documents exposed the Ukrainian military and showed that around half of the Ukrainian military was dead, could never fight again, went AWOL, etc, a far higher percentage than Russia is experiencing.

This is why Ukraine had no choice but to bet it all on going offensively.

This leak of Ukrainian documents, that was reported on extensively, occurred around the time of Zelensky’s purge of government officials.

So many libtard MSM stories propping up Ukraine have eventually been exposed as lies over the months and truth be told the Ukrainian military is in a world of hurt - far more than the MSM will admit - but which conservative outlets have reported on.


28 posted on 09/12/2022 9:36:59 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

If Putin Premeptively Invaded Ukraine... wouldn’t that make HIM a NEOCON?


29 posted on 09/12/2022 9:37:45 PM PDT by UNGN
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: House Atreides

Nope.

Perhaps you need to stop reading ONLY Kremlin propaganda.

Putin invaded in 2014 to keep a puppet state. In 2022 he thought he would get a walkover like in 2014 (after all a clown as President of Ukraine). Putin was wrong.

The Tsardom is dead and is never going to be revived.

Perhaps you ought to read about Russian history since 1850?


30 posted on 09/12/2022 9:38:19 PM PDT by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: House Atreides
Well, perhaps it was Polish nationalism in your mind or, much more certain, perhaps you simply need to brush up on Eastern European history of the past couple of centuries.
Only a Fool could blame invaded countries for Nationalism.
By your standard Poland was to blame for WW2.
31 posted on 09/12/2022 9:38:45 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: UNGN

Putin didn’t preemptively invade either Georgia or Ukraine.

Neither country threatened war against their smaller neighbours leave alone against Russia.

Putin invaded Ukraine just as China invaded Tibet in 1959


32 posted on 09/12/2022 9:39:52 PM PDT by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: Its All Over Except ...

You keep cutting/pasting that.

The Uke Troops are fighting for something. The Russian Troops are fighting for nothing.

That is going to be the difference in the War... oops Special Military Operation... don’t want to go to jail.


33 posted on 09/12/2022 9:41:20 PM PDT by UNGN
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Its All Over Except ...

Those were Russian propaganda “ while back, leaked documents exposed the Ukrainian military and showed that around half of the Ukrainian military was dead, could never fight again, went AWOL,”.

A military with half gone would not be able to pull off a two pronged offensive.

Furthermore, on Sunday I met with families who were refugees, returned back home last month and have come here for work now. Their womenfolk are still alive, and many are not yet called up to fight.

Your statement is an utter lie


34 posted on 09/12/2022 9:42:31 PM PDT by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

I seen certifiable nut-job Putin Stooges post the same thing about Kursk so you know that is going around the blogs for Putin Stooges.


35 posted on 09/12/2022 9:42:51 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: UNGN

Exactly.

The ordinary Russian soldier does not see a point to this war against a people who look like him, worship like him and speak a similar language.


36 posted on 09/12/2022 9:43:49 PM PDT by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: UNGN

You like other keyboard warrior neocon chickenhawks keep deflecting to others, wint go fight there yourself, you support proxy wars and billions of dollars sent to Ukraine that America needs to protect the US southern border and many other things shile you focus attention on them and away from it being Biden who has gotten us sucked into this in financing it.

Way to go propping Biden up.


37 posted on 09/12/2022 9:46:04 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: BipolarBob

“ The war was started by the globalists”

Indeed. George Soros’s army invaded Russia, and that’s how it all began.


38 posted on 09/12/2022 9:47:05 PM PDT by libh8er
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper

The putinistas are desperate. They know they are losing, so dredge up fears of kursk, of encirclement (which evaporated yesterday), of overstretching.

Heck kazan even said the Ukrainians were not moving fast enough, so would fail.

And here a guy claims half of Ukraine’s military is gone, yet they are able to fight in both the south and north east??

Putin’s FRolls are getting desperate


39 posted on 09/12/2022 9:47:50 PM PDT by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

Well Putin and his crew would have not started This war if those pesky freedom loving Ukrainian “Nazis” voted for Russia’s pet president in 2014. The Russians only wanted a compliant nation that supported Russia’s goals of of a free world. A world were all Russian Eastern Orthodox loving people can be told how to pray by the metropolitan out of Moscow.they would buy their energy from Russia without complaining. They would work in the military equipment plants that produce the needed parts for jet fighters, helicopters, and apc/tanks without price gouging the Russian government. They could mine the large lithium and other ore deposits than are in Ukraine.
There is so much the people of Russia and Ukraine could do together in a new utopia.


40 posted on 09/12/2022 9:49:27 PM PDT by Liaison (TANSTAAFL)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson