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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
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To: BipolarBob

Ukraine has never been a member of Nato.
And secondly, Zelensky made a major peace offering to Russia in the beginning of the war and was ready to sign a treaty in order to never join Nato ! Guess Russia’s response … “We don’t care about Nato!”, they said.

Even after Sweden and Finland got the go ahead for joining Nato to protect themselves from the wrath of the new Russian KGB-inspired empire, Putin said there was no problem with that and that countries have the right to do as they please – as long they don’t attack Russia.

So let’s stop the immense BS about Russia being displeased about the theoretical possibility of Ukraine joining Nato. That propaganda line is now debunked by everyone including Putin himself !


41 posted on 09/12/2022 9:51:14 PM PDT by USA-FRANCE
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To: Cronos

Wrong, neocon.

The info was Ukrainian documents leaked on the net detailing alot.

Go back to siding with the libtard MSM who peddled numerous, lying stories like the Ghost of Kyiv that conservative media exposed over time, and there’s been alot, I mean alot of them over the months the Ukrainians peddled that were exposed as lies from them

But Biden, Pelosi, Schiff and others earlier expressed their support for this proxy quagmire so continue helping them as well when we need to stay out of this and not support either side.


42 posted on 09/12/2022 9:52:22 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...
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To: Cronos

Putin Stooges are a disgusting group of crazies.

Let’s put aside those who are Russian or have Russian heritage. Which is still no good excuse. That leaves the Putin Stooges whose many bad decisions in life due to stupidity has bad consequences crashing down on their heads and looked for someone they thought defenseless (Ukraine) to bash on so they can finally feel good about something in their miserable lives.

Truth.


43 posted on 09/12/2022 9:54:09 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
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To: McGruff; BipolarBob; House Atreides; Its All Over Except ...
Well if David Ignatius says it’s true who am I to question him.

I'm old enough to remember a Free Republic where the name of Bezos Blog stenographer and fabulist David Ignatius was spat upon on sight...

44 posted on 09/12/2022 10:01:39 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: Cronos

Hate to piss in your Wheaties, but Russia moved its troops elsewhere for a different operation so this is hollow victory as Russia basically did what needed to be done and left the aftermath to Zelensky to clean up.


45 posted on 09/12/2022 10:03:21 PM PDT by DeathBeforeDishonor1 ( )
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To: allendale

Your analogy comparing Stalingrad to Ukraine is absurd. Russia has always been successful at defending their homeland. As far as offense, not a very good track record.


46 posted on 09/12/2022 10:10:03 PM PDT by Psycho_Runner (Have a good day, unless you have other plans.)
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To: DeathBeforeDishonor1
What I heard was that the Ukies were moving the victorious Balakliiya brigades over to Kherson Oblast by [electric] train, and the Russians got wind of it.

Hence, the power station attacks.

Apparently, the now-immobile equipment and troops had a rough go of it while cooling their heels on the line...

47 posted on 09/12/2022 10:11:20 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: Its All Over Except ...

You sound like a Russian neocon.
Because you sound upset every time the west wins something.
All the Russian imperialism, the long list of countries the Soviets have taken is endless... but you muted over that...

Its time to denounce the Russian deep-state ultra globalist warmongering agenda !
Russia go home ! Stop your tradition of invading free nations !


48 posted on 09/12/2022 10:12:11 PM PDT by USA-FRANCE
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To: DeathBeforeDishonor1

It seems that just 2/3rds maybe of the Izyum front troops made it out, but without their heavy weapons. Their withdrawing columns have been filmed with drone video, consisting of nothing but trucks. I suspect that there was an agreement to let them leave without harassment, on the condition that they left behind their weapons, which they seems to have done.


49 posted on 09/12/2022 10:16:47 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: kiryandil

It was a one-day delay, if thats what was going on.


50 posted on 09/12/2022 10:17:46 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: Its All Over Except ...

If one assumes that there were about 200,000 active personnel in the Ukrainian army, and of these about half were in combat units (which is a pretty extreme tooth-tail ratio), 50% casualties, or 50,000 men, would be in the ballpark after six months of war.

Consider the equivalent Russian/L&D casualties as a % of the force originally committed.

Ukraine could replace its casualties from reservists and new conscripts, and they seem to have done so. The country seems to have lost two brigades outright (those at Mariupol). But it rebuilt others, such as the 80th, crippled at Kherson in the initial attack; it was one of the lead mech brigades in the Kharkiv operation. And it created a bunch more. There are at least 2-2.5X as many brigades now.


51 posted on 09/12/2022 10:29:00 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: Its All Over Except ...

This is a weird line of argument.

- Trump had the border well in hand without spending anything extra. Nothing extra is needed, it is all about policy. Biden could tell the border guards to shut it all down and they would do so overnight. What happens on the border is entirely a matter of US politics, not money.

- Any money saved by halting Ukraine aid will NOT be spent on the border by this administration. Jeez, what are you smoking?


52 posted on 09/12/2022 10:33:39 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: Cronos
The invasion was the major event. This is just guessing on the aftermath.

For Zelensky it is about getting Ukraine back, rebuilding, and future security. The question for Putin and Russia is, if it dampens their imperial ambitions to create a new CCCP or not. What the US and Europe does depends on if Putin's ambitions are tempered or not.

53 posted on 09/12/2022 10:38:25 PM PDT by Widget Jr (🇺🇦 Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 - Just say no to CCCP 2.0)
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To: Cronos
Russia is like the thug who beats his wife to a pulp for not making his dinner right, then looks down on her quivering in a corner, bruised and bloody, and says to her “See what you made me do?” NATO is a defensive alliance, so Russia is telling its neighbors “you have no right to band together to defend yourselves…” And then it is also saying “if you do, Russia will attack you, so don’t defend yourself because there’s no need…”

Excellent commentary as per usual, Cronos!

Regards,

54 posted on 09/12/2022 10:38:38 PM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: Cronos

Russia should have known better than to attack a nation friendly to the USA on mostly wide open terrain with great visibility.


55 posted on 09/12/2022 10:48:03 PM PDT by familyop ("For they that sleep with dogs, shall rise with fleas" (John Webster, "The White Devil" 1612).)
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To: Brian Griffin

The trouble is that neither the strategic nor operational situation, now, is anything like Stalingrad.

Indeed, Russia tried to do a “Stalingrad” several times in April-June, that is, cut off the Donets salient. And it failed repeatedly, with less and less ambitious intentions each time.


56 posted on 09/12/2022 10:57:39 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans; Kevmo; SpeedyInTexas; marcusmaximus; PIF; dennisw; All

Putin could feel he was slipping and felt it was now or never. He wanted a star on his Christmas tree before he passed from power. Also he wanted all of Ukraine’s gas, oil, and coal resources so they would not enter Russias European fuel market.


57 posted on 09/12/2022 11:05:06 PM PDT by gleeaikin (pQuestion .)
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To: House Atreides; Berlin_Freeper
Dude, you’re an embarrassment to most American expats in Germany.

Says the clown who insulted people viciously on this forum for saying Russia was on the verge of invading Ukraine, and who probably thought the victories we've seen these past few days by Ukraine were impossible.

Your record doesn't exactly show you to be much of an expert on anything.

58 posted on 09/12/2022 11:10:44 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: Its All Over Except ...
Wrong, neocon. The info was Ukrainian documents leaked on the net detailing alot.

Russkies don't forge documents? They did so just recently with the Dugin thing.

Anyway it doesn't matter, since even Russian sources acknowledge Ukraine has at least 700,000 people in its armed forces now. Not 200,000.

59 posted on 09/12/2022 11:15:30 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

Still stalking me I see. You should know that I’m not a homosexual so I’m not really your type.


60 posted on 09/12/2022 11:40:40 PM PDT by House Atreides (I’m now ULTRA-MAGA-PRO-MAX!)
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