Russian soldiers were lied to about going to Ukraine. They use contract soldiers, and under Russian law if they want to get out of Ukraine to go back to Russia, they have to write a letter to their CO about it. The Russian "stop loss" program is to ignore Russian law and not act on any of the letters. The soldiers not trying to get out, can take a guess at what's going on with those who are. I can't confirm the number, but its supposedly sizable, maybe 30-40%.Once Ukraine broke through to Kupiansk, when so much of Russian army is demoralized and distrusting their leadership, a rout was unavoidable.The fact the Russians around Kharkiv were routed like this shows how demoralized they are. Which leads to the obvious question.Then there is the leadership, HIMARs attacks for two months, and the emphasis on Battalion sized units for organization making command and logistics harder. Prior to the Kherson action, Russia relocated force to Izyum and Kherson. The forces in Kharkiv are large the Donbas and Luhansk militias, second rate Russian proxy forces, and Wagner group mercenaries who are not allowed to engage in offensive operations by law or they don't get paid (supposedly), and want to live to get paid more than die Putin's ambitions.
After HIMARs started fighting in July, Russian advances slowed to a halt. What they gained in Donbas, Ukraine could afford to lose. What HIMARs was destroying was gradually wearing away at the Russian ability to wage war.
A week into the Kherson counter offensive, the Kharkiv counter offenses starts. Two days later Ukrainian forces are raising flags 30 miles behind Russian lies. 10 to 20 thousand are backed up to a river with the Ukrainian army everywhere else. 20,000 are stuck in Kherson because HIMARS took out bridges and where there aren't bridges there's the Ukrainian army. 30,000 to 40,000 Russian forces are backed up against a wall, immobilized, with command and control that is
In three months time, Ukraine found a way to get inside the Russia OODA look like no one has since World War II.
The only wonder is why people believe it is impossible for the Russian army to be routed like this, a week after the fact.
what is the real state of the rest of the Russian forces in Ukraine?
You used the Daily Mail as your source! 🤣
We got inside it pretty good in 2003 when the Iraqi TV folk were saying we were nowhere near Baghdad, and then our guys showed up in the background of the shot with the reporter. Pretty funny stuff.
But your point is completely correct. You can almost feel that Boyd cycle spinning around the Russians' heads, completely out of their reach as they are in total reactive mode. The Ukes are going to have to rest, and at that point, the Russians will catch up a bit. I just hope the guys in charge of planning the attack know how far to push it before reining it in a bit so that they don't give the Russians a chance at an easy counter-attack.