Posted on 09/15/2022 10:13:51 AM PDT by billorites
Over the roughly two decades that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been in power, he's dedicated a lot of time and money to building up and modernizing Russia's military. In the process, Putin garnered a reputation as a force to be reckoned with and was widely viewed as one of the most powerful leaders in the world.
But the war in Ukraine has decimated the Russian military that Putin spent years building, while raising questions about his grip on power, Russia experts and military analysts told Insider.
"Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been a strategic defeat. So far the Kremlin has not been able to achieve its strategic level objectives and it has incurred significant costs. Russia's military is going to have to be rebuilt," George Barros, a military analyst with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), told Insider.
"The conventional ground army ground force that the Kremlin has spent the last two decades on creating — seeking to create a modern military — that force has been just largely degraded and in a large part destroyed in the past six months of war in Ukraine," Barros added. "It's very true to say that the conventional Russian ground force has taken a significant beating in Ukraine. It will have to be rebuilt."
Though it's difficult to confirm death tolls with the fighting ongoing, US military estimates last month put Russian casualties as high as 80,000. Among the dead have been senior officers, including generals.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
“Nothing is more dangerous that a cornered wounded animal.”
As the Russians have so painfully learned against a motivated force that is fighting for its lives, families and national survival.
Well if I had to live in Russia I might think death was a victory too.
The money Putin “spent” didn’t go into the military, it went into the pockets of the oligarch’s. The stupendous corruption and graft has always been the main reason Russia could never compete with the West.
Russia is cornering Ukraine and can turn around and drive home.
Because he can't. Putin can not call for mobilization under Russian law without declaring war. That would mean he would have to admit to the Russian people the special military operation is a full scale invasion. The Russian economy is not brushing off the effect of sanctions either. Mobilization would affect his stature inside Russia.
There is a limit on how much Russia can really deploy. They tend to fight no more than 100 miles away from a railways. There is a upper limit on how many troops Russia can deploy, between 180,000 to 200,000 maximum. Deploying 50k in Vladivostok for war games does not means they can turn around at go to Ukraine. Even if Russia has spare forces to send, they can't support them.
Putin does not want to go to full mobilization, does not have the spare forces, can't get them to Ukraine, and can't magically produce logistics to support more than they can. This is not the Russia of History Channel documentaries or of the Reagan years anymore.
#50. A point the Putin supporters ignore. It helps explain the collapse of the Russian army around Kharkiv, which is why they ignore it.
Ze Reich will win ze war. Endsieg for russia is certain! LOL
It didn’t stop the Russians from killing 50% of the superior Ukrainian numbers and destroying 90% of their equipment.
This was probably the worst military decision, outside of Biden’s Afghan retreat, I have ever witnessed. They entered Ukraine without a real plan and by most accounts, risk losing all their gains to a smaller force. I hope they don’t use nukes.
Are you sure it wasn’t 150% of their numbers and 900% of their equipment? 🙄
After you take a pill, you need to sit and contemplate the concept of satire.
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.