[Right_Wing_Madman]

I think the Russians are slow-playing the Ukraine war in part to further bleed the United States. They know that of the billions sent from the U.S. to Ukraine each month, very little of it makes any difference on the battlefield.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

I think the Russians are slow-playing the Ukraine war in part to further bleed the United States.

I saw a photo the other day nice piles of dead Russians, all packed on top of each other, and other photos of Russian tanks fleeing from HIMARS bombardment... in vain.

It takes a special type of dumb to imagine that this is 5 dimensional chess to "bleed the United States" by Russia, a country with a GDP maybe around the size of Illinois PRE-sanctioned.

[tlozo]

They know that of the billions sent from the U.S. to Ukraine each month, very little of it makes any difference on the battlefield.

Definitely a 'madman', even russian propagandists on russian state tv admit HIMARS and precise US artillery shells are devastating.

https://youtu.be/TEiFX4tIlw4

[spetznaz]

Oh please! It’s the opposite. The entire US strategy is not to help Ukraine but to hurt Russia, and the US is doing an amazing job of that. Russia has lost billions (directly and more indirectly) fighting this war, they have lost a lot of materiel and have lost of a lot of soldiers. The illusion of the ‘mighty Russian military machine’ has also been dented.

Sure, Ukraine has also lost a lot - their country is in shambles, their economy is gone, and any military victories are simply because of military intelligence and weaponry provided by the West. Sure, the Ukrainian fighting man has shown he has real grit, but without the assistance of the West the whole shebang would have been over months ago. I also don’t like the manner in which the media makes it look like Ukraine is winning and it’s only Russia that’s losing. The truth is that if Russia has lost 100K soldiers Ukraine has lost the same amount.

But with that said, Russia has been greatly damaged by that war. Russia has been humiliated, their military shown to be wanting, and Putin’s plan definitely is not going the way he originally wanted.

Yes - I know someone will come and say ‘but Ukraine is without water or electricity’ or something like that. Sure, that is true. Ukraine has been hit hard and only the foolish make it seem like someone they are unscathed. That country has been devastated.

But Russia has been hit hard, and they are being bled out. It’s not Russia bleeding out the States but the West bleeding out Russia. Those US/European weapons that are running out - well, that is across several countries. Russia’s weapons are being expended and it’s all coming from Russia. That’s why they are getting stuff from North Korea and Iran.

That would be like the US getting weapons from Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

Apologies to any headhunters and kiwis in the group …

[BobL]

“I think the Russians are slow-playing the Ukraine war in part to further bleed the United States.”

They certainly know that it will be YEARS (probably 5 to 10) before we can fully replace our weapons. I suspect the military-haters running our government is just discovering the same (they thought it was just a matter of turning the lights on at a Lockheed plant, LOL).

So, an initial objective of the military operation was to de-militarize Ukraine, but thanks to the Neocons, the Russians are now in the process of de-militarizing NATO.

Assuming this crap ends without a nuclear war, it will be interesting to see what Russia extracts from the Neocons, since the balance of power will be hugely favorable to Russia (which is why I always opposed our involvement there).

[ptsal]

Post 9 - That is probably the most accurate assessment.

It is the ‘Reverse Reagan’ being played by Vlad on the western fools.

[freeandfreezing]

I think the Russians are slow-playing the Ukraine war in part to further bleed the United States

You can't really believe that. Russia's economy is about the size of the economy of Texas, and the vast majority of the bleeding getting done is by Russian conscripts and mercenaries near Bakhmut.

Meanwhile the Russian attack on Ukraine has generated spending in the West on arms and weapons systems, and that spending is bolstering the economies of the USA and its allies. Factory workers from Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and other US companies are enjoying their Christmas bonuses.

And nations around the world are realizing that they need to buy US and European made weapons.

[DownInFlames]

At this point it a war of attrition which Russia will win until they have a total revolt as with the Tzar after WWI. in the late stages of WWI, the Russians dropped their rifles and deserted the front line.