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Ukrainian Troops Trained by the West Stumble in Battle
NY Times ^ | August 2, 2023 | 2.2k Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper

Posted on 08/03/2023 4:18:27 AM PDT by C19fan

The first several weeks of Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive have not been kind to the Ukrainian troops who were trained and armed by the United States and its allies.

Equipped with advanced American weapons and heralded as the vanguard of a major assault, the troops became bogged down in dense Russian minefields under constant fire from artillery and helicopter gunships. Units got lost. One unit delayed a nighttime attack until dawn, losing its advantage. Another fared so badly that commanders yanked it off the battlefield altogether.

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


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia; Ukraine
KEYWORDS: nato; war
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You know things have gone bad for Ukraine when the NY Times has to admit the Ukraine attempt at a blitzkrieg style offensive to race to the Black Sea has been an utter failure. Based on other reports Ukraine is incapable of any coordination offensive action above the battalion level; similar to the capabilities of Saddam's Iraq Army. On the other hand, not sure what NATO was thinking telling Ukraine to launch large offensives without air superiority and a huge disadvantage in artillery. Russian artillery and attack helicopters have decimated concentrated Ukrainian formations. Nobody talks about the performance of the Russian Army. I bet NATO was thinking morale was so low that all Ukraine needed to do was kick in the door; that allusion was intentional. Russia has lived up to its historical reputation of being ferocious on defense; the shovel being just as valuable as a rifle. There has been no reporting as to why Russia has performed so well compared to the incompetence shown during the opening weeks of the war.
1 posted on 08/03/2023 4:18:27 AM PDT by C19fan
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To: C19fan

Love the choice words

The first several weeks of Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive have not been kind (IOW, they got their asses kicked) to the Ukrainian troops ...

.. the troops became bogged down in dense Russian minefields under constant fire from artillery and helicopter gunships.
IOW, Russian Generals are far superior to NATO commanders

Units got lost.
Good men died, not enough left to ID the soldier and bury him

One unit ... advantage. Another fared so badly (IOW good men died in large numbers, those still alive are missing arms and/or legs) that commanders yanked it off the battlefield altogether.


2 posted on 08/03/2023 4:28:13 AM PDT by Steven Tyler
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To: C19fan
I guess our training in gender pronouns wasn't much help.

Note to the easily offended, this was not meant to be funny. This was gallows humor, which is meant to be a commentary on how ridiculous things have become.

3 posted on 08/03/2023 4:28:33 AM PDT by TwelveOfTwenty (Will whoever keeps asking if this country can get any more insane please stop?)
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To: C19fan

No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.


4 posted on 08/03/2023 4:28:38 AM PDT by Chad C. Mulligan
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To: All

Guess training them to use the proper pronouns have been shown to be very effective on the battlefield


5 posted on 08/03/2023 4:48:20 AM PDT by escapefromboston (Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.)
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To: escapefromboston

You can’t just grab some guys off the street, give them a few weeks of training and expect them to fight like veteran troops. It takes time to build an effective army.


6 posted on 08/03/2023 5:02:04 AM PDT by ozarker
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To: C19fan

What was NATO thinking? Nuland hates both sides, and when they are killing each other people like her cheer.


7 posted on 08/03/2023 5:17:32 AM PDT by JonPreston ( ✌ ☮️ )
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To: C19fan

The Russians are using WWI technology, mines and artillery, to humble NATO. The NATO rainbow warrior leadership never considered the possibility.


8 posted on 08/03/2023 5:18:01 AM PDT by hardspunned (Former DC GOP globalist stooge)
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To: Steven Tyler

Additionally, Western arms are inferior to Russian armor. The Ukrainian military MUST be blamed because to do otherwise would affect the corporate bottom line in the global arms market.


9 posted on 08/03/2023 5:27:33 AM PDT by JonPreston ( ✌ ☮️ )
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To: C19fan

The level of SHEER ARROGANCE that Leftists have shown throughout my lifetime is now giving us the bloodbath of Ukrainians as the Leftists (Ukraine War supporters) were CONVINCED that our Western ‘wonder-weapons’ could simply cut through Russian defenses like a knife through butter...as this article from 2 months ago shows:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/05/31/ukraines-challenger-2-tanks-can-plow-right-through-russian-fortifications/

Not that the Leftists will ever learn, but they’re no longer beating up weak, Third World countries, they’re now messing with a military Superpower.

IDIOTS.


10 posted on 08/03/2023 5:31:58 AM PDT by BobL (Trump has all the right Enemies; DeSantis has all the wrong Friends)
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To: C19fan

Ukraine can’t win. It is criminal to prolong this war. The US has the leverage to force Ukraine to the negotiation table.

This is similar to a trainer watching his boxer taking an horrendous beating and being pummeled all over the ring. If you care about the long term welfare of the fighter, it is time to throw in the towel. Ukraine has too much courage for its own good or their leaders are so corrupt that they prefer the war money over their own people.


11 posted on 08/03/2023 5:39:16 AM PDT by kabar
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To: ozarker

Exactly. Ukraine’s frontline military was decimated during the early months of the war. They now depend on conscripts who lack the training and cohesion to fight on a modern battlefield of combined arms. Ukraine has a mishmash of weapons from various sources. This complicates significantly the logistics and maintenance requirements. And logistics wins wars.


12 posted on 08/03/2023 5:47:16 AM PDT by kabar
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To: C19fan

Can’t be.

I read the opposite on FR & the NY Post.

/s


13 posted on 08/03/2023 5:58:30 AM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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To: C19fan

Its not just Ukrainian troops who are stumbling, thousands of foreign mercenaries have been killed or fled the battlefield as well.


14 posted on 08/03/2023 6:00:10 AM PDT by mac_truck (aide toi et dieu t'aidera)
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To: C19fan
This.

A deliberate minefield breach is just about the hardest mission a maneuver unit can get. American units usually train for it at one of the Maneuver Training Centers, it requires complex planning, coordination and expends an enormous amount of resources (men and material). Not for the faint of heart, it is a mission most competent commanders really try to avoid if possible.

15 posted on 08/03/2023 6:40:20 AM PDT by Thunder 6 (Panzer raus!)
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To: logi_cal869

When feelings meet Clausewitz.


16 posted on 08/03/2023 6:40:50 AM PDT by Salvavida
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To: Steven Tyler

Notice that they don’t say that these green trainers were added into experienced Ukrainian units.

Apparently most of the experienced Ukrainian solders have been killed or disabled. They were sending completely inexperienced, probably drafted, troops against well-prepared positions. The same thing would have happened to US draftees with the same training and experience.


17 posted on 08/03/2023 6:47:59 AM PDT by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
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To: Cincinnatus.45-70

Trainees, not trainers.


18 posted on 08/03/2023 6:48:55 AM PDT by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
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To: BobL
Not that the Leftists will ever learn, but they’re no longer beating up weak, Third World countries, they’re now messing with a military Superpower.

...they’re now messing with a military Superpower Ex Superpower.

Now, fixed that.

Any fool could see where this was heading.

So much for the inclusive-woke way of fighting!

19 posted on 08/03/2023 6:53:40 AM PDT by icclearly
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To: TwelveOfTwenty

Was gonna say something along that line too “ya mean training in which dress and high heels for men to wear into battle, and how to get all offended by wrong pronouns didn’t help the ukies?”


20 posted on 08/03/2023 7:06:22 AM PDT by Bob434
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