[Alter Kaker]

Ukraine invaded with a CORP comrade, not 1000 men. They are staying.

[Karl Spooner]

Ukraine invaded with a CORP comrade, not 1000 men. They are staying.

Your source

[Zhang Fei]

Ukraine ping

[Ukraine invaded with a CORP comrade, not 1000 men. They are staying.]

---

What I’m hearing is 75,000 men, the equivalent of 2 army corps. The theory is that they’ve been squirreling equipment and munitions away for almost a year, while poor-mouthing the state of their gear and supplies, and deliberately* giving way in the Donbass, to encourage the Russians to reinforce success.

Note the almost complete radio silence from Ukraine since the operation began. People with connections at the Pentagon have remarked upon how the Ukrainians have been very successful at keeping things not just from the Russians, but from the watchers in the US intelligence community. The consensus is that for the most part, anything that comes from Ukrainian sources is what Ukraine’s military high command wants the world to hear, good or bad.

* It’s likely only Syrski and a handful of his most trusted subordinates and Zelensky’s inner circle knew. The lower ranks on the front lines were presumably not informed. They were deliberately starved of equipment and munitions to further the deception. Of course, this wasn’t just about wrong-footing the Russians. Ukraine’s limited resources meant making choices. Material for the offensive had to come from somewhere. So the front line troops in the Donbass suffered.