Posted on 03/16/2022 10:25:07 AM PDT by marcusmaximus
Putin has a problem. His invasion of Ukraine, intended as a days-long operation, is now grinding into its third week and becoming a bloodbath. Attacks across the country are stalled amid predictions that Russia will soon struggle to hold the territory it has - let alone capture more. In short: he needs more men for the meat grinder.
But where to find them? America estimates Russia has committed somewhere between half and three quarters of its total land forces to Ukraine, and all of those are already involved in the fighting. Some 'spare' units will be involved in active missions elsewhere, while others will be for territorial defence - leaving the country vulnerable to attack if they are sent abroad.
That conundrum has forced the Kremlin to reach far from the frontlines in search of men, according to Britain's Ministry of Defence, which says reinforcements are now being drawn from as far afield as eastern Siberia, the Pacific Fleet, and Armenia. That is in addition to Syrian fighters and paid mercenaries - hundreds of the from the shadowy Wagner Group - which have already been committed to the fight.
The UK believes such reinforcements would likely be used to hold Ukrainian territory already captured by Russia which would then free up regular units for fresh assaults - almost certainly targeting major cities like Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and Chernihiv. Another goal would likely be to encircle a large number of Ukrainian forces in the Donbass, spread out along the old frontline with Russian-backed rebel groups.
But it is unclear whether those reinforcements will be effective. Some could take weeks to reach the front, while Syrian mercenaries are likely to be poorly trained and un-used to the terrain and climate of eastern Europe.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
The JoeLitburo is making this into "The Great Patriotic War 2".
It appears to me that any Russian “occupation” of Ukraine would amount to pockets of Russians under siege.
Not too appetizing.
Assad also has to worry about Erdogan. Like Franco, he'll send a token force.
I dunno about biggest, certainly one of.
There is also the high level of drug use and addiction, the fact that a good chunk of the country is very recently from “somewhere else”, the fact that very low numbers of youth have any sort of nationalist sentiment, the obesity….
Thanks bringing that up.
so when Russia uses up everything/everybody can Poland march in and take Russia ?
“Good news. Guess we don’t have to send Ukraine any money”
—
That’s what I say what with the daily deluge of usual suspect “Russia being defeated” concoctions that the media is allowed to publish - combined with the Ukraine military not having lost one life or nary even a jeep’s jack having been destroyed.
The world can move on, get back tro usual business and sit back to let Ukraine finish the job.
Ukrainians are reporting some officers and NCOs in units that fought and were withdrawn to refit are refusing to go back, mainly do to lack of logistics (food, fuel) and no command guidance. The Ukrainians have had very good intel on Russian communications, so this may not be just propaganda.
Samoans found dead on the streets of Ukraine in Russian uniforms might be a little hard to explain.
Putin wants to die with the legacy of having pulled the USSR back together.
Whatever follows after he is dead-—he doesn’t care about.
Independent verification? The Daily Mail is not a reliable source on anything. Except Duchess Kate’s wardrobe.
“His invasion of Ukraine, intended as a days-long operation...”
Putin Bots be like “Nuh uh... Putin always intended to get his army stuck in a Ukrainian quagmire. That was the plan all along!”
Steiner’s counterattack will push them back and turn the tide of the war...
“so when Russia uses up everything/everybody can Poland march in and take Russia ?”
Well, the King of Poland once got elected Tsar of Russia but was blocked from taking the throne, so they have a legitimate claim, I’d say. At least according to the kind of logic Russia uses.
This war is obviously unpopular among the military. They are sent to make war with their brothers in the region. Do you suppose the military generals might revolt against Putin??
“...The Daily Mail is not a reliable source..”
I haven’t heard that before. Why is it they are not a reliable source?? - any more or less a reliable source than any other news outlet? that’s an honest question - I don’t know.
I suspect that many of Putin’s Russian troops have a problem killing their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Syrian and Chechen draftees would have no such problem.
“...The Soviets used to show movies about traffic jams in America to show how bad life was...”
I knew a young Russian Jew, an engineer and his young non-Jewish wife who had migrated to the US about 40 years ago. The wife was from a small village and when they learned she was going to live in the US, the village was afraid and fearful for her as all they knew of America were movies depicting murder, rape and violence.
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