Yesterday, EU President Ursula von der Leyen referred to over 100,000 Ukrainian officers killed. I’m guessing she meant troops. Unless Ukraine has some sort of participation trophy culture. Everyone’s a winner. Everyone’s an officer.
The Biden administration refuses to tell the American people the truth: Ukraine is not winning and will not win the war ... https://www.theamericanconservative.com/washingtons-carthaginian-peace-collides-with-reality/
Some information on how Russia gets conscripts interested in taking part in an attack, even if they are not all that motivated to do so. Also some good info on the technical details of how the fighting is going in Bakhmut. Continuous assaults, water-logged trenches, and cold: How Ukraine is holding the line in Bakhmut
Defining moment in the Battle of Donbass, as the 4-month long defiant Ukrainian resistance to the Russian offensive is ending ... Conflict in Ukraine is doomed to escalate - Indian Punchline
From the article I posted ... The fall of Bakhmut will signal that the Battle of Donbass, which is the Russian special military operation’s leitmotif, is entering its final phase. The Ukrainian defence line in Donbass is crumbling. Russian control of Donbass is at hand in a conceivable future.
Possibly overdue, but a newly appreciated reality of life in Scandinavia or Eastern Europe - having to prepare civilian populations for their role in an invasion. So many thoughts
6,000 in two weeks. wow Putin Loses 6,000 Troops in 2 Weeks as Russia's Weaknesses Exposed: Ukraine (msn.com) The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its latest estimate on Wednesday that Russia had lost 88,880 personnel since the start of the war on February 24. This is an increase of 6,170 from the estimated Russian death toll of 82,710 as of November 16, two Wednesdays prior. In addition to losing thousands of troops, Russia has also faced considerable artillery and vehicle losses in the two-week period, according to Ukraine's General Staff. From November 16 to Wednesday, Ukraine said that Russia lost 43 tanks, 75 armored personnel vehicles, and 69 vehicles and fuel tanks, according to a Newsweek calculation.
My God what a slaughter. I actually feel bad for at least some of those troops who’ve been called up. But this is what happens when people experiencing cultural butt hurt put their trust in authoritarians. Sooner or later their dear leader serves them up for slaughter.
Ukraine Invasion Day 281: "Zelenskyy: We have already won, now we need to finish it" Really interesting stuff here regarding overall modern warfare lessons from the war. I think still the key thing I point out from this is that there were periods in this war where Russia fired more artillery in two days than UK had in stock TOTAL. I know we’ve enjoyed relative peace time for a long time now but it’s time the west starts ramping up weapons manufacturing again. To not do so would be a significant mistake imo.
Bakhmut described as a “meat grinder” for Ukraine. Hundreds and hundreds of mangled bodies simply left in the field. Larry C. Johnson is a veteran of the State Dept and the CIA ... “As I have discussed previously, Russia’s current military leadership is not following the tactics Soviet generals employed in WW II (i.e., mass troop assaults). Russia primarily has relied on massive artillery and rocket/missile strikes before launching a ground offensive. The Russian rate of artillery fire is unlike anything we’ve seen in history. More importantly, the accuracy of the artillery is enhanced by the use of drones and satellites to adjust fires, with updated coordinates relayed in real time to the artillery units. Another factor contributing to Ukraine’s horrendous casualties is its lack of air power and effective air defense systems to counter Russian batteries. If Ukrainian troops try to attack a Russian fixed position, their movement by foot or vehicle is unprotected and vulnerable to Russian artillery or combat air. It appears that some Western analysts who previously pooh-poohed the Russian tactics, are finally beginning to realize that Russia is serious about de-militarizing Ukraine via methodical, grinding tactics. There will come a point when Ukraine runs out of men and cannot field a combat effective force. It appears that day is approaching.”
The West does need to ramp up manufacturing. And that largely means us. Some of our systems have been under intense operational pace for two decades. Most of that is personnel, and thankfully that most precious of resources is not being taxed in the Ukraine. Fully supporting the Ukranians makes it less likely that they will be called upon again in the future. Russia being weakened and tyrants deterred makes it less likely that US leadership will have to consider that option somewhere else. But that reality makes it even more crucial that we ramp up manufacturing. Even viewed cynically, it's a very cost effective defense of freedom worldwide, which is very much in our interest, and makes it less likely that US personnel will have to be in such zones..
Note on Russian conscripts ... The majority of Russian troops in theatre are conscripts. In the same way that the majority of US troops in the Iraq War were conscripts.
What are you talking about? They caught the Russians only because of her. Spotted them from her front porch, she did.
Putin's War is causing infrastructure problems throughout Russia, as local men are sent to war and are unavailable to repair broken utility lines, so it isn't just Ukraine that is suffering. Even before this war, over 5,500 Russians froze to death (last winter, in fact). That number will be much higher this year with no one on hand to repair utility systems. Putin's unpopular war just became less popular. Small towns in remote parts of Russia depend on local utilities to send out steam or hot water in piping systems to apartment buildings for heating, and these lines are subject to corrosion and other problems, so their heating system is less reliable than western-style electricity, or hot oil furnaces, natural gas, etc. Another nail in the coffin of Putin's war. Deaths Back Home Leave Russians Furious With Putin
Like I said awhile back: Stay Home, Save Lives —> BLM —> Orange Man Bad —> Take Your Spot, Get Your Shot —> I Stand With Ukraine “In Europe, skeptics of NATO policy are silenced and cut off by friends, family.” https://www.theamericanconservative.com/ukraine-war-seems-like-old-times/
