Based on what we learned from that one North Korean deserter in 2017, as bad as we think the Russians might be eating at the front, everyday life is worse in the DPRK.
I meant from what they are eating now at the bases in Russia compared to what they're about to be eating. I'm sure Putin is putting on a good show for them now to slow defections.
A drone was spotted targeting Israeli PM Netanyahu's house. This is why you want to end wars like the Ukraine War as quickly as possible, with the aggressor nation (that's Russia, for those of you trying to keep up) defeated. Wars lead to innovations in the art of killing people, and those innovations spill over into non-military, and sometimes terrorist, applications. It won't be long before lethal drones are targeting U.S. leaders, causing our fragile civilization to fall apart faster than electing Donald Trump president. So before you foreign policy wizards and Russian government apologists start thinking about reducing aid to Ukraine again, think about what kind of future you're asking for. By dragging this war out, and possibly rewarding the aggressor nation, you are ensuring the advancement of weapons in dangerous hands. The next time a major terrorist action occurs, don't start asking who could be responsible--start by looking in the mirror. A drone targets the Israeli prime minister's house while strikes in Gaza kill more than 50
Two strategies that probably won’t work against the Russians: (1) defeating them quickly (2) defeating them eventually.
If Afghanistan, with assistance from the U.S., can eventually defeat Russia, than Ukraine can probably do the same, especially considering that we gave Ukraine much nicer weapons technology than the Afghans. Russia is very good at losing wars through their own incompetence, when they do not have extensive assistance from the U.S.
Russian milbloggers are very concerned about a pro-Ukrainian fifth column undermining the Russian war effort. They are especially worried about Russian teenagers, as they seem to be the most agitated at the moment. Teenagers have good reason to be, because if Russia cannot wrap this war up soon, they will be next to be conscripted. The blogger concludes not by appealing to patriotism to stop the sabotage, but by issuing threats. Opinion - Russian ‘milblogger’ worries about a pro-Ukrainian fifth column
It would not shock me if the AFU are already working with South Korea on printing fliers in Korean offering the NK troops all kinds of goodies to defect over to Ukraine.
I would. And the ROK should not hesitate to send Ukraine a task force to help process DPRK deserters and return them to the South. I’m thinking give the job, say, to an armored brigade combat team with a sufficient logistics tail.
One of the reasons that the U.S. lost in Afghanistan is that we provided ammunition to the Taliban (through Pakistan). Another is that we allowed OBL (and Taliban leaders and Pakistani generals) to escape in a plane to Pakistan, instead of shooting the plane down. A third reason is that we hired Taliban spies to provide services in the Forward Operating bases, and refused to take away their cell phones or prosecute them for spying. GWB was an idiot, and Obama was not much better. Presumably, no one is making those mistakes in Ukraine.
We’re not making any mistakes in Ukraine … other than to fail … miserably … abjectly … in all of our objectives in this proxy war.
One strategy that will work is making the cost of continuing the war too high for the Russians. Worked in Afghanistan and although it wasn't part of a specific strategy it also worked in 1918. Treaty of Brest Litovsk
One specific weapon provided by the US made the difference in Afghanistan. Prior to the introduction of the Stinger shoulder fired air defense missiles the Soviet were very effectively using helicopters to pick off Mujahideen guerillas. After we starting providing them with the stingers the helicopters became sitting (or more accurately flying) ducks. 'A fighting war with the main enemy': How the CIA helped land a mortal blow to the Soviets in Afghanistan 32 years ago
Unless I am reading that post wrong, he was talking about the US adventures in Afghanistan and not the USSR. Also, while the Stinger was an important munition, it was part of the overall weapons mix that we gave to the Afghanis.
Of course that was in the original plan. Kill as many Russians as possible and line weapons manufacturers pockets. The problem is a country that was said to have sacrificed 26.5 million, to win WWII, is all-in on this one and is inoculating itself, from the wonder weapons of the West, while going from strength-to-strength militarily, economically and geopolitically. In other words, the proxy war that the U.S. has been spoiling to fight, perhaps for decades, has backfired in spectacular fashion.
The third was not realizing that only about 1/4 to 1/3 of that place is savable in the first place and would probably need to be tied in with Russia and the central Asian states to be viable. Probably best to just write off Pashtun psyco land, aka Mad Max. Problem is, we would have needed the Russians for that and invading Iraq poisoned the well with them.