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Cn anyone explain to me what the hell is going on in Ukraine?

independentusa

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The Russians went into Ukraine with overwhelming force and have gotten seemingly bogged down, but I felt they would conquer the country eventually. Now they seem to be pulling back into defensive positions on the eastern and southern parts of the country. Aer they just waiting for re-enforcements to start forward again or are they going to reman in in those parts of the country they control and leave it at that? It kind of reminds me of Vietnam when people said we should declare victory and go home, which s essentially what we did. What di Nixon call it, "Peace with Honor". You tell me what is going on and what are the Russian's next moves if any?
 
You can't loot a country for decades on end and still have strong institutions. It seems to be a poorly trained army with low morale and discipline, handed shoddy old gear - I read somewhere that something like 60% of their missiles fail (WaPo, I think) - and its up against a country of people whose souls it set on fire.

They'll probably see if they can at least grab some useful land. Running away completely would be hard to spin into any kind of victory for Putin. But who knows, maybe Ukraine really will prevail entirely. It seemed like a total pipe dream a month ago, but here we are. . .
 
I suspect it is difficult to hide that trading tanks worth several million dollars and the lives of their crews for ~$10,000
anti tank weapons, is a bad deal.
Russia had a plan for a lighting takeover, and they lack the capacity for a extended engagement.
 
The Russians went into Ukraine with overwhelming force and have gotten seemingly bogged down, but I felt they would conquer the country eventually. Now they seem to be pulling back into defensive positions on the eastern and southern parts of the country. Aer they just waiting for re-enforcements to start forward again or are they going to reman in in those parts of the country they control and leave it at that? It kind of reminds me of Vietnam when people said we should declare victory and go home, which s essentially what we did. What di Nixon call it, "Peace with Honor". You tell me what is going on and what are the Russian's next moves if any?
They got their ass kicked. Corruption sucked the life outta everything they needed to accomplish their goals. No money = no training, no ammo, no equipment, no maintenance, and no real soldiers.
 
The Russians went into Ukraine with overwhelming force and have gotten seemingly bogged down, but I felt they would conquer the country eventually. Now they seem to be pulling back into defensive positions on the eastern and southern parts of the country. Aer they just waiting for re-enforcements to start forward again or are they going to reman in in those parts of the country they control and leave it at that? It kind of reminds me of Vietnam when people said we should declare victory and go home, which s essentially what we did. What di Nixon call it, "Peace with Honor". You tell me what is going on and what are the Russian's next moves if any?
Weeellll . . . .

“So, Ukraine is a country in Europe.”​
“It exists next to another country called Russia,” she continued. “Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So, basically, that’s wrong, and it goes against everything that we stand for.”​
 
Experts said they never had the resources needed to occupy Ukraine.

They were expected to be able to overrun Ukraine's cities, but thanks to Russian weaknesses - like sending untrained troops who weren't even told they were going to war - and strong Ukrainian resistance and massive international unity and help for Ukraine, Russia first resorted to desperate measures bombing everything, and finally failed.

So in theory they could invest even more, pull in more foreign mercenaries, but that's seeming unlikely.

They could just 'declare victory and leave', as their recent statement the 'first phase' had been completed shows, but most seem to say that's unlikely, but more likely than overrunning the country.

So the remaining scenarios are mostly around either Putin either making a deal like permanent control of Crimea and two eastern areas and other things, or a prolonged war in the east of Ukraine as has already been going on since the invasion of Crimea in 2014.

The other next scenario which has some chance is Putin leaving power, but a Ukrainian parliament member commented that 80% of Russians support Putin's view and the war, and that Putin being replaced would likely be by someone who continued aggression against Ukraine.
 
Experts said they never had the resources needed to occupy Ukraine.

They were expected to be able to overrun Ukraine's cities, but thanks to Russian weaknesses - like sending untrained troops who weren't even told they were going to war - and strong Ukrainian resistance and massive international unity and help for Ukraine, Russia first resorted to desperate measures bombing everything, and finally failed.

So in theory they could invest even more, pull in more foreign mercenaries, but that's seeming unlikely.
Well, reports are that this already happened.

The report indicates a paramilitary organization owned by Putin ally is now attempting to kill members of Ukraine's sitting government. Veuer's Tony Spitz has the details.​

They could just 'declare victory and leave', as their recent statement the 'first phase' had been completed shows, but most seem to say that's unlikely, but more likely than overrunning the country.
From what I've heard today, seems Putin has realized that Kyiv may not be possible for his troops / army, and is pivoting to softer targets / cities to level, with fewer losses.

So the remaining scenarios are mostly around either Putin either making a deal like permanent control of Crimea and two eastern areas and other things, or a prolonged war in the east of Ukraine as has already been going on since the invasion of Crimea in 2014.

The other next scenario which has some chance is Putin leaving power, but a Ukrainian parliament member commented that 80% of Russians support Putin's view and the war, and that Putin being replaced would likely be by someone who continued aggression against Ukraine.
 
Putin is attempting to take Ukraine back as part of the old USSR. What he will have left is in doubt as he destroys city after city and kills thousands of civilians in the process.
 
Weeellll . . . .

“So, Ukraine is a country in Europe.”​
“It exists next to another country called Russia,” she continued. “Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So, basically, that’s wrong, and it goes against everything that we stand for.”​
I was going to like your post for being simple and to the point, without claiming what Putin's supposed goals are. Alas, you were mocking VP Harris.
Do you remember Trump explaining things as POTUS? Bleach and UV light for Covid...ring any bells? Harris is a huge step up from that, even if she annoyed you with her simplification...and I'm not even a big Harris fan.
 
I was going to like your post for being simple and to the point, without claiming what Putin's supposed goals are. Alas, you were mocking VP Harris.
How is a direct quote from Harris mocking her? It is simply a direct quote of what some fools have elected to office.
Sorry that you feel that a direct quote of Harris is mocking her.
Does that mean it is a self-owned mocking? Would seem reasonable to think so. 🤷‍♂️

Do you remember Trump explaining things as POTUS? Bleach and UV light for Covid...ring any bells?
So the 'destroy legally and legitimately elected president and his administration we don't like at all costs' media has dishonestly reported, yes.
All costs causing their trust and credibility polling results to dramatically fall. Perhaps they shouldn't have done that? Self-=inflicted damage and all.

Harris is a huge step up from that, even if she annoyed you with her simplification...and I'm not even a big Harris fan.
There's no accounting for opinions, 'cause they are just like assholes, everyone has one.
 
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The Russians went into Ukraine with overwhelming force and have gotten seemingly bogged down, but I felt they would conquer the country eventually. Now they seem to be pulling back into defensive positions on the eastern and southern parts of the country. Aer they just waiting for re-enforcements to start forward again or are they going to reman in in those parts of the country they control and leave it at that? It kind of reminds me of Vietnam when people said we should declare victory and go home, which s essentially what we did. What di Nixon call it, "Peace with Honor". You tell me what is going on and what are the Russian's next moves if any?

The Russians wanted a rapid seizure of Ukraine in order to replicate the success they had in 2014 when they faced minimal opposition, and by the time Ukraine mobilized a response the Russians were able to smash it into pieces.

The Russians however drastically underestimated Ukrainian willingness to resist and overestimated their own abilities. The Russians evidently did not foresee this; a significant chunk of the forces they sent into Ukraine were not regular Russian military forces but internal security forces; Rosgvardia and paramilitary forces not really suited for conventional combat. Coupled with the rapid insertion and focus on seizing key objectives, it's pretty clear the Russians were counting on dismantling Ukraine's ability to effectively resist then focus on securing the country with stability operations.

When the initial plan failed the Russians had to commence their assault with conventional ground forces, but it quickly became clear that there was a severe imbalance in preparation and readiness. While forces of the 58th Combined Arms Army in the south made good progress, units from the Eastern Military District coming from Belarus generally advanced ad hoc and in poor order, resulting in desultory attacks that the Ukrainians were able to repulse. The 1st Guards Tank Army attacked in the direction of the Kharkiv Front but made limited progress in many areas, which is partially to be expected given the presence of large numbers of Ukrainian forces in the area.

The Russians really threw out their own book here and it shows. They committed to multiple axis of advance in too many directions that their logistics couldn't support, and it shows. They've lost hundreds of vehicles to break downs and fuel shortages while the morale of the average Russian soldier has been particularly poor. The Russians finally accepted the failure of their initial effort by mid-March and reverted back to their grid-smashing tactics that worked well in 2014, where they simply exploit their superior firepower to annihilate the Ukrainians. It's not very efficient, but it gets the job done and that's all that counts in the end.

But the failure of the initial Russian effort have exposed some persistent flaws in the Russian war machine. Outside of their elite infantry Russian troops are not particularly special, and they lack the flexible tactical doctrine to adapt to rapid changes. They also lack a strong NCO corps, which would normally be the guys making sure troops are properly spaced, their vehicles are positioned correctly, remind them to clean their weapons, and so on. The Russian Air Force has also been unable to prevent the Ukrainians from flying sorties, which have included airstrikes on Russian forces.

By last week the Russian offensive had finally ground to a halt as they encountered increasingly stiff resistance around major urban areas they were trying to capture, and the Ukrainians responded with several counter-offensives that have pushed the Russians back in a few sectors. Moscow, already reeling from Western Sanctions, has declared it only has limited objectives and has started transferring troops to the southern and Donbas fronts where its forces have done better. This is a sensible decision, as it will ease the logistical burden of their forces, but also signals a major defeat for the Russians and their hopes of capturing Kiev quickly.

Right now the Russians are rotating their troops forward and out to try to stabilize their lines while avoiding leaving their positions exposed. In the south they're pushing up reinforcements from the 49th Combined Arms Army to supplement the exhausted 58th Army. The Ukrainians have counter-attacked at Kherson and have driven the Russians back near Kiev. The front right now is a bit of a stalemate, but expect a major Russian push against the east and south once they have consolidated their forces.
 
How is a direct quote from Harris mocking her? It is simply a direct quote of what some fools have elected to office.
Sorry that you feel that a direct quote of Harris is mocking her.Does that mean it is a self-owned mocking? Would seem reasonable to think so. 🤷‍♂️
Your link was mocking her...quotes from Republicans mocking here...shall I quote some for you or do you remember what you linked?
Nice try, attempting to act like you didn't do that when you just did...how silly.
 
Putin is attempting to take Ukraine back as part of the old USSR. What he will have left is in doubt as he destroys city after city and kills thousands of civilians in the process.

Well it's nice to agree once in a while, even if Putin gets away with a military victory he won't be able to govern the people that are left.
 
Your link was mocking her...quotes from Republicans mocking here...shall I quote some for you or do you remember what you linked?
Nice try, attempting to act like you didn't do that when you just did...how silly.
Nice try to pretend that Harris didn't say what she did.
That's on her, not me. She said it, I didn't force her to say it. She did that all on her own, so it's her's to own.
If you perceive it to be mocking, well, that's on you.
 
The Russians went into Ukraine with overwhelming force and have gotten seemingly bogged down, but I felt they would conquer the country eventually. Now they seem to be pulling back into defensive positions on the eastern and southern parts of the country. Aer they just waiting for re-enforcements to start forward again or are they going to reman in in those parts of the country they control and leave it at that? It kind of reminds me of Vietnam when people said we should declare victory and go home, which s essentially what we did. What di Nixon call it, "Peace with Honor". You tell me what is going on and what are the Russian's next moves if any?
Call in Ultraman?
 
legally and legitimately elected president

Many people aren't aware that the 2016 election was stolen. Some Republican states used Interstate Crosscheck to purge voter rolls under the bogus guise that MANY people were voting in more than one state. The Republicans that did this should be in prison for election fraud.



 
The Russians went into Ukraine with overwhelming force and have gotten seemingly bogged down, but I felt they would conquer the country eventually. Now they seem to be pulling back into defensive positions on the eastern and southern parts of the country. Aer they just waiting for re-enforcements to start forward again or are they going to reman in in those parts of the country they control and leave it at that? It kind of reminds me of Vietnam when people said we should declare victory and go home, which s essentially what we did. What di Nixon call it, "Peace with Honor". You tell me what is going on and what are the Russian's next moves if any?
If a Russian negotiates honestly he will be shunned by his fellow Russians as a traitor to his country and a traitor to the Russian cultural legacy of subterfuge, treachery and deception. Look at where Gorbachov found himself in the eyes of his people. The only time a Russian will negotiate at all fairly is if he is on his knees or if his opponent is on his knees. Anything else is BULLSHIT.

At this point the Ukrainians should press the Russias as the Russians try to redeploy. Press them. Take out more of them while they are trying to reorganize. Heck they could not organize properly while on their own ground preparing to attack Ukraine. How well do we think they will reorganize and redeploy if the Ukrainians press them the whole time?
 
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