President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that the United States will impose sanctions “far beyond” the ones that the United States imposed in 2014 following the annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
“This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Biden said in a White House speech, signaling a shift in his administration’s position. “We will continue to escalate sanctions if Russia escalates,” he added.
Russian elites and their family members will also soon face sanctions, Biden said, adding that “Russia will pay an even steeper price” if Moscow decides to push forward into Ukraine. Two Russian banks and Russian sovereign debt will also be sanctioned, he said.
Also in his speech, Biden said he would send more U.S. troops to the Baltic states as a defensive measure to strengthen NATO’s position in the area.
Russia shares a border with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to go into the separatist Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine after a lengthy speech in which he recognized the two regions’ independence.
Western powers decried the move and began to slap sanctions on certain Russian individuals, while Germany announced it would halt plans to go ahead with the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
At home, Biden is facing bipartisan pressure to take more extensive actions against Russia following Putin’s decision. However, a recent poll showed that a majority of Americans believe that sending troops to Ukraine is a “bad idea,” and a slim minority believes it’s a good one.
All 27 European Union countries unanimously agreed on an initial list of sanctions targeting Russian authorities, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and EU foreign affairs head Josep Borell claimed the package “will hurt Russia … a lot.”
Earlier Tuesday, Borell asserted that Russian troops have already entered the Donbas region, which comprises Donetsk and Lugansk, which are under the control of pro-Russia groups since 2014.
And on Tuesday, the Russian Parliament approved a Putin-back plan to use military force outside of Russia’s borders as Putin further said that Russia confirmed it would recognize the expanded borders of Lugansk and Donetsk.
“We recognized the states,” the Russian president said. “That means we recognized all of their fundamental documents, including the constitution, where it is written that their [borders] are the territories at the time the two regions were part of Ukraine.”
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Putin said that Ukraine is “not interested in peaceful solutions” and that “every day, they are amassing troops in the Donbas.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday morning again downplayed the prospect of a Russian invasion and proclaimed: “There will be no war.”
“There will not be an all-out war against Ukraine, and there will not be a broad escalation from Russia. If there is, then we will put Ukraine on a war footing,” he said in a televised address.
The White House began to signal that they would shift their own position on whether it’s the start of an invasion.
“We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine,” said Jon Finer, the White House deputy national security adviser in public remarks. “An invasion is an invasion and that is what is underway.”
For weeks, Western governments have been claiming Moscow would invade its neighbor after Russia gathered some 150,000 troops along the countries’ borders. They alleged that the Kremlin would attempt to come up with a pretext to attack, while some officials on Monday said Putin’s speech recognizing the two regions was just that.
But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Tuesday that Russia’s “latest invasion” of Ukraine is threatening stability in the region, but he asserted that Putin can “still avoid a full blown, tragic war of choice.”
I came across this interesting post from a Scifi Larping forum, but it still seems like a good read since the person claims to have some OSINT and command experience. It's way too long to C&P it here though. Talks mainly about the Russian's focus on advancing and leaving their backtracks vulnerable rather than securing their positions and how it's biting them in the ass because the Ukrainians have been taught to avoid fighting in the open.
I suppouse they will start some action like "killer lives matter" similar to BLM.
@RVNX: going ahead for no reason and not securing their supply lines is just a russian thing. You must be from Russia to get it, but it is just what their do.
Im similar way STAVKA was behaving in World War Two. Go so much deep in enemy lines, take random field or village, see that supply truck makes BUM far, far away from you, abandon heavy equipment because you don't have fuel for that shit, go under fire on feets to own lines, repeat. Learn none.
It also looks like Ukrainians didn't try to fight main battle on border.
I seriously doubt that Putin wanted to be sanctioned personally, much less have the overwhelming majority of the oligarchs get blacklisted, certain banks to get cut off from SWIFT, or even for the Ruble to crash as hard as it has.
OR....maybe neither you nor I actually know everything that's happening. Putin hasn't ruled for as long as he has by accident. Keep in mind that chess is the national game of Russia.
Maybe someone foresaw much of this and planned on it?
You know guys, I'm glad I've found out this thread. Because in the other thread in Happenings there are retards saying shit like "this conflict is really moraly ambigious because there could be nukes flying from Ukraine and this is to close to defend blablabla". Well, there could be nukes flying from Estonia, as it is also part of NATO and not much further away than Ukraine.
The name you are looking for is Lockheed Martin. Purveyors of the F-35 (Germany is all of a sudden on board with massive military upgrade. Imagine that!) and of course the now highly sought after FGM-148 Javelin Home and Garden Defense system.
It's what Texan's like to politely refer to as "A Ladies Purse Gun"
I just realized, in this whole mess the only person Putin’s managed to outsmart, outplay, and humiliate on an international stage is our resident pant shitting retard Brandon.
I just realized, in this whole mess the only person Putin’s managed to outsmart, outplay, and humiliate on an international stage is our resident pant shitting retard Brandon.
The name you are looking for is Lockheed Martin. Purveyors of the F-35 (Germany is all of a sudden on board with massive military upgrade. Imagine that!) and of course the now highly sought after FGM-148 Javelin Home and Garden Defense system. View attachment 3028777
It's what Texan's like to politely refer to as "A Ladies Purse Gun"
I don't really get what the fuck was Putin expecting? That Merica and globo homo just sits there and watches how he ends the current world order?
You have to tell me that he expected the extreme sanctions from the West and comes up with some ultimate 4d chess move soon, to counter that. Otherwise Jesus...he destroyed everything he build up from the complete fuckery that Russia was in the 90s. He would be even worser then freaking Yeltsin lol
Putin is a dictator who has his opposition murdered. He doesn't allow dissent that threatens his position - there is absolutely no way he isn't a demented little imp surrounded by yes men.
I think he believes his own propaganda at this point.
Trudeau announces Canada ban on Russian oil imports
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday a ban on Russian oil imports, saying “oil revenues have helped to prop up President Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs and wage war against Ukraine”.
He said Ottawa would also be supplying Ukraine with anti-tank weapons and ammunition, in addition to three previous arms shipments.
“Today, we are announcing a ban on all imports of crude oil from Russia, an industry that has benefited President Putin and his oligarchs greatly,” Trudeau told a news conference.
“And while Canada has imported very little amounts in recent years, this measure sends a powerful message,” he added.
Canada, with the fourth largest reserve in the world, is a net oil exporter, but still imports significant amounts from countries including the United States and Saudi Arabia, and until recently Russia too, for domestic consumption.
According to government and industry data, Canadian oil imports from Russia fell from more than 17,000 barrels in 2019 to nearly zero the following year.
Trudeau noted that the Russian oil sales account for about one-third of Moscow’s government revenues.
“Our message is clear,” Trudeau said. “This unnecessary war must stop now. The costs will only grow steeper. And those responsible will be held accountable.”
“We have seen over the past couple of days that Putin made a grave miscalculation. He thought it would be easy to conquer Ukraine… He thought the West would be divided and uncertain in its response,” he said. “He was terribly wrong on both counts.”
Defence Minister Anita Anand said 100 shoulder-mounted Carl Gustaf anti-tank weapons and 2,000 rockets would be delivered to Ukraine “as quickly as possible in the coming days”.
Putin laid down his conditions on Monday for stopping the invasion of Ukraine, as sanctions continue to rain down on Russia and Westerners warned that more could still be imposed.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday a ban on Russian oil imports, saying “oil revenues have helped to prop up President Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs and wage war against Ukraine”. He said Ottawa would also be supplying Ukraine with anti-tank weapons and ammunition...
insiderpaper.com
IIHF Council takes definitive action over Russia, Belarus
During an extra-ordinary meeting held on Monday, 28 February, the IIHF Council evaluated the impact of the current war. The IIHF strongly condemns the use of military force and urges the use of diplomatic means to solve conflict.
The IIHF Council has decided to take the following actions:
-Suspension of all Russian and Belarusian National Teams and Clubs from participation in every age category and in all IIHF competitions or events until further notice
-Withdrawal of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship hosting rights from Russia
These two actions have been initiated by the Council in order to enable the IIHF to ensure the safety of IIHF Championships and all participating players, officials, and fans.
Under the current conditions, this decision would have an impact on the following events:
2022 IIHF Continental Cup (4-6 March 2022)
-Belarus club team HK Gomel would not participate
2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship (21 April-01 May 2022)
-Russia and Belarus men’s U18 teams would not participate
2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship (13-29 May 2022)
-ROC and Belarus men’s national teams would not participate
2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship (Dates TBD)
-Russia women’s U18 national team would not participate
2022 IIHF World Junior Championship (Dates TBD)
-Russia men’s U20 national team would not participate
2022 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship (26 August-4 September 2022)
-ROC women’s national team would not participate
Any potential sportive impact of the Council decision on tournament seeding and promotion/relegation will be announced in the coming weeks.
The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship was scheduled to take place from 26 December 2022 to 5 January 2023. The IIHF will initiate discussions in the coming months to find a new host for the event.
The decision to relocate the event was taken primarily out of concern for the health and well-being of all participating players, officials, and fans. The IIHF Council also expressed deep concerns over the safe freedom of movement of players and officials to, from, and within Russia. The IIHF Council also took into account the Russian government’s breach of the Olympic Truce, which was adopted in December 2021 as a UN resolution by United Nations General Assembly. The breach of the Olympic Truce led to a condemnation by the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board last week.
The IIHF Council has not left out the possibility of further actions impacting future events or other IIHF activities but hopes above all for a swift and peaceful resolution to the war.
“The IIHF is not a political entity and cannot influence the decisions being taken over the war in Ukraine,” said IIHF President Luc Tardif. “We nevertheless have a duty of care to all of our members and participants and must therefore do all we can to ensure that we are able to operate our events in a safe environment for all teams taking part in the IIHF World Championship program.”
“We were incredibly shocked to see the images that have come out of Ukraine,” added Tardif. “I have been in close contact with members of the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine and we hope for all Ukrainians that this conflict can be resolved in a peaceful way and without the need for further violence.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday a ban on Russian oil imports, saying “oil revenues have helped to prop up President Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs and wage war against Ukraine”.
The name you are looking for is Lockheed Martin. Purveyors of the F-35 (Germany is all of a sudden on board with massive military upgrade. Imagine that!) and of course the now highly sought after FGM-148 Javelin Home and Garden Defense system. View attachment 3028777
It's what Texan's like to politely refer to as "A Ladies Purse Gun"
We won't buy the F-35 since Germany already invested quite a hell lot of money into the Eurofighter program since the late 90s. The heavy arms industry in Germany is the strongest in Europe and we will buy all the stuff now that normaly goes to the Saudis or Israel.
The biggest problem with this Wehrmacht 2.0 plan is that the high ranking officals of the German army are completly retarded (offically even according to major newspapers) and that we don't have actual experience with war besides some meme fighting in the Kosovo and Afghanistan. Don't know how much man power you need for a modern army but before we abolished conscription in the late 2000s we had like 450.000 soldiers. Now we only have like 190.000 kek.
Finland will provide anti-tank weapons and assault rifles to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian assault.
yle.fi
Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) announced on Monday evening that Finland will send arms to Ukraine. The unprecedented decision was made by President Sauli Niinistö based on a cabinet proposal.
Finland will deliver 2,500 assault rifles, 150,000 cartridges for the rifles, 1,500 single-shot anti-tank weapons and 70,000 combat ration packages to Ukraine.
Finland getting in on the gig and sending shit to Ukraine. However far more interesting is the fact that
a)They've hit the necessary threshold of 50k signatures to trigger a parliamentary debate about officially joining NATO and
b)For the first time ever a poll has shown a majority support joining with 53% support/28% opposed/19% unsure.
He’s just gotta be happy to take some heat of his ass. They have a pretty decent oil production capability. If you don’t mind all the dead injun kids you’ll dig up.
We won't buy the F-35 since Germany already invested quite a hell lot of money into the Eurofighter program since the late 90s. The heavy arms industry in Germany is the strongest in Europe and we will buy all the stuff now that normaly goes to the Saudis or Israel.
The biggest problem with this Wehrmacht 2.0 plan is that the high ranking officals of the German army are completly retarded (offically even according to major newspapers) and that we don't have actual experience with war besides some meme fighting in the Kosovo and Afghanistan. Don't know how much man power you need for a modern army but before we abolished conscription in the late 2000s we had like 450.000 soldiers. Now we only have like 190.000 kek.
My dad always had a huge boner for the Bundeswehr since he served with them during the cold war. Back then it was basically Wehrmacht 2.0 since they still had all the military IQ from the WW2 but now the former Nazi generals are all dead and war has changed. The only way to gain combat experience is to throw the Bundeswehr into actual combat once they are ready.
I came across this interesting post from a Scifi Larping forum, but it still seems like a good read since the person claims to have some OSINT and command experience. It's way too long to C&P it here though. Talks mainly about the Russian's focus on advancing and leaving their backtracks vulnerable rather than securing their positions and how it's biting them in the ass because the Ukrainians have been taught to avoid fighting in the open.
Right okay, I tried to stay out of this thread for my blood pressure but I can't at this point.
Experience: OSINT Early Syria, OSINT A-A war, OSINT in the GSRP discord for this war, and a military officer (navy, but been to universal command school)
This take legitimately causes me frustration. I've seen it parroted multiple times now on twitter. It's so far beyond wrong that it beggars belief. This incoming rant isn't on you Apocal, it's just the straw that broke the camels back.
Part 1: This god forsaken map
Start off, progress is completely non-comparable. Why you might ask? The Coalition invasion in 2003, by the time used for that picture, had universally destroyed the Iraqi army. There was no field army left. As a result the coalition, now with no real need to go fast, started taking their time to secure everything, no pockets of resistance behind them, no spontaneous rushes down highways far in advance of their main elements (mostly, the thunder runs in badghad being the main exception) and near total protection of their logistical network. So what your seeing for the advance lines there is total controlled zones.
What's Russia done here? Bypassed any body of resistance and gone straight forward down the nearest highway, leaving their supply lines completely exposed. You want to see what the Russian advances in the north east against Kyiv actually look like?
(Slightly out of date on the right hand top map unfortunately but can't change it)
Now you might say to me 'Ranger obviously those maps are Ukrainian propaganda!' and sure, you can say that, and I can say equally the map you posted is huge Russian propaganda that makes massive assumptions about the state of the Russian flanks and backline. Why? Because the Russian's aren't, and haven't been, following a doctrine that involves wide captures. Their strategy, the same strategy and playbook (Deep Battle) the USSR intended to use in the 70s (where it would have been much more effective) and the mid 40s (where it was notably more effective) is to stick to road. Advance hard and fast and when you run into resistance, bypass it.
And you can say, "That's not a bad idea!" And your right, it's not, if you have second and third line forces that can actually defeat the troops your leaving behind you. That is not what Russia is doing. We've seen them commiting more and more troops (There's now less then 1/4 of the Russian army left in reserve) but those troops haven't been going to the encirclement, they've been going to the drives further forward. And what's that resulted in?
And Day 3 in a row of the Russian main army being stuck 30km behind the lines of Kyiv due to Ukrainian forces in their backlines.
This isn't some unique thing either, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Ivankov, Kherson. We've seen it repeated again and again and again. Russian forces are trying, and taking immense, unnecessary costs, to push past the Ukrainian forces. If you really want me to dig out the photos and evidence of all of these I can. It will not be a pretty sight but even the 'confirmed by the standards of requiring visual evidence, geolocation, complete identification, and a timestamp' we have the Russians taking casualties at rates of 2 to 1 or more (with a large chunk of Ukrainian casualties coming from forces retreating from the Crimean border to Kherson on the first day)
And once again you can say 'ahh but the Ukrainians aren't posting destroyed vehicles of their own' and I'll even give you that one. Odds are both sides counts are out of wack, even the hard evidence lines (done by Oryx) are underselling both sides casualties by an unknown amount. And again, that's unknown which doesn't mean you can just decide that means the Russians are drawing way more blood then the Ukrainians are.
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Part 2: Ukrainian Encirclement
Right, this is going to get more into the brass tacks of military doctrine, and if that doesn't interest you I recommend ending here but this won't be long.
We are seeing Ukrainian forces sitting on the Donbass seemingly unmoving despite the moving Russian forces from the south. And you might legitimately wonder, 'Why aren't they falling back?' The same question could have been applied to Sumy, Kharkiv, or Chernihiv, each one at some point surrounded or at threat of doing so but not falling back.
The answer is simple, it's not a communication error, it's not some failure of chain of command. It's deliberate. The Ukrainian army has spent the last 4 years (arguably 8 but I'm going with 4 to coincide with larger numbers of western trainers) being trained in independent command tactics. There's a better name for it but it's 12PM and I haven't slept well the last few days due to both following all this information, ongoing physical damage due to a military injury, and having difficulty sleeping thanks to the shit I've had to see to keep up with this war properly.
Either way, the idea is that Ukrainian army formations are trained to operate independently of central command if necessary. The result of this is that they are trained and designed from the ground up to operate if cut off. The Ukrainians have steered into this and they have been stockpiling their cities with arms, military rations, and ammunition to last in the event there's infrequent supplies from central depots. We saw this at Kharkiv and Kherson, which both by all evidence have likely expended hundreds of anti-tank weapons since the war started and Kharkiv still wasn't out of ammo as of yesterday (though they were grateful for a supply run from the central depots.)
Some of this is also that they can plunder DPR, LPR and Russian weapons and ammo and use them with no issues. But the Ukrainians have, and it becomes increasingly obvious with each day, planned to fight this as a war in the cities. And you might wonder.
Why is that?
Two easy reasons, one, the Ukrainian army is well aware it can't win a fight in the field. You don't need to look any further then the highway south of Kherson. A significant percentage of the Ukrainian casualties so far this war in terms of equipment occurred on that road on the first day. (Again, can provide video if required of said highway.) When they were caught out in the open where the Russian airforce could hammer them. In the cities though? The Russians can't do that, they can't use massed artillery or aircraft without losing their at home standing in the war. And even if they could artillery and aircraft's effectiveness in cities is severely reduced even if you level the entire thing. (Rubble much of the time actually makes life easier for the defenders)
Two, the cities keep them closer to other means of support. The TDUs, Reservists and civilians. The former is extra arms and guns that in the open would legitimately be worse then useless. They are too underequipped and not trained well enough to fight in the field without being a burden. In the cities? That math changes drastically. The latter meanwhile I'm not even referring to their ability to use guns like at Kyiv. I'm referring to the perpetual and ongoing leaking of footage and Russian positions to the Ukrainian army that happens everytime the Russians try to move into the city. Hell we have reports of Civilians now capturing Russian tank units.
Note you can tell these are Russian tanks by the 'Cage' on the roofs which is used to detonate HEAT rounds at a distance safe for the tank. (This has potentially proven ineffective against Javelins by some evidence, and is definately ineffective against NLAWs due to the way those work)
As is these are invaluable. The information war lets the Ukrainians hit the Russians and react to their movements even if they can't see them.
And I lied, there's actually a secret THIRD reason the Ukrainians have done this, and it's almost painfully anticlimactic.
The Ukrainians have the same playbook as the Russians. The Russians have been following classic Deep Battle Doctrine, which relies on overwhelming the enemy with constant contacts and new fronts opening on all ends. This works really well if you can catch an army in the field, it leaves them disorganized and unsure where the hell the next attack is coming from. What it doesn't work against is an enemy that absolutely refuses to come out and engage you on the terms you want. The Ukrainians know this, and they are remaining in dug in positions that can be defended from either direction equally well. This forces the Russians to cede the initiative to the Ukrainians. It's not in the clearcut way you'd expect, but the Russians as a result have to engage the Ukrainians on their terms.
And you might now ask, why do the Russians have to do that? Can't they just circle and siege?
And yes, the USSR could have done that, when armies were able to muster 3.5 million active duty personnel and another 6 million reservists and not immediately implode their supply lines and budget. (Arguably, it was never actually tested after WW2 ended.) But the Russian army can't, not with the troops they have. It takes anywhere from 5 to 1 (if your significantly more advanced then the enemy) to 10 to 1 (if your not) to successfully take a city. Encircling it takes the lower end of that usually regardless. Because the enemy has the initiative over you at all times. You now have to defend every possible way out of the town, the enemy can mass their forces without your knowledge inside the city and aim to breakout at any one of those exits. Letting them concentrate all their firepower on a small part of your line.
As a result, what Russia is doing is not sustainable in the long, medium, or even short run. We are seeing the devastating effects on the Russian rear line as a result. They couldn't afford to actually encircle Sumy, and broke the encirclement two days ago (though most of the major ways out remain in their nominal control, minor ones are in Ukrainian hands.) Kharkiv they've failed to encircle for days now because they don't have the manpower to do it in the region. Kherson's encirclement changes every half day on if it's actually encircled or if it's linked back up with Mykolavi.
Ukraine's seen Russia's playbook, and they played the, not quite 'trump' card in this situation, but they played a hand that makes Russian's lives much more difficult. They could try and encircle the Ukrainian forces in the east, but then what? The Ukrainians are sitting on ammunition and food reserves and don't plan on budging. Surrounding them isn't going to get them to surrender (it certainly hasn't so far) and it's not going to be some surprise move they didn't expect. Now you have to either commit troops to keeping the Ukrainians in place and wait them out (sapping manpower off your further offensives) or you have to drive them out of those killing boxes and cities they've dug (at the cost of men, material, and time which sap your offensive.)
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Part 3: Russia's Complete ineptitude at even the most basic level
A.k.a. You thought this rant was done? You poor pitiful soul.
Right, and I feel if anything might get me clapback from some people on this thread, this might be it. And feel free to do so but I hope you at least listen to what I say here first. Russia has, at the most basic levels shown a level of incompetence that's legitimately startling. I've had to spend years studying 'what to do if we go to war with the Russians' and this war has made it look like we were all fools for thinking of how dangerous they'd be. It legitimately caused me a small identity crisis because it's like the world turned into a Parody of every 1950s-80s propaganda piece and dumb shooter game.
There is no level you can say this offensive has been technically competent. We've seen the Russians fail at the starting gate on multiple sectors (Kherson, Hostomel, Chernobyl, Chernihiv, Karkiv, Kyiv, and Sumy. And I'm not even going to get started on the DPR and LPR in this case.) Some of these have been bypassed (Sumy and Kherson sometimes) or surpassed (Chernobyl) with difficulty but the rest haven't.
I have three major events, of which I can provide photographic evidence if needed, but they were well documented at the time so if you've been following this at all you should know them already and some are rather graphic.
1. Russian Military Police running headlong into the eastern Kyiv districts during the second night of fighting in Kyiv. This unit, seemingly having wandered it's way through the night past Chernihiv, drove right into Kyiv seemingly without realizing there was a war going on and was promptly shot to ribbons.
2. A unit of Grad missile launchers and a Russian Major being captured at Karhkiv. Once again, a unit of rearline troops wandered gormlessly into the Ukrainian defenses like they didn't realize they were there. This unit should have been nowhere near the frontlines in the first place but it was destroyed inside the city limits of Kharkiv.
3. The utterly baffling offensive into Kharkiv yesterday, where many units didn't have infantry support, those that did acted like complete FNGs, and there was no heavy support to be seen. We have footage of these units first getting into the city and they literally drove right past Ukrainian positions like they were trying to just drive through the city without a fight. Some turned out once the shooting started and others just got lost and wandered through downtown Kharkiv with seemingly no end goal or idea where they were. (Random groups of 2s to 4s just getting torn to shreds throughout the city, dismounted infantry wandering about in sections without any idea what was happening)
These three aren't an exhaustive list, they are just the most obvious things. The Russian army looks like it's never fought a war, ever. And I know they have fought wars before so what the hell is going on you might wonder?
A) The most obvious answer is corruption, run through from top to bottom in the Russian officer corp, and there's a fair bit of evidence that suggests this is increasingly true. There have been reports of Russian commanders commanding from so far back they lose radio comms with their troops. Russian High Command seems to be almost entirely paralyzed at a strategic level and is sticking to the next point.
B) The Timetable. A dreaded word in the military that will inspire fear in anyone lower ranking then the person who made the damned thing. The Timetable is as it sounds, and as is likely obvious, a collection of 'be here at X time' orders. The Russians very obviously have one, one that at least in part said 'Be in Kyiv by the 24 hour mark.' This has obviously failed, but it seems rather then adjust the timetable to more managable goals, the Russian generals are trying to force it with manpower. More and more BTGs being sent in piecemeal to try and push the timetable in a startling misjudgment of the situation on the ground. (Seemingly entirely revolving around the idea that if Kyiv falls, the entirety of Ukraine will go with it which looks increasingly unlikely with each passing day.) This is coming at massive cost for only minimal gains (though it is gains.) With incidents like dozens of Chechnyan BTRs and BMPs being destroyed in the suburbs of Kyiv to try and get to the city center in a hard spearhead push (what it would have done after it got to the city center unsupported is unknown.) This also shows in the heavy deployment of forces against Kherson where an entire VDV BTG effectivley evaporated along with potentially 100+ BMPs and BTRs combined. (I watched them going into Kherson on livecams, and we saw maybe a dozen retreat to Nova Kharkova when they were pushed back out of Kherson and Mykolaiv)
C) Training. The Russians seem to have none of it. It looks like almost every training exercise they've done was more performative then functional. VDV BMPs and BTRs parked around like idiots while their dismounted troops try to push out the Bridgehead at Kherson. When I saw this on the day it happened I was legitimately shocked to see it happening. Tens of Infantry fighting vehicles parked bumper to bumper while there is artillery landing nearby and in a contested city where the enemy still has some air presence. This is the kind of idiocy that would get the army torn to shreds in a war against NATO, this is literally something you learn at 101 basic infantry training. If you have to stop moving, find somewhere that's either undercover, or where the enemy wouldn't think to look. If you can't do either, spread out as best you can to minimize potential casualties. Not only did the Russians not do that they paid for it later with at least 2 BMPs and 2 MT-LBs. These are supposed to be semi elite units in Russia? They make mistakes that would get your hide chewed out at basic training here in Canada.
D) A complete failure of preparatory intelligence and a disregard for your enemy. I'm actually going to mostly skip this Post here does an excellent job of discribing Russian thoughts going in. And I firmly believe this is what Russia thought would happen. But it very very very much didn't and points to a collective failure on the West (who also thought Ukraine would fall quickly) and the Russian foreign intelligence services for a complete misread of the country.
E) A complete breakdown of the Chain of Command. This honestly comes into my opinion, by far the biggest issue. The timetable and the Corruption stuff all merge into this. I don't know if it's because equipment isn't working, orders from on high (some prisoner reports seem to point to this) to keep operational secrecy/prevent mutiny or disillusionment before the war started, corruption/ignorance, or a very bad learned lesson from the Chechnyan war (my personal belief going in) that when your fighting someone who can speak your language having units that are communicating with eachother opens up a vector for the enemy to spread misinformation to your men. (A lesson to be learned from the 1st war sure, but fixing your damned comms would be the better answer.) Either way the Russian BTGs seem to have 0 communication with eachother, or even with themselves. Units are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, tanks driving down highways with no infantry or IFV support (The highway to Pryluky from Romny where 2 T-90s and 2 T-80s were knocked out because they were on their own), infantry and light vehicles being sent against emplaced fortifications (Kharkiv yesterday), or that goddamn Grad battery wandering into the Ukrainian Kharkiv lines (I can't get over just how inherently terrible that is and how much flaws it points to in the Russian military.) Units are being fed into the Ukrainian positions to follow the timetable and then just dissapearing into the ether and no information is getting back to the units following behind them.
F) A complete lack of logistics. As has been pointed out, Russia seems to have prepped for a 3 day war at most. Preparatory bombardments were relatively light and it seems like the Russian long range and precision weapon systems in the area are hurting for ammo judging by how much they've tapered off and been replaced with Grads and less precisive long range missile options. Russian units are running out of fuel (and subsequently abandoning their vehicles) enmass. I'm not going to touch on food because Russian MREs are notoriously shit in the first place.
You know guys, I'm glad I've found out this thread. Because in the other thread in Happenings there are retards saying shit like "this conflict is really moraly ambigious because there could be nukes flying from Ukraine and this is to close to defend blablabla". Well, there could be nukes flying from Estonia, as it is also part of NATO and not much further away than Ukraine.
Really that's retarded. For me I want this conflict to end. Without American forces involved. That doesn't mean I want Russia to win of course. I want Ukraine to somehow pull a victory.
Also Justin Treadou is still a asshole who is acting like a dictator himself in Canda currently. So even through he's cutting ties with Russia still doesn't redeem him in my eyes.
