07-15-2024, 11:24 AM
https://www.yahoo.com/news/putin-leading...16828.html
Some bit of "optimism" but very short on hard facts. Russia's "meat offensives" are indeed producing lots of casualties. What the article fails to understand is that these are people Putin actively wants to get rid of anyway. He doesn't care how many of his ethnic minorities or criminal class die, in fact, more the better. Yes, it is an ethnic disaster for these groups, but not for "real Russians". The million young people who fled aren't a problem. They will come back when they realize Russia isn't going to send them in harm's way. Yes, they may be conscripted, but they will be counting snowmobiles in Siberia (worst case), not being slaughtered in Ukraine. The article makes no real estimate of when he will "run out" of these "undesirable" people and send lots of "real Russians" into harm's way. While that is a good and relevant question, IMO the better question is whether Russia can "win" in Ukraine using these very low quality soldiers. Russia may be betting that Ukraine will collapse before Russia actually has to defeat them and/or that lack of support from the US will deprive Ukraine of the means to continue resisting. Unfortunately the latter is a very real possibility in the near term.
Some bit of "optimism" but very short on hard facts. Russia's "meat offensives" are indeed producing lots of casualties. What the article fails to understand is that these are people Putin actively wants to get rid of anyway. He doesn't care how many of his ethnic minorities or criminal class die, in fact, more the better. Yes, it is an ethnic disaster for these groups, but not for "real Russians". The million young people who fled aren't a problem. They will come back when they realize Russia isn't going to send them in harm's way. Yes, they may be conscripted, but they will be counting snowmobiles in Siberia (worst case), not being slaughtered in Ukraine. The article makes no real estimate of when he will "run out" of these "undesirable" people and send lots of "real Russians" into harm's way. While that is a good and relevant question, IMO the better question is whether Russia can "win" in Ukraine using these very low quality soldiers. Russia may be betting that Ukraine will collapse before Russia actually has to defeat them and/or that lack of support from the US will deprive Ukraine of the means to continue resisting. Unfortunately the latter is a very real possibility in the near term.