Do you think that the Russian "Blitzkrieg" attack has failed?

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

And if you're going to say that the invasion is still underway, when I say "Blitzkrieg", I mean their attempt to capture/knock out key strategic points to cause the Ukranian Army to disintegrate while only destroying a fraction of it.

This would mean that to win the war, Russia would have to fight a war of attrition and we might see echoes from the winter of '39-'40.

[ChrisMaster69]

Not so much failed, however it does show a large weakness in what Russian strategy is.

They have air Superiority and are not maximising it.

there was almost zero reason to move tanks and troops forward to capture air heads with helicopters.

The opening stages of the Gulf War showed what AirPower can do in uncontested air space.

Even summer 1944 showed what tactical air power can achieve when the allies switched to daylight tactical raids against the Germans in France etc.

The imagery the Russians should have from recce and Elint, should show everything on the battlefield.

This should then allow the battle space commanders to just take out all Ukrainian armour and any assets that can threaten their close support platforms.

It’s like they are making up at they go along, things like a helicopter or para drop against a defended airfield are stupid, great for the press when they work, however it’s not like distances are far.

Definitely not Shock & Awe.

Yeah the Russians will win and take Ukraine, it’s just seems half arsed method of doing it and not really using assets as you would expect them to be used.

[Кураж]

They so far seem to have failed even taking Donbass, which they claimed was full of pro-russians who were going to welcome them with open arms.

The reality is that 95% of Ukrainians hate Russia's guts.
So a serious resistance was to be expected.
Russia is going to suffer, not just immediate losses but months if not years of assaults after occupation.

I really don't understand what Putin was expecting, it's a nation with 40 million people.
It's plausible he is planning to move a lot of military into the region in preparation for further military expansion into Europe, which he thinks will probably ensure relative safety for them but I think they are just going to lose more of their assets and technology to resistance that way.

The pictures of downed vehicles show Russia is using a lot of old machines and young inexperienced soldiers, clearly the bark of the nation is a lot louder than the bite their poor economy can afford.

Not to mention that if they do get removed from SWIFT, Russia will face a total economic collapse in the next 5-10 years.

[EnglishEuropean]

Russia will just find other ways to do business. The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) are already working towards de-dollarization.

[Кураж]

@EnglishEuropean

That's still a pipe dream, shithole countries are far too reliant on trade with the US, EU and the commonwealth.
They would get utterly fucked by sanctions of the likes that Russia is going to face, they still need the west a lot more than the west needs them.

Chinese banks are already restricting financing for Russia:
www.foxbusiness.com/.../china-restrict-financing-russia-ukraina-invasion

[Кураж]

At best, China is only going lend money to Russia when they will be at the brink of extinction, so that Russia becomes indebted to them for life and China can scavenge them from the inside like they have been doing with smaller third world nations all over the world.

[EnglishEuropean]

And not just Third World countries either.

[Agape93]

Yeap. The quick victory putin wanted has so far failed

[NathanDavis]

I believe that Putin's goal is to just oust the current PM that is very much anti-Russia... and then reinstate a pro-Russia leader like it was years ago... and that is it, he does not need to destroy Ukraine's army or terrorize the people further more

[goaded]

Wasn't that Bush's plan in Afghanistan? Whoever he puts in will have to terrorise the people, just like the previous Putin puppet.

[NathanDavis]

@goaded well yes... for invading and interventionism, one should always look at the USA, for reference

[goaded]

I've got no problem condemning both Iraq and Ukraine invasions. Afghanistan, I'm in two minds about.

It doesn't matter to you whether the intent is to bring democracy or destroy one? Or how protests against the wars are treated differently in the West and Russia?

[Still-alive]

So naive…

[goaded]

@Still-alive Me? I know it's not the only reason the US starts wars, but you have to admit that the country wouldn't (currently) support invading Canada. The people do at least have some say. No so in Belarus or Russia.

[Still-alive]

@goaded no nathan here. He really thinks Russia isn't going to terrorize Ukraine after they take it

[NathanDavis]

@goaded This is certainly not about what matters to me, let's make that clear

my comment was merely a guess... and one that looks into a shorter possible outcome of the current situation, and I have such GUESS only by looking at the past... the past being Crimea, the past being that part of Georgia he did walk into, and also Syria... as well as the region inside Russia that is controlled by the Chechens (appointed by Russia)

all of those situations that happened before can be a tell of what could happen in Ukraine... I really don't think that Putin wants another Syria where you have at least a dozen factions fighting each other and all over the place... and I do not think Putin wants another Chechnya, where you know very well it can become radicalized again and become another hotspot for terrorism...

if his grip is way too tight, and goes for way too long... he will definitely find resistance, and he cannot afford that politically... the only reason why Putin gets away with killing innocents right now, is because the numbers are low and because he (wrongly) justifies them as part of his intervention in order to "clean" the situation which... is the same excuses the USA and Europe used, when they terrorized and killed innocent civilians in Irak, US forces not only killed innocent civilians and terrorized them, they also killed international members of the press, and even killed some of their own allies with friendly fire

[NathanDavis]

@goaded so, this is why I think Putin will do the same US and Europe have done... they oust the current leader, and then they assign a leader of their own and they do it in the name of "democracy" which, we all know it is bullshit

the things we see today... are things the USA has done... and they're also things the Ukraine had been doing in the previous years against the separatists in the Donbas regions... this is nothing new, the only thing that change is, who is doing it now... which is Putin
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now, for the other person who jumped on this thread... I will not answer right now

not till this person has at least the decency to tag me properly, and preferred with some arguments... and not (again) calling me names... because calling me names is something that has been happening for a while, and I never respond nor react to that name calling

if you want to make this about name calling... the moment I start making this personal against you, and start calling names... or telling you this or that about your person... you are not going to like it one bit, and you might not be able to handle it either... if someone comes with me with attitude then I do tend to put a full stop to it with even more attitude so do yourself a favor here

if you have arguments to bring, please do so... and lets have a nice discussion that can get somewhere, and without name calling

[goaded]

You don't get (automatically) tagged if you're the asker or opinion owner, which can sometimes be a bit confusing, but not in this case. I was just being on the safe side.

[goaded]

"so, this is why I think Putin will do the same US and Europe have done... they oust the current leader, and then they assign a leader of their own and they do it in the name of "democracy" which, we all know it is bullshit"

Do we really? In Afghanistan, there were elections after the invasion, were there not? There was education for girls, votes and legislature seats for women. On the other hand, there was a minority willing to kill and die to take those things away from the majority. They won in the end.

Ukraine has a democracy. There are elections. There is corruption (it was a Soviet state for generations), but they are trying to deal with that (not least by turning the presidential palace into a museum). Putin doesn't want elections, at least not with more than one party standing.

In both cases, one side is fighting for democracy, the other for power. Putin and the Taliban are in the latter group.

[NathanDavis]

@goaded bottom line... Putin is a very manipulative person, and for him to do this much and doing wrongly would be quite a stupid thing to do

on this day and age... nobody holds that much power as an individual, nobody... even Putin, still has someone to respond to, and those are way too many oligarchs to keep happy

now if all of them wanted to bring true hell on earth, they could have done long time ago

[NathanDavis]

@goaded yes... all of what you said is true

but there are other truths... for example, how the USA allowed the Taliban to take control over drug trafficking routes and much more

how the USA met with Taliban leaders in order to negotiate deals and for both to benefit in different ways, for profit... not for democracy or the well being of the people

USA and Europe said "we're doing this and that because it's the right thing to do, this is justice, this is democracy, this is right" while at the same time... they were taking a whole lot of oil and other resources, making all kinds of deals here and there... for profit, power, influence, and control... did they not?

so again... Putin will do the same... will tell lies, excuses, his always propaganda, while with his other hand, he's going to be the ruthless authoritarian he has always been and as long as he keeps this charade, the West will not want to get on his way, at least not for now...

[MarkRet]

The Russian attack is not going as quickly and smoothly as Putin would like. It seems the Ukrainians can punch back, which is refreshing, considering the Arab and Afghan cowards that the US spent years and BILLIONS on arming and training them, just to have them throw down their guns and run.

[DCooper]

It certainly looks like the Russkies ran into a little more resistance than they had in mind. Good, I hope it turns into Afghanistan the sequel for them. Ukraine might be far from perfect as a corrupt kleptocracy, but many there probably are aware of how many Ukrainians were starved and sent to the gulags the last time the Russians came knocking.

[VanillaSalt]

No different then the attitude taken against Russians living in Ukraine.

[Massageman]

Russia has learned "patience". They wait until the cost of oil is forced up, then they attack a place that has some. This is the third time- once under Bush, once under Obama and now with, ol what's his name.

Formal "BK" isn't in the Russian playbook, in my opinion.
More like a festering cancer than a heart attack.

[jshm2]

There was no Blitzkrieg.

Russia doesn't want Ukraine or it's outright control. It only wanted to neutralize American and British hardware in the country - which it has mostly done.

[Wester1967]

Your comment failed when you used the term Blitzkrieg.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

OK, "Deep Battle". Is that better?

[RolandCuthbert]

They have not obtained a single strategic goal. I have three friends and their families trapped in Kharkiv. That is where the heaviest fighting is.

[HighValue]

Russia didn't even use half of the military they placed along Ukraine's boarder. They could easily bring more if they needed it.

[genericname85]

i don't consider that "Blitzkrieg". there were more than enough signals for an invasion. it wasn't like actual "Blitzkrieg", where you just suddenly invade

[ChefPapiChulo]

he's probably frustrated at the west abilities resolve, or maybe he saw this coming? but it's definitely not over. There's reports of Putin recruiting healthcare workers from across the country to help aid the invasion.

[EnglishEuropean]

It hasn't failed because the Russians are still there. It might be proceeding according to plan or it might be held up for s short period. There's no way to know Putrid's timetable.

[Still-alive]

Its definitely not going as fast as hed hope it would go!

[IsoUser]

You're a complete Ass , Putin comparing his attacks to Hitlers Blitzkrieg during WWII or for modern Russians WW2 who can't remember that long ago reading past the Stallin bullshit

[Cubus]

Blitzkrieg failed, but Russia has a lot more soldiers, weapons, tanks etc. They can make the Ukraine starve.

[OddBeMe]

It’s kinda turning into their Stalingrad. They’ll take 90% of the city but get wasted down to nothing.

[driven159]

it will take time to show itself