I think Putin has fucked himself. There is, unfortunately, a very good chance that the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not survive this war. But there is almost zero chance now that Putin will. I'd put good folding money on either the generals or the spies shooting him in the back of the neck, especially if he actually tries to use battlefield nukes.
It's also possible he could simply be arrested if anti-war sentiment in Russia grows into an anti-war/anti-regime popular movement.
There's a lot of old generals and spies with blood on their hands from this clusterfuck and they might figure to try and buy their lives and freedom by offering up his.
Either way, we're not done.
Major General Mick Ryan, retired from the Australian Army this very day, has been posting long thoughtful threads on each day's developments and it thought I might start unrolling them here.
He's also got a book out, about the future of war, that I bought for my own purposes last week. It's not a cheap a little airport novel. It's a heavy piece of gear with a corresponding price tag. But Imma claim that back on mah tax.
According to @danlamothe, the latest background briefing at the Pentagon described how Russia now has ‘about two-thirds of its combat power initially arrayed at the Ukrainian border in the fight’.
Additionally, Russia is ‘struggling with fuel and logistical issues’. Ukrainian airspace ‘remains contested’ with Ukrainian aircraft and air defense systems ‘degraded but still functional.’
According to other sources, the Russian defence ministry has ordered units to resume their offensive from all directions after a "pause" on Friday for possible negotiations with Ukraine. We are at a critical juncture of the Russian campaign and the Ukrainian defence. Over the next 72 hours, we are likely to see a lethality race. The west will be racing to get more weapons and precision munitions into Ukraine.
Russia will be racing to achieve some form of tactical breakthrough. This has eluded them so far. Their tactical operations and influence campaign have failed to yield significant results. The most significant outcome has been hardening Ukrainian resolve & Western support.
As a result, we may see a step up in the level of ferocity and firepower from the Russian forces. As @kofmanmichael has noted, ‘we've seen a shift in Russian targeting towards critical civilian infrastructure, greater use of MLRS, and artillery in suburban areas.’
Combining this with the potential for urban operations in and around Kyiv and other cities, we may see a greater Russian tempo of operations and the commitment of more forces. These are brutal operations that absorb massive amounts of military personnel. Urban operations are also difficult to coordinate, full of friction, & result in significant civilian casualties. This is heightened if civilians, using Molotov cocktails, are treated as combatants by Russians.
Therefore the coming days will probably see escalating violence, greater uncertainty and more civilian casualties.
Concurrently, there is the issue of the Russian offer of negotiations. My sense is that Russia is in a weaker position for such talks than they were last week before invasion. The Ukrainians have called the Russian bluff. What can Russia ask for that it hasn’t been able to take by force?
The Russian call for negotiations may be a ploy to gain time. Russian diplomacy before the invasion was designed to coerce the Ukrainians as well as buy time. The Russians may use negotiations to buy time to deploy additional ground forces from the periphery of Ukraine, as well as sending air, ground combat, air defence, artillery and other forces from more distant garrisons.
They may also use negotiations to give Russia time to step up industrial production to replace depleted stocks of precision weapons. And fix their logistics on the ground.
Also playing into the negotiations is that Putin probably knows (if he is being briefed accurately by advisors) that this isn’t going well, and he has to salvage his domestic position.
I need to mention the nuclear question. There has been a lot of reporting about Russia’s nuclear posture. However, Russian doctrine and their normal practice is to mention nuclear weapons. While we can’t ignore this issue, we should not over-react. This is a useful precis from @RANDCorporation on Russian military doctrine and the role of nukes: http://shorturl.at/bghkC
Finally, there is a long way to go in this campaign. We should not discount a change in the Russian operational approach that might lead to greater success.
So far, they have been unimpressive. As @kofmanmichale writes, ‘the Russian op is a bizarre scheme, based on terrible political assumptions, with poor relationship to their training & capabilities.’
As they showed between 1st and 2nd Chechen wars, the Russians are capable of learning, adapting, and improving their tactics and operational approach.
But the Ukrainians are also learning. In war, as I note in #WarTransformed, this adaptation battle is constant. The side that adapts faster & better wins. So far, the Ukrainians are demonstrating more proficiency is this part of the profession of arms than the Russians.
How long until the Ukrainians stop making Molotov cocktails and start making IADs? Also those Russian convoys are a hell of a target if Ukraine has the Javelins and any Attack aircraft at all. Lots of Russians are going to die . And yeah I thought the best way out is also if Putin has a “ heart attack”
Yes, this certainly has potential to go in the manner of the Ceaușescu administration...
Unfortunately I think it also has the potential to go the way of Czechoslovakia 1938.
Spot on.
People are saying that the Ukraine had it coming. I'm not saying it. Justaguynamedvlad360 over at Truth Social said it just this morning.
How long until the Ukrainians stop making Molotov cocktails and start making IADs? Also those Russian convoys are a hell of a target if Ukraine has the Javelins and any Attack aircraft at all. Lots of Russians are going to die . And yeah I thought the best way out is also if Putin has a “ heart attack”
I do hope Putin gets his just desserts and Zelensky survives to be feted as the goddamn hero that he is