Russia's invasion of Ukraine may go down as the textbook example of all the wrong ways to try to take over a neighboring country. I'm reading the reports (whichever ones may be accurate) and it just blows my mind how unprepared Putin was in sending his forces into Ukraine.
First of all: WHY did Russia commit its forces during the winter? The vehicles have gotten bogged down in mud and mire, just as any armchair strategist knew would happen. But this seems to be the classic pattern for Russia.
There does not seem to be a reliable system of replenishing food, ammo and replacement artillery.
Speaking of that artillery, there are reports that the Ukrainians have more tanks now than when the war began, because they keep capturing Russian tanks and painting Ukrainian markings on them.
The Russian trucks and other vehicles in the invasion convoys have shoddy tires, and other problem parts, which can arguably be traced back to corruption among the oligarchs. These are NOT sturdy pieces of equipment they road to war on.
The fight to take Kiev is now approximately three weeks behind schedule.
Odessa and other cities along the Black Sea coast have not been taken.
There are widespread accounts of Russian soldiers giving up. Morale has collapsed.
The Russian army has now lost more personnel than it did during ten years of occupying Afghanistan.
Russia continues to be ostracized by most countries. Putin has blown thirty years of building up goodwill, for sake of a war he cannot possibly win.
All of these reasons and more, are going to be studied at great length in history books sooner than later. Russia is NOT the great power that it claims to be or ever was. And it's going to take decades to undoe the damage of this debacle. The best thing to happen now is for Putin to step aside... or be made to step aside.
