Russia's failed Ukraine offensive

 Streiff:

Putin's War, Week 104. Second Anniversary of the 72-Hour Special Military Operation

Today is the second anniversary of Putin's War. What was billed as a casual 72-hour exercise in kicking ass and taking names by the Russian Armed Forces looks more and more like World War I's Western Front in 1917.
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On the whole, I don't think anyone predicted two years ago that the war would enter into a third year. I think most believed that Zelensky and his government would catch the first thing smoking (yes, Walsh, I owe you a beer for copyright infringement) for Zurich, and the Russians would easily carve up the country. I know I did. Since then, we've learned a lot. The big takeaway is that John McCain was right. Russia is a gas station with nukes. Its military is crap, and the command structure utterly corrupt. We've seen drones become a dominant weapon, even to the extent of driving Russia's Black Sea Fleet out of Sevastopol. We've seen that Western weapons and command and control methods are essential to winning battles. We've even seen that it takes a plausible threat to motivate Western countries to up their defense spending, not bullying and bluster.
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The war is something of a stalemate with neither side in a position to defeat the other. Russia is seen as a much weaker power than it was before launching this war.

See also:

Footage appears to show Ukrainian drones destroying prized Russian armor, including a rare 'Terminator' tank, left in an unlocked warehouse

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