That is a possible scenario LED,hope it comes to fruition,so many dark variables exist though I find it hard to wear rose colored glasses. Putin can play a general mobilization card and put 3 times the bodies in the field that Ukraine can,it'd be met w/some dissention but he can play the Russian sovereignty under threat and Western conspiracy card to the max w/his propoganda machine. A bromance w/Kim Jung Un is in the works in which a quid pro quo of Russia getting massive amounts of artillery and rockets from a country preparing for war for 70 yrs. will eagerly fill in exchange for ICBM,sattelite,and submarine tech assistance.Polls in my country are starting to get frightening concerning the 2024 elections and the 180 in Foreign policy a R victory would entail. Ukraine deserves immense kudos for their spirited defense of their country against steep odds,that said I'm skeptical that they can split Russian forces in half any time soon,to me arming the Ukranian's for a counter off, that didn't have supporting air assetts was a fools game and asked them to do something NATO would never do; advance against heavily defended layers of dug in troops without any semblance of air support.That said all I hold out hope for is that evil never prevails in the long run.This is just round one, wait until things break in Ukraine, the Russian's are at the end of their rope there and if the Ukrainians breakthrough to their rear, they can really put all that combined arms and armored maneuver training to use and clean up really fast, with a million-man reserve force of territorial old farts ready to move in behind to keep and police what the young guys take.
Then the heat will increase in Moscow with a military collapse and catastrophe unfolding in Ukraine. Others will try, but they will kill Putin without notice first and start from there. A coup would be the most likely outcome and political chaos. The world is a different place today with the internet and cellphones and can't be completely controlled, they can make videos and post them on telegram, a cellphone is a TV studio these days. People can contact each other and organize like never before and many in the security services probably don't like Vlad either.
I think you are seeing Joe's strategic plan play out of sucking Vlad in, making him think he could win and commit everything, then after he was worn down, pour in the arms as they did, and they will pour in more too. The election is over a year away and the change of administrations longer, by then Russia should be beaten out of Ukraine and be largely toothless. If required, the EU can finish the war or keep it going low level, many countries in the EU have larger economies than Russia. They made Vlad use up his vast hoard of inherited Soviet era equipment and munitions and when it is gone, most of the equipment, particularly the modern stuff can't be replaced. In 6 months, they will have a lot of F16s from Europe and an airforce, when they have reduced the Russian AA defenses enough and drive the Russian air force back a thousand kilometers with drone attacks on their bases, it will be safe for them to have those F-16s. Meanwhile drones fill the roles or try to, of conventional airpower in combined arms offensive operations. Once the Ukrainians have F16s it will be all over, if it isn't before then.That is a possible scenario LED,hope it comes to fruition,so many dark variables exist though I find it hard to wear rose colored glasses. Putin can play a general mobilization card and put 3 times the bodies in the field that Ukraine can,it'd be met w/some dissention but he can play the Russian sovereignty under threat and Western conspiracy card to the max w/his propoganda machine. A bromance w/Kim Jung Un is in the works in which a quid pro quo of Russia getting massive amounts of artillery and rockets from a country preparing for war for 70 yrs. will eagerly fill in exchange for ICBM,sattelite,and submarine tech assistance.Polls in my country are starting to get frightening concerning the 2024 elections and the 180 in Foreign policy a R victory would entail. Ukraine deserves immense kudos for their spirited defense of their country against steep odds,that said I'm skeptical that they can split Russian forces in half any time soon,to me arming the Ukranian's for a counter off, that didn't have supporting air assetts was a fools game and asked them to do something NATO would never do; advance against heavily defended layers of dug in troops without any semblance of air support.That said all I hold out hope for is that evil never prevails in the long run.
Driving a big army from one of the poorest countries in Europe in less than 3 years is not bad considering where they started. Giving the Ukrainians the weapons and strict instructions could end the war quickly and Joe is not afraid of Vlad either. They could have cut the rail bridges 100 miles inside Russia on the half dozen routes into Ukraine. The Russians cannot operate in any strength more than 50km from their railheads because of logistical issues, a shortage of trucks. If that was done however Vlad would have pulled back early before he had a chance to clean out his cupboard and have to conscript men from the cities... The Ukrainians might yet take out those rail bridges inside Russia and are rapidly developing the means to do so, many are in the middle of nowhere with no point AA defense. Rail lines can be rapidly repaired and the Russians have dedicated units for this task, but rail bridges are another matter and take months to fix, longer in Russia and several can be targeted along each route.That is a possible scenario LED,hope it comes to fruition,so many dark variables exist though I find it hard to wear rose colored glasses. Putin can play a general mobilization card and put 3 times the bodies in the field that Ukraine can,it'd be met w/some dissention but he can play the Russian sovereignty under threat and Western conspiracy card to the max w/his propoganda machine. A bromance w/Kim Jung Un is in the works in which a quid pro quo of Russia getting massive amounts of artillery and rockets from a country preparing for war for 70 yrs. will eagerly fill in exchange for ICBM,sattelite,and submarine tech assistance.Polls in my country are starting to get frightening concerning the 2024 elections and the 180 in Foreign policy a R victory would entail. Ukraine deserves immense kudos for their spirited defense of their country against steep odds,that said I'm skeptical that they can split Russian forces in half any time soon,to me arming the Ukranian's for a counter off, that didn't have supporting air assetts was a fools game and asked them to do something NATO would never do; advance against heavily defended layers of dug in troops without any semblance of air support.That said all I hold out hope for is that evil never prevails in the long run.
I don’t believe there is a strategic plan in play here. In fact, I think this is your peculiar propensity for political pareidolia leading you to see such.I think you are seeing Joe's strategic plan play out of sucking Vlad in, making him think he could win and commit everything, then after he was worn down, pour in the arms as they did, and they will pour in more too. The election is over a year away and the change of administrations longer, by then Russia should be beaten out of Ukraine and be largely toothless. If required, the EU can finish the war or keep it going low level, many countries in the EU have larger economies than Russia. They made Vlad use up his vast hoard of inherited Soviet era equipment and munitions and when it is gone, most of the equipment, particularly the modern stuff can't be replaced. In 6 months, they will have a lot of F16s from Europe and an airforce, when they have reduced the Russian AA defenses enough and drive the Russian air force back a thousand kilometers with drone attacks on their bases, it will be safe for them to have those F-16s. Meanwhile drones fill the roles or try to, of conventional airpower in combined arms offensive operations. Once the Ukrainians have F16s it will be all over, if it isn't before then.
Some wars are kind to presidents and this one will be kind to Joe with victory coming before the election I figure. Aid from Ukraine has split the GOP right down the middle, unlike most other issues, even Lindsay Graham is against Trump on cutting Ukrainian support. Joe isn't gonna let Ukraine lose and is looking to eliminate the Russian threat for a very long time by destroying their military and economy in an attritional war with a highly motivated trained and well-equipped enemy, Ukraine. The smart people in Ukraine know this is their best long-term security, it will eliminate the threat to them too, besides they can blame the long war on the allies and that's ok, it gives Zelenskyy lots of cover.
What I see is the US could end the war in short order by helping Ukraine take out rail bridges. The "plan" evolved from the invasion to Ukraine looking like it could beat the Russians and last year a decision point was reached, but not widely announced, Joe told Austin and Blinken to STFU about it. The arms shortage is because of how they choose to fight the war of attrition, America and NATO depend more on airpower than artillery so don't stockpile a lot, that's where drones come in handy with a low cost per kill, a high hit to miss ratio and few production bottlenecks.I don’t believe there is a strategic plan in play here. In fact, I think this is your peculiar propensity for political pareidolia leading you to see such.
More likely, the Biden administration is sending what it can break loose from the opponents of expensive aid to Ukraine. What you see as planned I see as chance.
Hmmm. That does cause me to rethink. While it’s possible that SecDef is making lemonade out of lemons, and while I don’t know when attrition became a component of US policy, you make a good case.What I see is the US could end the war in short order by helping Ukraine take out rail bridges. The "plan" evolved from the invasion to Ukraine looking like it could beat the Russians and last year a decision point was reached, but not widely announced, Joe told Austin and Blinken to STFU about it. The arms shortage is because of how they choose to fight the war of attrition, America and NATO depend more on airpower than artillery so don't stockpile a lot, that's where drones come in handy with a low cost per kill, a high hit to miss ratio and few production bottlenecks.
U.S. Defense Sec. Austin: We Want to See Russia Weakened
10,729 views Apr 25, 2022
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Washington wants to see Russian forces "weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine." He made the comments while speaking to reporters in Kyiv alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during the highest-level U.S. visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded two months ago.
Now that the trap has been sprung, they are being more open about it.
Ukrainian war strategy is ‘about depleting Russian forces’
75,520 views Sep 7, 2023 #Blinken #Ukraine #Russia
Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Ukraine to announce another $2 billion in aid from the Biden Administration. Richard Engel and Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman join Ryan Nobles to discuss the small counteroffensive gains on the battlefield and the decreasing level of interest among GOP congressional members. “This was not necessarily going to be a quick lightning strike to regain territory quickly. It was about depleting Russian forces,” Vindman says. “The Ukrainians continue to gain ground, it is likely that momentum is going to pick up and the Ukrainians are gonna hit some of their markers with territory.”
It was the only time it was publicly discussed by them or anybody else until recently, they went radio silent after that and I can imagine what Joe said to them! I caught it and posted it to this thread when it happened, so that and the Russians utter dependency on the rails made me think that the Pentagon thought about this shit long ago and NATO would have cut Russian rail logistics at its vulnerable points as one of their first moves. Probably by using air launched cruise missiles, NATO would have taken down hundreds of Russian Rail bridges in western Russia crippling them immediately, next the power grid.Hmmm. That does cause me to rethink. While it’s possible that SecDef is making lemonade out of lemons, and while I don’t know when attrition became a component of US policy, you make a good case.
I think that the cautionary side of that is that Putin is as nervous as a dude with a gram of meth in his system peering through a crack in the blinds.It was the only time it was publicly discussed by them or anybody else until recently, they went radio silent after that and I can imagine what Joe said to them! I caught it and posted it to this thread when it happened, so that and the Russians utter dependency on the rails made me think that the Pentagon thought about this shit long ago and NATO would have cut Russian rail logistics at its vulnerable points as one of their first moves. Probably by using air launched cruise missiles, NATO would have taken down hundreds of Russian Rail bridges in western Russia crippling them immediately, next the power grid.
It is a factor, but one Joe and NATO are using to their advantage now that Vlad is fully committed to a war of attrition that he dares not lose. He cannot slow the pace of it either, Ukraine determines the pace of events now and they are chewing through his troops and equipment at a horrific rate as they strive for the coast of the Sea of Azov. If they succeed and blow the Kerch bridge the Russians are fucked to the west of them and in Crimea. All the equipment will have to be left there or destroyed when or if they get the troops off. Think about how catastrophic a defeat that would be for the Russians with Crimea cut off and F16s starting to glide bomb it this winter or spring with the Russians bottle up inside Crimea would be useless to the war effort while the Ukrainian lines are shortened considerably, all pointing east with a small force at the throat of Crimea covering the exits. A breakthrough in the south could lead to panic and collapse for the Russian forces there.I think that the cautionary side of that is that Putin is as nervous as a dude with a gram of meth in his system peering through a crack in the blinds.
A visibly aggressive assist by Nato to do the things you describe might well be perceived as an existential threat to those in power, which is the same as Russia in their eyes.
So it is vital that Nato do all it can while not risking the tripping of that “existential threat” switch. There is no way that crossing the nuclear threshold would be in anyone’s interest. I suspect that is a principal reason Nato warbirds are not patrolling Ukrainian airspace at this time.