Apparently nobody mentioned to Putin that his army was not ready for prime time. Incompetent command. Poor planning. Mediocre troops. You could look at all this as good news...if slightly stunning. On the other hand, it also means more indiscriminate use of heavy weapons by Russian forces and increases the odds of escalation on Moscow's part.
The piece linked below is an excellent non-political, non-ideological view of the campaign's first several days by a national security expert (William Arkin) who has sources within and outside our government.
He says Putin's rattling of the nuclear saber has caught policymakers off-guard and "spooked" them. For some reason nobody expected Putin to play that card.
Meanwhile, though the main focus of attention is on the Kyiv front where Moscow's forces remain bogged down, the Russians have actually made advances and consolidated some territorial gains in the south and east of Ukraine...to include seizing some or all of Kherson (population: 300,000).
One thing for sure: the notion of the Russians "occupying" Ukraine with the force they have on the scene now is a joke. That was clear even before the invasion exposed the deficiencies of the Russian military. But you wonder how long they can afford for this to go on. The problem is, there don't seem to be any exit ramps.
www.newsweek.com
The piece linked below is an excellent non-political, non-ideological view of the campaign's first several days by a national security expert (William Arkin) who has sources within and outside our government.
He says Putin's rattling of the nuclear saber has caught policymakers off-guard and "spooked" them. For some reason nobody expected Putin to play that card.
Meanwhile, though the main focus of attention is on the Kyiv front where Moscow's forces remain bogged down, the Russians have actually made advances and consolidated some territorial gains in the south and east of Ukraine...to include seizing some or all of Kherson (population: 300,000).
One thing for sure: the notion of the Russians "occupying" Ukraine with the force they have on the scene now is a joke. That was clear even before the invasion exposed the deficiencies of the Russian military. But you wonder how long they can afford for this to go on. The problem is, there don't seem to be any exit ramps.
Shocking Lessons US Military Leaders Learned by Watching Putin's Invasion
Russian forces, fully prepared and operating from Russian soil, were able to move just tens of miles into an adjoining country. What that means for the West.
www.newsweek.com
