Posted on 03/19/2022 7:18:33 AM PDT by Skywise
As Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine grinds on into its fourth week, the physical war rages in the cities and countryside, while an information war is waged over the airwaves and on the internet and social media.
On the actual battlefield, the Russian offensive has undoubtedly slowed over the past week. But what is being described as a 'stalled' takeover may be the result of the Russians taking time to reorganize their forces and improve their logistics.
On the Western side of the information war, we were told from the opening days of the conflict that the Russian military would break due to high casualties and defections, loss of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and aircraft, and domestic opposition.
Videos of Russian battlefield setbacks abound in the media, and strangely there is little reporting on Ukrainian losses.
And yet, over three weeks into the war, Vladimir Putin remains president and the Russian war machine has not collapsed but in fact continues its plodding, imperfect, and messy advance.
Ukraine certainly has won the war on social media and in the press. This gives the average Western viewer the impression of a lopsided victory in favor of Ukraine.
Additionally, the Pentagon has taken the unprecedented step of conducting daily briefings on the war, even though the U.S. is not at war.
The Pentagon assessments often track closely with assessments given by the Ukrainian government.
This is not a condemnation of the West's use of information and disinformation.
These tactics play a role in the management of conflicts. But the West should not delude itself into believing that the Ukrainians will be saved by wishful thinking.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“I dare say the Russians might have already ‘won’ by taking over the Russian speaking areas. It’s as simple as that.”
But they pretty much already had them as a result of the Russian invasion of 2014 (fought largely by Russian proxies).
This thing will end in some kind of compromise, wherein Russia will get to keep Crimea and LPR and DPR gain “independence,” at which time they will be annexed by Russia. Ukraine will agree to not pursue NATO membership, which is really no concession by Ukraine because Ukraine was likely never going to be accepted into NATO anyway. Russia has to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine. Ukraine will not have to demilitarize.
Russian forces are slowed and stalled, then redeployed and stalled again. It’s a disaster that is obvious to any military person.
This writer is lowering the bar for Russia, but the fact is that there is no way out of this. No end game at all, where the Ukrainians, don’t start an insurgency for all Russian forcees that stay.
“Poland is half of Ukraine military, probably more competent but smaller and poorer equipped, especially when it comes to air and AD. Also I don’t think that Putin is going to show restraint regarding collateral damage you can see in Ukraine currently.”
And that makes you giddy.
Good thread. We’ll thought out responses on both the optimistic and pessimistic sides of the spectrum, and no name-calling😀👍
“By taking Ukraine Putin is adding four NATO nations to its borders.”
Yeah, kind of puts the light on the sham rationalization for his invasion of Ukraine, doesn’t it?
“NATO obligations are only covering unprovoked aggression. Poland is getting cocky regarding this conflict.”
Poland is well aware of Russian duplicity.
What Russian duplicity? Poland gaslights Russia for decades.
“What Russian duplicity?”
You must be very young, tovarishch. Or, perhaps they didn’t teach you history in your Soviet schools. Well, they didn’t teach you factual history, anyway.
Poland and USSR were at peace on August 31, 1939. The next day, not so much. And, I guess you were never taught about the Katyn Forest. No, of course not; the Soviets blamed that atrocity on the Germans. And then, of course, there was the post-war Soviet occupation and domination of Poland, complete with the rounding up of “dissidents,” who disappeared never to be heard of again. And, in case you forgot, or were never told, there was the Catholic priest, Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, who was kidnapped and murdered by the communist party in Poland, which was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the USSR and its communist monsters.
Yes, Poland remembers Russia very, very well.
You should head over to the thread titled "Putin's convoy of corpses...". Over there everything that the Daily Mail says is false propaganda. So it must also be false propaganda that "Ukraine may be losing on the battlefield" and "Putin may be losing the information war".
Since whatever the MSM says is supposedly "fake" and "wrong" all of the Daily Mail statements must be untrue.
Negating everything they say implies not many Russians are dying, Putin is winning the information war, and Ukraine may be winning on the battlefield.
Is Daily Mail right or "fake"?
That is an interesting point because losing in Ukraine really undercuts the world's view of Russia. But Russia lost to Chechnya in 1994 and Yeltsin went along with the ceasefire.
If Russia is making concessions in its negotiating position, why should anyone conclude Ukraine is about to be wiped out?
I’m in a few telegram groups that are posting videos and reporting from other countries inc Bulgarian tv. While I don’t trust those sources either... often a very different story emerges.
But as we are in the era of deep fakes, who knows what is really happening.
They shouldn't.
True but Putin is not Yeltsin. He will not allow a humiliating defeat in The Ukraine
He will do whatever it takes
Kind of like when weathermen and politicians become chicken little's on approaching blizzards and hurricanes. It gets comical.
Bttt
Never was.
Weather back in the day was fun.
You never knew what was coming.
Red China holds clear titles to every politician in the United States of America except MTG. With full approval of the General Public.
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