Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-25

[Berkut]

The FT "visual storytelling team" were outstanding especially at the start of covid. They're outstanding again, this is very good:
https://ig.ft.com/russias-war-in-ukraine-mapped

That is really, really good Shelf. Thanks for the share.

Great bit here I did not know:

Ukraine's defence has been aided by a complete overhaul of its military culture since 2014, from a Soviet-style top-down command to one where junior leaders are empowered to take decisions in the field, according to Liam Collins, a former US colonel.

"After eight years of fighting in the Donbas, their junior leaders figured out, 'We can't wait for the general to tell us everything, we have to go out and just do it on our own'," said Collins, who was part of an international task force sent to help Ukraine's military after the loss of Crimea. "In the speed of war, you have to do that."

[Barrister]

The FT "visual storytelling team" were outstanding especially at the start of covid. They're outstanding again, this is very good:
https://ig.ft.com/russias-war-in-ukraine-mapped

That is really, really good Shelf. Thanks for the share.

Great bit here I did not know:

Ukraine's defence has been aided by a complete overhaul of its military culture since 2014, from a Soviet-style top-down command to one where junior leaders are empowered to take decisions in the field, according to Liam Collins, a former US colonel.

"After eight years of fighting in the Donbas, their junior leaders figured out, 'We can't wait for the general to tell us everything, we have to go out and just do it on our own'," said Collins, who was part of an international task force sent to help Ukraine's military after the loss of Crimea. "In the speed of war, you have to do that."

That also helps to explain the dead Russian generals.  If you need to wait for the general to give an order, and if Russian communications are as bad as we hear, then the General needs to get to the front line to see what is going on and give orders.

[Berkut]

The FT "visual storytelling team" were outstanding especially at the start of covid. They're outstanding again, this is very good:
https://ig.ft.com/russias-war-in-ukraine-mapped

That is really, really good Shelf. Thanks for the share.

Great bit here I did not know:

Ukraine's defence has been aided by a complete overhaul of its military culture since 2014, from a Soviet-style top-down command to one where junior leaders are empowered to take decisions in the field, according to Liam Collins, a former US colonel.

"After eight years of fighting in the Donbas, their junior leaders figured out, 'We can't wait for the general to tell us everything, we have to go out and just do it on our own'," said Collins, who was part of an international task force sent to help Ukraine's military after the loss of Crimea. "In the speed of war, you have to do that."

That also helps to explain the dead Russian generals.  If you need to wait for the general to give an order, and if Russian communications are as bad as we hear, then the General needs to get to the front line to see what is going on and give orders.

Dead generals is also a clear indication of shitty morale.

When nothing happens because the troops are mostl like "Fuck your orders" and the response to every attack order is something like "Well, we have to sort out our units, and Joe's truck has a flat, and Ivan needs to get his kevlar vest proerl fit...so we can't do that just yet...." the guys in charge generally can only overcome that by getting to the sticky point and exercises some personal leadership.

That also tends to get them killed.

[FunkMonk]

The FT "visual storytelling team" were outstanding especially at the start of covid. They're outstanding again, this is very good:
https://ig.ft.com/russias-war-in-ukraine-mapped

That is really, really good Shelf. Thanks for the share.

Great bit here I did not know:

Ukraine's defence has been aided by a complete overhaul of its military culture since 2014, from a Soviet-style top-down command to one where junior leaders are empowered to take decisions in the field, according to Liam Collins, a former US colonel.

"After eight years of fighting in the Donbas, their junior leaders figured out, 'We can't wait for the general to tell us everything, we have to go out and just do it on our own'," said Collins, who was part of an international task force sent to help Ukraine's military after the loss of Crimea. "In the speed of war, you have to do that."

Junior officers and NCOs are the most important people in any army.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

The FT "visual storytelling team" were outstanding especially at the start of covid. They're outstanding again, this is very good:
https://ig.ft.com/russias-war-in-ukraine-mapped

that's one impressive site.

[Legbiter]

I mean, I think this is a legit concern for Russia at this point:

Ukraine would have to undergo a disarmament process to ensure it wasn't a threat to Russia.

  

Also this gem:

The second category is where the difficulty will lie, and in his phone call, Mr Putin said that it would need face-to-face negotiations between him and President Zelensky before agreement could be reached on these points. Zelensky has already said he's prepared to meet the Russian president and negotiate with him one-to-one

Fucking degenerate needs a carefully choreographed show with Zelensky as a prop, all for a 10 minute sugar-rush for his retarded vatnik boomer supporters back home.

[Barrister]

The idea of Putin and Zelenskyy meeting face to face is unbelievably retarded.  If for no other reason there's no way I would trust giving the Russians any idea where Zelenskyy is located at any moment.

[Grey Fox]

The idea of Putin and Zelenskyy meeting face to face is unbelievably retarded.  If for no other reason there's no way I would trust giving the Russians any idea where Zelenskyy is located at any moment.

Maybe if the meeting is in Poland. I wouldn't trust Turkey.

[Jacob]

Putin could come to Kyiv

[The Larch]

Putin could come to Kyiv

One end of the table there, the other in Moscow.

[Josephus]

The only place I can see that happening is Israel. But I can't see it happening.

[Admiral Yi]

Switzerland, China.

[alfred russel]

Putin could come to Kyiv

If Kyiv falls, I'd guess he will show up for a victory lap.

[11B4V]

[

Ah, thanks, I thought Ukrainian, but wasn't sure.

Has the performance of the Russian army surprised civilians such as yourself?

I hope any family or friends stay safe.

Thanks!  Thankfully all of my immediate family has immigrated long time ago.

I was definitely surprised at how utterly incompetent the Russian army turned out to be.  I was fairly certain since December that the invasion was the primary plan for Ukraine, and that this wasn't intended as a bluff.  This, coupled with the fact that Ukraine didn't seem to take the threat seriously, led me to expect that the first week of war would be a crushing military collapse for Ukraine as Russia would execute their plans, and that the real fighting would start with partisan warfare.

My posts here in the first couple of days reflected that deep pessimism, and every Ukrainian I know felt the same.  Surely if Russians could just go and land VDV at an airport next to Kyiv, then they have to have their shit together for a rapid victory.  It didn't occur to me that the Russians would just forget to support them after dropping them off.  No one expected American levels of competence, but that kind of utter incompetence seemed completely unfathomable in the beginning.

Thanks for the perspective.

[DGuller]

One thing I've always found odd about rampant over-Nationalism like what you see in Russia, or what you saw even in the USSR, is how people are so convinced of the awesomeness of their awesome, even when the evidence right in front of them would suggest that if you think Russia is so fucking great....why is it is fucking terrible?

If Russia is so star spangled awesome, why is everyone an alcoholic by the time they are like, 12? As an example.

Of course, I know the answer - it's the same answer to the question of why people seem to believe Trump really won. The power of the tribe and the emotional need to suffer any cognitive dissonance necessary so you can maintain your place in it overcomes (apparently trivially overcomes) the actual evidence in front of your eyeballs.

It does seem like a paradox that enthusiasm for the ideology seems inversely correlated with its success.