Stopped by dominating the oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk? Certainly.
But warped by making a long-shot push to take the capital and install a new government, and then turning a third of the country into a bombed-out combat zone? That’s a bit inept.
It would be inept if Russia wasn’t also facing the industrial might of NATO, people don’t seem to get what happened last year, Europe was completely emptied of Soviet arms, all of it went to Ukraine
MacGregor was absolutely correct when he said the Russians have destroyed three entire Ukrainian militaries built from the ground up while simultaneously dealing with the most severe sanctions regime in history and 8 years of western paid fortifications in the most defenseable region in the country
Turns out all of that results in a bit of a delay and maybe even a stalemate or two
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Russia used the tactic of shutting off pipelines through Ukraine to blackmail both Ukraine and Europe. This was effective and bloodless.
The current government of Ukraine had a conciliatory platform and policy in 2019-20. The ultranationalists might be strong in some institutions, but not the executive and legislature on the eve of the invasion. It would be disingenuous to say that there was an ever-escalating crisis between Ukraine and Russia.
If anything, the war has assured a destabilized and impoverished country to the southwest, a permanent hatred for Russia and Russians amongst all Ukrainians, and increased antipathy from the West.
MacGregor was absolutely correct when he said the Russians have destroyed three entire Ukrainian militaries built from the ground up while simultaneously dealing with the most severe sanctions regime in history and 8 years of western paid fortifications in the most defenseable region in the country
All 3 of these assertions are exaggerations, and presented hagiographically.
The current government of Ukraine had a conciliatory platform and policy in 2019-20.
I guess you didn’t see what Zelensky said yesterday, also it is flat wrong to claim the ultranationlists didn’t control the executive or legislature they are the dominant party even if their neo nazis militias maintain a fake media distance, and the increasing Ukrainian shelling of donbass in months prior to the invasion is the definition of ever-escalating crisis
All 3 of these assertions are exaggerations
Um no, not with the numbers of equipment losses provided by Israeli intelligence two weeks ago, 6,000 tank losses in under a year is equivalent to three Ukrainian militaries in the years prior to the invasion
