I am not making this up. There is a growing conviction in many eminent circles in the United States and Europe, who believe and embrace this article from Business Insider–The army Putin spent 2 decades building has been largely destroyed in Ukraine, and Russia’s ‘strategic defeat’ could threaten his regime.
Only when you read the article and examine the “experts” consulted do you realize this is more delusional nonsense devoid of evidence. Here is the claim by George Barros:
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a strategic defeat. So far the Kremlin has not been able to achieve its strategic level objectives and it has incurred significant costs. Russia’s military is going to have to be rebuilt,” George Barros, a military analyst with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), told Insider.
This dude must have tons of military experience to reach this stunning conclusion. Right? WRONG!!
George Barros is a geospatial analyst on the Russia and Ukraine portfolio at the Institute for the Study of War. His work focuses on Russian information operations, the Kremlin’s campaigns in Ukraine and Belarus, and Ukrainian politics. George received his B.A. with Honors in International Relations and Global Studies with a concentration in Russian and Post-Soviet Studies from the College of William & Mary. Prior to joining ISW, he worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as an advisor on Ukraine and Russia for a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
https://www.understandingwar.org/press-media/staff-bios/george-barros
Barros has zero military experience and apparently learned nothing at William and Mary about Russia during his time there.
So let us consider some actual facts:
- Russia and its allies captured the major industrial port city of Mariupol from frontline Ukrainian troops and are still in full control of that city.
- Russia and its allies expelled the Ukrainian Army from the Luhansk Republic and are in full control there.
- Russia and its allies are continuing to retake cities and villages in the Donetsk Republic and pushing Ukraine to the west.
- Russia carried out a tactical retreat from the Kharkiv Oblast and moved those forces to the Donetsk region. Yes, they surrendered territory. They retreated.
- During the current offensive, according to Ukrainian sources, Ukrainian troops are suffering at least 5 times the casualties of Russia and its allies.
- Russia’s Air Force is intact and has suffered minimal losses while Ukraine’s Air Force has been erased.
- Russia is producing its own missiles, rockets and artillery shells and is not dependent on another country to continue its fire missions while Ukraine is totally dependent, now, on western supplies.
- In its current offensive in the Kharkiv oblast Ukraine has failed to carry out an operation in depth–its attacks have been confined to the frontlines while Russia’s artillery and missiles continue to rain down on exposed Ukrainian troops.
These facts are totally ignored by the author of the Business Insider piece (i.e., John Haltiwanger), who accepts uncritically the unsupported claims by his sources. Consider these whoppers:
A recent intelligence update from the British defense ministry said that the elite 1st Guards Tank Army and other Western Military District units have suffered heavy casualties, indicating that “Russia’s conventional force designed to counter NATO is severely weakened.” The ministry added that “it will likely take years for Russia to rebuild this capability.”
The Russian military has also seen the damage, destruction, and abandonment of astonishing amounts of equipment in Ukraine. It is estimated to have lost thousands of armored vehicles since the war began in late February. These losses have forced the Russian military to resort to pulling obsolete, Soviet-era equipment, such as T-62 tanks, out of storage.
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2745565199405/the-army-putin-spent-2-decades-building-has-been-largely-destroyed-in-ukraine-and-russia-s-strategic-defeat-could-threaten-his-regime?noAds=1&_f=app_share&s=i3
Haltiwanger apparently does not know how to use Google. Russia is using its T90 tanks in Donetsk. Not exactly a relic of the Cold War. Haltiwanger also forgot to ask whether or not Russian factories that produce tanks are still operating and turning out replacements every week. Guess what? Russia does not have to wait years to rebuild a force supposedly eliminated.
Remember during the first few weeks of the war the exploits of that incredible Ukrainian pilot–aka the Ghost of Kiev–who downed several Russian fighter jets? Yeah, that was a lie but it was eagerly gobbled up by western pundits, media and politicians.
Let me ask this simple question. Who destroyed the “elite 1st Guards Tank Army?” And what weapons did the attackers use to destroy that tank army? Ukraine has no combat air or rotary wing force. Their artillery, even supplemented with HIMARS, is very limited in part because of scant supplies of shells. Did a group of NINJA Ukrainians sneak up on the unsuspecting Russian tank army and take them all out with the spotty Javelin’s? Just asking.
Unlike Ukraine, Russia’s Ministry of Defense provides a daily briefing on the Ukrainian units it is hitting, including their locations and detailing the equipment destroyed. Ukraine has not provided any detailed briefing like this:
Massive fire attacks have resulted in causing casualties (https://t.me/mod_russia_en/4107) of up to 500 servicemen and over 40 units of military equipment of 24th and 28th AFU mechanised brigades near Krasnoye Znamya and Novogrigorovka (Nikolayev region), as well as of 46th Airmobile Brigade of the AFU near Sukhoy Stavok and Belogorka (Kherson region).
High-precision air attacks launched at the provisional bases of 116th Territorial Defence Brigade and Omega special detachment near Odnorobovka and Kharkov (Kharkov region) have resulted in the elimination of up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen (https://t.me/mod_russia_en/4107) and 10 units of military equipment.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en/4107
If these are lies it should be easily refuted by western journalists. That has not happened.
So, with all of this dire news about the devastated Russian Army pouring in, I imagine that Vladimir Putin was curled up in the fetal position in his office, sobbing uncontrollably and begging for a bottle of vodka (Polish vodka at that) to drown his sorrow.. Right?
Nope, Putin was in Samarkand meeting with world leaders from other countries. Pretty strange behavior for a man whose political future is dead because of the ass-kicking delivered by Ukraine. In fact, he even had time to meet with his Chinese counterpart:
In his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the start of the Ukraine conflict earlier this year, Xi Jinping said that China was willing to work with Russia as “great powers”, AFP reported. The two leaders met in Uzbekistan ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, which kicks off from September 16.
In the meeting, Putin condemned “attempts to create unipolar world” and praised China’s “balanced” position on the Ukraine crisis.
The participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the summit has created a buzz as he has not attended any global event out of China in more than two years over Covid concerns.
https://news.abplive.com/news/world/sco-summit-2022-xi-jinping-tells-vladimir-putin-china-willing-to-work-with-russia-as-great-powers-1553546
Looks like a major intelligence failure in China because President Xi Jinping was not informed that Putin is on his way out. Normally, a Chinese official of Xi’s stature would not want to be seen anywhere near someone whose political career is swirling down the toilet.
There may be another explanation–the western sources are liars. After years of insisting there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that United States defeated the Taliban in Afghanistan, why would these guys lie about something were the very future of NATO may be at stake? If Joe Biden and his cronies say it is so, take it to the bank. They have.
What passes for “analysis” is just pathetic, just awful! The authors should feel abject embarrassment but of course they will not.
I’ve seen comments on other sites from experienced observers that in their many years in observing the “hate Russia” campaigns, they have never encountered such a massive and organized propaganda war as is being conducted now across the board in the “west.”
It certainly is well funded and controlled, but again the question, by whom. I tend to believe that it is above the intell agencies, cia, mi6, mossad but have no direct info other than commentaries on other sites.
A curious sight is a civilisation that has allowed journalists to gain control of it’s intellectual apparatus. Like a parasite that has latched itself onto the head. Unscrupulous, stupid, with a very high opinion of themselves. So much talk of democracy, but Solzhenitsyn was right when he asked the media by whom have they been elected?
The “Kyiv Independent” Twitter account ( @KyivIndependent ) produces daily reports on the losses of the Russian army, apparently sourced from the Ukrainian armed forces. E.g https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1570303640090611712?s=20&t=zhj5EAqNEqD7XBmrOUARJg
Who do you believe?
Given the track record of Ukraine’s lies, the answer is easy. If Ukraine really destroyed so many tanks why have you not seen the photos from groups of western reporters taken to record the carnage. If it really happened wouldn’t you expect to see that report? Similarly, if Russia claims to destroy a unit why does Ukraine REFUSE to take western reporters to those units to show them intact and alive?
Indeed, I wouldn’t trust anything coming out of Kiev, subsequently regurgitated by Western media. A bunch of lying psychopaths.
Yes. It is the failure again and again for western reporters to back up stories out of Kiev that tells you what is going on.
Vinnytsia was a classic example. Russia claimed it hit a military target of an officers meeting. Kiev counterclaimed there were no military there buy many civilians were killed. You can find dozens of western reports repeating the Kiev claims with surprising detail included.
You can find no western reporters who visited the place and found the civilians. The story just died after 48 hours.
While on this hobby horse – Bucha. It seems the mass slaughters just before russia departed have all been given up on and the story has evolved into 1300 dead in Bucha region. Which of course includes Bucha, Irpin and Gostomtel airport and a whole lot more. The very region where the distraction was.
1300 dead is not that surprising – after all this was at a time when western media were celebrating how brave civilians were taking on and beating Russia with their rifles and grenades against tanks. Historians won’t blame Russia for that.
In today’s world, “If there ain’t video, it didn’t happen”!
I’m skeptical about videos. They are no different of other pieces of information , the most interesting parts are ever the “who , what , where , when” witch are easy to be lied about and it’s also so easy with a good GPU to add some crusty details in a few frames than the content is often irrelevant too. Even without shady tactics, the good old recipes of the war propaganda are ever a success.
An easy example are the babushkas greeting the new-coming liberators … so heartwarming, but what would you do with your new masters if you were a babushka with no water , no food , no eat , no roof ?
Videos can be easily doctored for effect. A good example is the video of Trump at a Nato get together early in his term he is seen elbowing his way through a crowd. There were 2 versions of this when it first happened the speeded up version cutting a few frames inserting others makes him look like a maniac — the original version which disappeared looked totally normal he looked a bit impatient but nothing out of normal. I could never find it again.
You will never make me believe the same wasn’t done to the George Floyd video–there was enough money and bad actors to do this. Did Chauvin’s terrible lawyer (why didn’t some rich republican get him a decent one?). Did this lawyer have the video analyzed? No.
Yes videos can be easily edited by adding a couple duplicate frames or deleting ac couple to produce very different effects.
A good example was one of Trump at a Nato summit early in his term. He is seen elbowing his way to get to the front of a pack of people. When it first came out there were 2 versions. The speeded up version makes him look like a maniac. The other version which disappeared show him a bit impatient but totally normal in his movements.
You will never make me believe that the Floyd video could not have been altered a bit for similar purposes. There were enough powerful interests involved I would be surprised if it had not. Did Chauvin’s terrible lawyer (why didn’t Trump or someone secretly fund him a decent one?) Did this lawyer have the video submitted for analysis? NO.
If you are implying that a lack of videos doesn’t prove Russia has suffered severe losses of men and equipment I think you miss the point. Whenever there IS video/photos of Russian losses they are all over the internet in a New York minute.
thanx for all you do Larry.i recall video from Kiev last april where the Ukies showed 4 or 5 destroyed tanks.they were covered in dirt and mud and scorched all over.HOWEVER PAINTED ALL OVER WITH BRIGHT WHITE Z,s .
One large Latte and a truth donut. Eat here or take away?
PS. A drowning nation will scream anything except help. Am l right or am l right.
Larry, I’ve said for years that all media is entertainment. Actual news reported is accidental or incidental. Clickbait journalism is for driving eyeballs and viewers to generate an audience for advertising revenue. Mass, official, and regime media rely on selling a product to generate revenues for the paychecks of seat-warmers, talking heads, and keyboard warrior journalists. The purpose is the reinforcement of The Narrative, the Current Thing–which comes down to the good guys, the bad guys, and pointing a finger at the bogeyman who is responsible for all our troubles, if only a distraction from or deflection of the truth or reality of the situation.
When the US had three broadcast networks, and local/national print newspapers, there was a “news hole” to be filled by broadcast time or publishing deadline. It was self-limiting–finite. Day old newspaper is fish wrap.
Now, 24/7/365 cable “news” programming on multiple outlets and limitless internet websites, that “news hole” to be filled is infinite. Day old internet lives on in eternity.
Cheers for the work you do.
Why do Russians refuse to show the intact forces that you say the Ukrainian army did NOT destroy. Goes both ways
The Ukrainians claim they destroyed a tank army and they claim they control the territory. What an incredible victory to report if it really happened. It didn’t.
That’s just a ridiculous comment. What madness would it be for the military high command of ANY armed forces to present verifiable proof of the disposition of a brigade or division. It is obvious,not least because NATO are now openly boasting about it, that C4ISR is from NATO. If there were the smouldering wrecks of hundreds of Russian tanks don’t you think NATO with all its whizz bang satellites and surveillance planes could post images?
On the other hand i find it strange that as we all agree here Russia has smashed the Ukrainian army that in Russian media very few is shown.
Why would Russia bother?
If Russia had to disprove all the rubbish that is being published in the Western media it should employ more resources than for military operations.
Besides, the onus of the prove lies on whom makes an affirmation.
Finally, as far as I’m aware the 1st Guard Army Tank is not even deployed in Ukraine. The area was defended by LNR/DPR conscripts and Rosgvardija (basically a police force)
Russians are not good of PR, generally .I think we can all agree on that. On the other hand Russians also, are NOT conducting a terror war. It took a month (or more) of Ukrainians shelling the largest nuclear power plant in Europe for Russia to even begin to escalate to limited retaliatory attacks on the Ukrainian power infrastructure even though they clearly ,obviously have the capability. Conversely , The NATO war against Russia is a string of serial provocations . The trolling in western media, the serial terrorist attacks against civilians targets, the abuse including murder of Donbas militia men and Russian guards troops – openly posted on social media – all of the these are deliberate attempts to disrupt Russian tactical and strategic control of the situation .It is designed to create unrest in Russian media and if possible among Russian and allied leadership. Russias response to all of this has been superhumanly restrained. They aren’t going to pose their forces for pictures because hysterical western media demands it
“The Kiev Independent” is the teller of the most incredible lies that can be found on Twitter. It has zero credibility.
I’m skeptical of everything I read. I understand everyone has a point of view that may color what they report. But “The Kiev Independent’s” reporting is so far from observable reality that it is like reading a fairy tale.
Frankly, it is so bad that I doubt that circulates information it receives from the Ukrainian armed forces without exaggerating it too
I wouldn’t believe much of what the Kyiv Independent (!) reports. There are brilliant articles on the grayzone and mintpress on links of that newspaper with western governments. It’s a propaganda tool
This article makes some very good points as to the massive propaganda campaign currently on going but it is not new:
https://consortiumnews.com/2022/09/07/john-pilger-silencing-the-lambs-how-propaganda-works/
In the years before he died in 2008, the playwright Harold Pinter made two extraordinary speeches, which broke a silence.
“U.S. foreign policy,” he said, is
“best defined as follows: kiss my arse or I’ll kick your head in. It is as simple and as crude as that. What is interesting about it is that it’s so incredibly successful. It possesses the structures of disinformation, use of rhetoric, distortion of language, which are very persuasive, but are actually a pack of lies. It is very successful propaganda. They have the money, they have the technology, they have all the means to get away with it, and they do.”
In accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature, Pinter said this:
“The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.”
Remember when it all started in 1917 — George Creel and his (Wilson‘s) Committee on Public Information. That was when the U.S. invented propaganda, combined it‘s distribution with unmatched American professionalism and … succeeded. All the methods were created here. (It was not Goebbels, he simply copied it.)
England and the United States claimed that Germany, and later, Soviet Russia, invented all of the dirty tricks and skulduggery, that they’ve been using for the last 152 years, against Germany, Russia, and other countries.
Actually, Edward Bernays and Walter Lippmann went over to England in 1913 to help the newly formed Tavistock Institute in manufacturing consent in the public mind in advance of the planned start of WW1.
Once that task was accomplished they returned stateside to work in the Committee for Public Information set up by the new President Wilson, who rode in a Peace ticket, to do the same to the American public mind. They did it in 6 months.
The Tavistock Institute was formed by the English royals, the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers and a few others. It’s goals were and are still to this very moment the same
One World Government thru eugenics and depopulation. The WEF, UN,IMF, World Bank, CFR, EU, WHO, Atlantic Council, NATO, amongst others, are the current instruments in this endeavor. There are only three media organs in the West; Reuters, AFP and AP. This is why there is such uniformity of message.
I recommend that EVERYONE read Bernays’ little yellow book from 1927, “Propaganda”, as it is quite instructive. Not just as to methodology but more importantly as to the mindset of the Elite class and the utter contempt they hold the whole of Humanity.
Blessings
Slava Russia
L
this is the link to the book
https://archive.org/details/BernaysPropaganda
https://ia801206.us.archive.org/0/items/BernaysPropaganda/Bernays_Propaganda.pdf
another good one is this one- the art of war.
https://archive.org/details/TheArtOfWarBySunTzu
https://ia600502.us.archive.org/12/items/TheArtOfWarBySunTzu/ArtOfWar.pdf
My church created propaganda during the Spanish Inquisition!
Just saying!
these 2 videos tell allot on how it works and this originated in the usa
Edward Bernays – The Art of Public Manipulation 2009 (EN)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/hgJaX2QkYO5b/
https://www.bitchute.com/embed/hgJaX2QkYO5b/
https://www.bitchute.com/video/Cy8BQWbUvjaw/
definitely applies to the west also
Nonlinear warfare – A new system of political control 2014 Adam Curtis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyop0d30UqQ
Why do these idiots keep saying this stuff? It is long past the time when they had any credibility at all.
Because they’re idiots.
For the education that they supposedly have, journalists are some of the most ignorant, know-nothing, and naive people, that you’ll ever meet. They’re highly gullible, and easily confused, too.
Larry,
Why are the Russians so willing to publish battlefield outcomes on a daily basis?
I suppose which ever way the battlefield is going the Ukrainians would about it, so it’s not revealing useful tactical information. Would that be correct?
Have they said anything about the retreat east of Khakiv?
Ministry of Defense issued a statement on it last week.
Larry,
I imagine that the Ukrainians have had battlefield successes.
Do the Russians own up to Ukrainian operational success as they occur in the same kind of detail or at all in the same way they speak about their successes?
Russian’s don’t comment on their own losses at all, except obliquely in the tactical updates when they mention a unit falling back or a line being moved.
We have to rely on secondary sources for Russian losses, such as posted obituaries or Ukrainian photos.
The reason we can rely (mostly) on the Russian updates is that they have trended very closely to the numbers we can come up with from secondary sources. Of course maskirovka would suggest that the numbers would be truthful constantly until they aren’t 😉
That depends on what your definition of “Ukrainians operational success” is.
Shelling non-military targets thereby alienating the support of the civilian population you are ostensibly “saving”?
Shelling a nuclear power plant?
Shelling indiscriminately and on non-strategic targets so as to blame it on the Russians in order to garner good PR and media optics to gain support from the taxpayers funding the conflict?
A grouping of around 2000 soldiers (and civilians) hiding in the avostal steel factory in Mariupol?
Adding “truth” speakers to a kill list (including children) to prevent the disorganised, corrupt and barbaric practises of the Ukrainian and azov fighters from surfacing in the media?
Resorting to terrorism?
A good strategist would take into account their opponents strengths as well as weaknesses — these equate to successes and failures. By assessing the steps your opponent took to achieve a success, you can better thwart another one.
Judging by the fact that the Russians have systematically and incrementally secured territory, I would think that they do understand their opponent very well.
AYP,
Are these all assertions or do you have evidence for what you say?
Assertions don’t hold up in a court of law.
Research outside of the mainstream media and Kiev propaganda machine narrative to which I applied common-sense and umbiased logic.
INDEPENDENT journalists who were on the ground in real time at the start of this conflict are one source.
Testimonies from UKR POWs and civilians in the fighting areas are another. One can assume from your question that you haven’t seen the videos or read the articles. Why is that?Simple – they’ve been “silenced” on mainstream media. Now ask yourself why that is.
Another source of information comes from the civilians in the Donbass who have cellphones with cameras!
Here’s an exercise in common-sense on one issue …..
The Ukrainians are receiving weapons and military hardware from around the world which they operate without sufficient training (in some cases no training), YET according to the mainstream media narrative since Feb, they’ve NEVER hit any civilian infrastructure or misfired causing casualties? Like this is a one-sided conflict and the damage is all done by the Russian side.
Let’s consider this….
If the Ukrainian fighters are the good guys, the heroes, why are civilians (ethnic Russians & Ukrainian) hastily moving to Russian controlled areas before the UKR forces arrive? Why does Zelensky have to imprison or eliminate journalists? Why would the SBU be carrying out “cleansing / filtration” operations to umprision and eliminate “Russian collaborators”?
Anybody who believes Kievs narrative (mainstream media is kievs mouthpiece) has fallen for the biggest con in history.
If you don’t believe me…… then you haven’t done any investigative digging!
You don’t need to be Pro-Ukrainian or Pro-Russian. Just PRO-TRUTH 🙂
AYP,
I have no doubt that what the Russians have done to the Ukrainians, the Ukrainians will do to the Russians. This is dirty war.
Do you think the Russia people are getting the whole truth of the war, that propaganda hasn’t been directed towards them, that certain elements of the Russian media have been silenced, that there is only one narrative that can be advanced in the Russian media?
AYP,
“Just PRO-TRUTH”
I am afraid I think this is a bit of a laugh.
You, I and everybody else have prejudices, predilections.
There is no truth, there is just what you believe.
Superb work you are doing here Larry, may thanks. It is a relief to find out that my Southern neighbour is not completely brain dead, although I should not crow because we are also heading this way (truckers anyone?) . Kimberly Kagan is the founder and current boss of the Institute for the Study of War that you refer to. She is the wife of Fred Kagan, himself the brother of Robert Kagan whose wife is Victoria Nuland, the grey eminence of the Maidan revolution. If one could neutralize this family together with the Podhoretz, then the remainder of the roaming Neocons would fall in line and the world would head towards a future of milk and honey.
Larry: Your analysis is top notch, as usual. Logical, insightful, and witty. Bring back the barking dogs!
Hello Larry. Mr. Barros’s article is hilarious, a chimpanzee would have more critical analysis when writing a report, two recurring errors that I hear from many pseudo-analysts and experts is pretending to know the Russian plans and objectives and then affirming that the Russian losses so far have made disappear the Russian army, this media propaganda war has never been seen in history. I send you my regards.
What are the odds that Barros can read Russian with any fluency ?
Hint – zero. At best Barros, took 4 semesters of Russian language at William and Mary which places him capable of ordering a meal and asking for directions.
Great work you’re doing Larry. Swimming against the tide is always harder than drifting along with it. I think the inevitable result of the Ukrainians becoming so invested in the narrative that their forces are strong and well led and that the Russian forces are weak, disorganized, and ineffective will lead to extreme hubris and in the not too distant future, a stunning defeat on multiple fronts. Could we see a false flag WMD event to explain away such a defeat?
And too Iran is about 3 days away from producing a nuclear bomb that threatens the wellbeing of the entire planet……
With the shocking rate of attrition of the Ukrainian armed forces and their allied foreign mercenaries, and the unwavering political and ideological support for the Ukrainian government offered by practically every country in Europe, I can foresee a time when all able-bodied adult males will be conscripted from the UK and EU countries and sent to the Ukraine to be annihilated by Russian weaponry. None of these conscripts will leave the battlefield alive and physically intact. When the SMO concludes, peninsular Europe will be absolutely brimming with war widows and women with unmet needs looking for new husbands.
Millions of migrant men are standing by to help “meet those unmet needs” of the European women. Angela Merkel made sure of that.
The Ukrainian regime has been consistent in their “reporting” (read propaganda, lies and deception), for many years. I remember reading the report by the joint task force (westen nations) about the MH17 “shoot down”. Buried in that report was an admission by the writers that Ukraine lied in their statements about the anti air capabilities of the ‘rebel provinces’. To back up the claim that the ‘separatists’ shotdown MH17 with a BUK missile they stated that they lost a C130 Hercules at an altitude beyond the capabilities of a MANPADS, so “the separatists definitelt had BUK missiles under their control. The researchers of the report actually surveyed the crash site of the C130 and concluded that the aircraft was brown down by MANPADS and that the Ukr military was less than truthful.
I have not seen any change in that behaviour over the last 8 years.
i believe this 3 minute youtube video short and sweet from Mr. Johnsons post from my favourite sci-fi series of all time sums it up about arrogance and huberice.
Arrogance and Stupidity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF27OtzAslY
Everyone should know the background of the “Institute for the Study of War.” It should be clear that anything published or spoken by them is basically pure propaganda.
It is funded by the US Defense Industry. Its management contains member of the Kagan/Nuland family (yes Maidan-coup Nuland), America’s filthiest neocons. Its military members are of the same ilk.
Larry, I have been assured by western
leaders that much of what we are seeing is a genius feint by the Ukrainians, who in fact have a million man army (currently in hiding) that will manifest itself just as the Russians think they’re on the verge of victory, before annihilating the Russian force in the Donbass in a surprise attack, crossing the Russian border and taking Moscow in a week, Vladivostok by the end of November and then all of Russia, prior to moving on and seizing China in 10 days during winter, with no losses.
Just sayin’
Where are they hiding? This ain’t 1944. With the state of ISR these days, hiding a million man army is impossible. Plus, Ukriane’s total manpower at the start of the war was 800,000 and they have had at least 200,000 removed via casualties. We’ll see.
… and it takes 6-10 men to support the one on the front line. At the Ukies attrition rate, pretty soon they will need to start dipping into the support troops for battle soldiers. The WWII Russians decimated the Germans so badly that the Allies were often fighting old men and boys. I saw this in Nam where our troops in the earlier years made it a heck of a lot easier for those of us in the later years.
It seems that if Russia is doing it.. we will claim it as we are.
If we have done it, we will blame Russia.
Brings to mind Janet yellens comments about bioweapons and “a Page out of Putin’s playbook, blaming others for what you’re about to do”
I haven’t found an instance of Russia or Putin being guilty of this, but the USA and CIA do it every single place their military has ever fired a weapon
I heard that the army is hiding in various Donbass tunnel complexes and disused mines. Inspired by someone in the US Army who read some Vietnam War history about the Vietcong. There is also a hidden Hunter Biden Trail for incoming supplies too, modeled on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Just a little bit more expensive to operate but that’s inflation and capitalism for you.
I hope this is irony!
I am also in awe of the media in the west doing so much to destroy their credibility for, what, ever? They have made up stories, reported made up stories by others, don’t have any video like Larry has pointed out of the alleged victories.
I remember when Pravda and Izvestia were laughed at because they did a bit of embellishment of their stories and claims that what happened was real but also, didn’t have any actual proof. But they had nothing on the machines that create the news today. These folks live propaganda. I wonder how many regiments of these people exist to make up more fantasy programming each and every day?
I have this strange feeling that Russia is making a documentary of the conflict that will not see the light of day until it is necessary to destroy the moral of the people that only watch the Disney channel for their news and perhaps not in a language that they understand. The shock would likely reverberate all over the world. The revelations will be televised.
Quite so Brian. Although you have to say it has taken a long time for some folk to let go of their automatic belief in what they see, hear and read in the mainstream media.
The corrupt #WEF regimes and their owned lying perverted deviant media can no longer hide their utter failure as reality of their financial institutions debt fraud comes down upon them. Distractions such as this proxy war in Ukraine are a sad joke of the corrupt useless incompetent imperialist useless parasitic military that lives off the people.
The U.K. now despises it’s disgusting corrupt #WEF infested perverted government it only a few years ago gave a majority to implement Brexit and just removed its leader.
The new #WEF appointed one is a stupid indolent clown who will end the Conservative Party subject to removal of another #WEF pervert Keir Starmer who leads the opposition. The people of the U.K. can see the stink of the deviant #WEF oligarchs in its corrupt mass murdering politicians and disgusting military even the Queen dying won’t stop this decay of the imperialist trash as winter comes.
All people irrespective of left or right need to focus purely on the dismantling of the corrupt degenerate corporate slime of the #WEF oligarchy and their corrupt media. Their grubby minions should be treated as traitors and sentenced accordingly especially the morally bankrupt and lying journalists who are responsible for hundreds of thousands of dead Ukrainians now.
All those involved militarily in this NATO proxy war should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity at every level as one lesson needs to be implemented was that the U.K. should have ensured that the Blood Sunday murderers were held to account for their crimes. Only when these soldiers of murder are sent to prison with thieves, rapists, murderers and paedophiles will they realise what scum they are.
It is time to ensure that the military that follow the illegal orders of these deviant #WEF corrupt mass murderers were sent to prison or handed to the people they have bombed, murdered, raped and destroyed to satisfy the perverted deviant #WEF oligarch class who grow rich on genocide.
Zero tolerance of #WEF corrupt regimes and their media is the only policy that should be followed until the stink of the oligarchs is purged. If you are one of those fools that think these filthy disgusting degenerate mass murderers and their military will hand over their power and money by negotiation then I have a bridge to sell you…
It is sadly is only going to be done by both the freedom loving left and right dismantling these corrupt vile edifices starting with the grubby war criminal Liz Truss and her military mass murdering slime. Prosecute every dirty NATO soldier involved and if they die in Ukraine leave them to rot as crayfish grow fat on Nazis in Ukraine.
In a sense, doesn’t this boil down to US — the ‘invincible’ nation — can’t admit it is losing?
What’s new here is Russia was always willing to find diplomatic way forward so US did not lose face. And what is new is that since the US can no longer do honest diplomacy, Russia stopped expending energy to allow the US to save face, via their excellent diplomatic skill.
Let’s face it: if Russia is winning, then the US is losing.
By pretending Ukraine is winning, the US thus pretends the US is winning — and thus by lying about it, pretends it is still invincible.
Meanwhile, in the slapping the US around dept. . . .
“Should Washington decide to supply longer-range missiles to Kiev, by doing so it will cross a red line and become a direct party to the conflict. Under such a scenario, we will be forced to respond appropriately. . .by all available means,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Sept. 15, 2022.
“Possible supplies of missiles to the Kiev regime are identical to a situation in which European countries might host US-made ground-launched missiles, previously banned under the treaty on intermediate and shorter-range missiles, capable of hitting targets on Russian territory.”
https://tass.com/politics/1508043
-30-
Larry,
Your efforts and logic are much appreciated!
The only thing you forgot to mention is that not only Putin and his army are on the ropes, but there was yet another assassination attempt on Putin, where an ambulance blocked the way of the secret motorcade! At this rate, it is unclear what will be VVP’s demise: overthrow due t lost war, another assassination attempt, mystery illness, poison, or his girlfriend chocking him in rage after he ordered an abortion.
You can’t make this stuff up! Sun did, though.
As a point of information, there is no military mission known as a “retreat.” There IS a set of missions known as Retrograde Operations, by which units cede territory/position as a military movement.
The recent Russian Federation withdrawal in the Kharkiv Oblast is an example of a retrograde operation. (See the definition in the reference.)
“Retreat” is the stuff of Hollywood.
Thanks for a vital comment.
A seemingly trivial bit of semantics that, in fact lies at the heart of the matter.
The Mongols didn’t “retreat” their way across the Eurasian continent. They used Retrograde Operations, taking and ceding territory to shape the battlefield and the enemy’s forces to maximize & leverage Mongol advantages.
Their adversaries didn’t understand what the Mongols were doing, and were destroyed every time. What they didn’t understand is that territory is just another feature in the strategic picture. Sometimes you want it, sometimes you want the other guy to have it.
Sometimes you want the other guy to have yours, and the wise strategist makes it so attractive that his adversary pays a big price to get it. That’s what happened here.
Russia has some experience with Mongols. Doubtless that they learned a lot.
What astonishes me is how many Western anal-ysts, even those generally supporting Russia’s cause, can’t get past the territorial imperative that seems to drive their entire mindset. In a war, territory can be like a monkey jar. Sometimes you’re well advised to let go the nut.
In the past and a not a distant one, lying and getting caught lying was an extremely embarrassing, degrading and immoral thing and anyone caught doing that would be either ostracized or shunned by the larger society – You also would have a tag against your name which warns people that you are radioactive – In this upside down both personally and professionally, that’s no more the case – As it’s happening with the reporting by MSM for past few decades, you can not just lie and cheat, it’s almost considered a virtue if you do so – No wonder during this war, we can’t believe anything that the West says as their opponents turns out to be much more honest and forthcoming with facts and figures – People like Larry are doing a tremendous public service by exposing this Machiavellian style of journalism and ensuring that free people don’t ever fall for the junk that’s being published
Hello Larry,
It is not only this article about the end of Russia and blablabla but dozen of them on this website…
Newsbreak seems to be funded by Chinese money (?)
https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/news-break
With MSM, Google, twitface and the likes, learning to filter the “white noise” and chaff is essential for one’s mental health.
Thanks for this.
This article yesterday (link below) by a former British Army Field Officer in a well followed UK conservative website is of the same ilk.
All such articles seem to follow the same play book of no real evidence or data but comments seeking to cite authoritative sources (the British MoD said, defence sources said, etc.) and infer things by the use of metaphor (poor morale, panic,). This guy even makes a metaphorical reference to the Battle of Waterloo with a not quite full truth reference about the Imperial Guard running away: they kind of did but a major context for the impossible situation was Blucher appearing on the flank. Trying to equate Kharkov with Waterloo is just delusional. It is about as useful as most of rest of the piece. Nobody has provided any actual evidence of Russians running away or panicking.
The only fair bit is “don’t write off the Russians”.
No references either to any pictures of 100s of Russians marching into captivity following the awesome Kharkov offensive. Where are these, for example? Allegedly, Zelensky does not want to show them, I saw somewhere. LOL. Unfortunately, most people do not ask questions but follow the views they are given.
If our military and intelligence community really believes this garbage then no wonder they cannot even win wars against brave men in sandals and why they need a kamikaze regime such as Ukraine.
Alex Christoforou made a very insightful comment in that respect on The Duran yesterday: he described NATO as a business and then as a racket. I think he is right. The whole thing is all about a money, status and power merry go round. Winning wars is not the goal. Having perpetual threats to justify careers such as “geospatial analyst” (whatever that is, is it linked to anatomy?) is the true goal. I hate to think how many office bound “generals” and “joint HQs” with their staffs and mega PowerPoint presentations but also no combat troops that our collective taxes fund.
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/theyve-had-a-kicking-but-dont-write-off-the-russians/
I haunt that website and I can inform Larry’s readers that the said “embedded in the Russian General Staff” poster had his ass (or arse if you’re not a colonial) handed to him in the comments as he always does when posting anything remotely related to the SMO. Quite why the Blog TCW continues to post such diatribe was also questioned as the rest of the content is thoroughly anti-establishment, e.g. anti-vax, anti-Empire of Lies etc…
The resulting reflection in the comments was that the site is monetarised and hence has to “toe the line” on certain topics. Muchlike Steyn on GBNews – even he doesn’t stray from the Empire of Lies vs 404 theme.
Thanks. I had no idea that funding was driving TCW here. Not criticizing them if that is so: we all have to live.
But it is a sad reflection on how propagandized our society has become. Agree that TCW is usually very anti establishment. Kathy Gyngell as editor used to post comments herself about Ukraine in answer to readers and they were usually very anti the western party line. She seems to have stopped. I wondered why but you may have provided the answer!
GB News is a regulated UK TV station and I believe it is covered by a D Notice that was issued at the start of all this, which effectively compels such UK media to take a pro Ukraine position. Steyn himself visited western Ukraine back in the early Spring too (the anti Russian area, of course) and I think that influenced him heavily at a personal level. He has not been to Donbass, which would no doubt give a different perspective. Such is the tragedy of a civil war that the west has created.
You see people with a straight face claiming that the west is “free” and Russia is not. It is total fiction.
….Early in life I have noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper, but in Spain, for the first time, I saw newspaper reports which did not bear any relation to the facts, not even the relationship which is implied in an ordinary lie. I saw great battles reported where there had been no fighting, and complete silence where hundreds of men had been killed. I saw troops who had fought bravely denounced as cowards and traitors, and others who had never seen a shot fired hailed as the heroes of imaginary victories; and I saw newspapers in London retailing these lies and eager intellectuals building emotional superstructures over events that had never happened. I saw, in fact, history being written not in terms of what happened but of what ought to have happened according to various ‘party lines’.
George Orwell, Looking back on the Spanish War, Chapter 4…….
Hattip – Bernard over at MoA
Well Mr. Johnson.
I am for the Russians and I hope they make Europe think twice.
But the following article describes what I always ask myself.
Why is it necessary for civilians to buy kevlar helmets in vests and deliver them to the Donbas troops?
Why are plate carriers always missing…… do you see soldiers with helmets from earlier times?
when does Putin wake up and send another 250,000 men there to finish things off?
https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/ukraines-counterattack-unheeded-warnings?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Edward Slavsquat: “At the moment, it can be stated that it is impossible to defeat the Armed Forces of Ukraine with existing forces and means.”
Or even worse, it may be impossible to stalemate with the existing forces.
Russia is still a corrupt country. There is widespread theft.
Putin has raised standard of living etc but in many regions, more autonomous or otherwise there are corrupt officials.
There is no excuse for not arming and protecting their proxies.
Can you show places in Canada and America that are the same.. if so the point is moot.
You can’t wipe out corruption with a cloth. It’s a work in progress.
If I compared the progress of defeating corruption in this century alone…
Who beats Russia?
There seems to be a shift in the war. It used to be that Russia was the one making the advances. Now except for the Wagner group in Donetsk, it is Ukraine. Ukraine seems to have bolstered their numbers and combined with the
Kherson west/North of the Dnipro is looking extremely problematic for the Russians. Despite advertised initial heavy losses, it is Ukraine that continues to advance there. People are downplaying the re-supply issues, but helicopters and a ferry or two is not equivalent to trains and trucks. And any retreat across that will be a disaster. In retrospect. Russia shouldn’t have taken it, and shouldn’t have held onto it after the bridges were targeted. Retreat and take the “Russian collaborators” along as well so they can’t be imprisoned or tortured and murdered.
… combined with the latest western arms shipment seem to have the advantage.
Thanks for the analysis.
That clown, Peter Zeihan, whom I follow purely for a dose of Western propganda, has said this week that Russia left behind more tanks and equipment etc for Ukraine in Kharkov than the entire donations from all countries put together. And he says it in that awful smarmy voice of his.ugh. Anyway, I always doubt sources in my quest to find the truth so I am asking myself does Zeihan know something I dont in this particular case? I am guessing no. I mean where is the glorious photos of Ukrainians riding Russian tanks in the media?Non-existent.
The Russian army certainly isn’t destroyed, not even close, but what is fighting in Ukraine is not the whole army.
I remember Putin bragging how Russian army is no longer weak.
This was years ago, maybe even before the Georgian conflict in 2008.
In contrast, as recently as 2014 the Ukrainian army was an empty shell, and their economy was and still is a fraction of Russia’s.
7 months ago, they were invaded and are constantly under extreme pressure.
However, despite all of this, they still have an army hundreds of thousands strong, with artillery, armor, air defense etc. They even fly sorties sporadically.
Most of what Russia took was in the first few weeks of the invasion. Ukrainian army has since been able to stop the Russians. Russian advance since taking of Lisichansk has been glacial. I don’t see that changing without major reinforcements.
On the other hand, despite all the beating Ukraine received they managed to rout the Russians from Kharkov.
This was not an orderly retreat, they left lots of working equipment, ammo dumps etc.
The fact that Ukraine managed to pull this off speaks volumes.
When I say Ukraine I include NATO since without NATO and specifically US support, they would have capitulated long ago.
I beg you, I implore you: put this article into your translation apps and read it carefully. In the heat of these passions you are losing sight of reality. The eminent historian Zhubov says the proper parallel is with Nicholas I and the war with Turkey which led to defeat in the Crimean war and death of the Czar. 75,000 troops of a French and British coalition defeated a 1million man Russian army which was horribly equipped and not only demoralized but were slaves of being freed by the Fr and Br.
https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2022/09/15/imperiiu-ne-vosstanovit
Typo – slaves hoping for freedom at the hands of F and Br.
did you read the link you posted yourself ? i beg you and implore you to read and understand it before telling other to read it
No point getting excited. Give it time and things will clear up. By next spring we’ll all know the outcome. I doubt it’ll take any longer.
Russia will not collapse, militarily or otherwise, EU will not collapse / but it will become much poorer and degraded /, USA won’t collapse (money printing will continue unabated), China will be as tricky as always (playing it on both sides regardless of what they publicly say).
I check on the military situation in Ukraine twice a month. That’s enough. The remaining days I spent living my family life, enjoying every day of it.
I live in Prague, Czechia, where we’ve had plenty of experience with war, totalitarian regimes and economy in shatters (including monetary debasement overnight in the ratio of 1:100, 70 years ago).
A neighbor’s son in law, who has a newly born baby, told me: I’m so worried about his future. I told him: don’t be. The first 20 years of his life when all the shit happens, he won’t even know about it. By the time he’s ready to start his adult life things will already be on the upswing.
So: keep your perspective and healthy distance from what’s happening all around you.
Thank you for your comments. It’s the same at the other end of life. My life is winding down and I’ve seen the tail end of WW11, and all the other lesser battles since. Nothing really matters other than where the state of your soul is at the end. We live lives of desperation, seeking happiness and security when in this life there is nothing like that. Eternity lasts a long time!!!!!!
Business Insider ranks right up there with Salon and The Economist as a left wing rag. I subscribed to it a few years ago to read a specific article that interested me and soon discovered it was a form of masochism to browse it.
There are over 2000 of these “think” tanks 60% of them formed in the last 20 years. They receive grants and money from the State Dept the CIA the Pentagon. They are another revolving door for retired military and pay good money and make 4 star general imagine they are college researchers and intellectuals. Their research crosses over with lobbying and funding for them is off budget hidden in our 3000 page spending bills.
This man Barros is a typical imbecile from this eco-system.
Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) blamed people like Barros on universal education or if you like our Universities churning out legions of double digit IQ scholars. If only Huxley had lived to see its flowering.
“There is a growing conviction in many eminent circles in the United States and Europe, who believe and embrace this article from Business Insider–The army Putin spent 2 decades building has been largely destroyed in Ukraine, and Russia’s ‘strategic defeat’ could threaten his regime.”
It seems that the dreams of Mr. Colby are coming true.
I am surprised that Barros seems to understand russian language. According to his Linkedin bio he has worked as a teacher and interpreter. I have long dropped this expectation about western “experts”
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/separatist-prosecutor-general-killed-by-bomb-ukraines-luhansk-interfax-cites-2022-09-16/
Prosecutor General killed by NATOUkie.
He was prosecuting war crimes. His office had all the evidence.
This is why you need the buffer zones. They were close enough to strike.
Iran hit a US base in Iraq after Solomeni killing.
Russia responses are poor in relation to deterring strikes on its Territory and allies.
It needs to get a better grip.
It is a wise commander who takes an opportunity to improve his FEBA (Forward Edge of the Battle Area) On his own, rather by having to fight his way to do so with enemy resistance.
Why maintain a vulnerable salient, or try to hold a huge area of limited strategic value with insufficient troops?
It is absurd for Russia to be criticized for trimming its battle line in Donbas at its own initiative imposing huge losses on Ukrainians rushing into the open, without suffering losses of its own.
That there is a big fuss made about this on both sides just indicates the abysmal military knowledge of the press and pundit commentary on the worst covered war in the past century.
on the ropes again! what happened this time – did Elensky re-re-take snakes island. oh noes!
Seriously its more than two decades of lead time – im thinking about the eductional sysytem that has been destroyed in the west – is it even possible to rebuild this and without it who will engineer our next generation of wonder weapons?
And in the agencies – so many lessons LOST, destroyed culture. how is that to be rebuilt and with/by who…
Immigrants from Russia India and China?
Dear Larry, I think it is futile to write these articles (as factually correct as they are). The West doesn’t care – they live in their own echo chamber.
Institute for study of war – founder = Kimberley Kagan, wife of Frederick Kagan, brother of Robert Kagan, husband of Victoria Nuland. ‘Nuff said on that topic.
As for Putin and Xi, the “West” is abuzz with stories of washouts like Frida Ghitis of CNN about how Xi is cooling off to the idea of supporting Putin, after the “strategic Russian defeat” in Kharkov. Yeah, that’s why Xi is meeting with, guess who, Putin on hist 1st foreign trip in a year….. I don’t see him meeting with Senor Brandon….
This has just leaked on Russian networks. Keep in mind, there’s not a single official source reporting this. But it has been picked up by various high profile figures — get ready for some cocaine delusion, this is a good one:
Ukraine allegedly handed over its “peace plan” agreed with the United States to Russia — through Erdogan.
The conditions of Ukraine are as follows:
1. Withdrawal of Russian troops from all territories occupied by them after 24.02.2022.
2. Legislative transfer of all gold and foreign exchange reserves and seized assets of the Russian Federation and Russians as of 1.09.2022. The law on reparations must be adopted by the State Duma, the Federation Council and signed by the President.
3. Additional payment of reparations of 200 billion euros within 25 years in equal installments.
4. Free supplies of natural gas to Ukraine for five years from 01.01.2023.
5. Holding a referendum on the status of Crimea no later than 011.01.24 under the auspices of the UN and international organizations.
6. Demilitarization of the entire European part of the Russian Federation with the withdrawal of all parts and connections beyond the Urals.
7. Legislative reduction of the Russian army to 600,000 people.
8. Admission of military observers to all military facilities of the Russian Federation, including closed research institutes and design offices.
9. Early elections of the State Duma with the full participation of international observers.
10. Early presidential elections with the full participation of international observers.
Within 12 months, with the full implementation of all items, the international community will begin to partially lift the previously imposed sanctions.
Immediately after the initialling of the agreement, the disconnection of banks from SWIFT, the ban on the sale of Russian coal, oil and LNG will be lifted, flights will be restored and deliveries of vital medicines and aircraft components will be established.
At the insistence of the head of the U.S. State Department Blinken, extreme points on “extradition” of the Russian leadership were removed from the “peace plan”.
😂😂😂😂
This is exactly what England and France threatened the two Germanies with, between 1880 and 1918. National dismemberment, and loss of sovereignty. It’s what they also wanted to do to Russia, even back then.
If this is true, it will be unacceptable to the Russian people themselves, let alone their government. It’s high effrontery, insulting, and threatening.
The Russians will destroy the Zelensky government and absorb the Ukraine back into Russia. Zelensky and all of the others will end up stood before a court, or worse.
There is no going back, now. It’s a fight for the survival of Russia. As a people, and as a state.
I heard they also wanted the Trump golden shower bedsheets for Blinken to wrap himself in and sniff with Biden.
Non negotiable that one.
From the beginning of Russia’s Special Military Operation (SMO), Putin clearly stated what the objectives were. One very important objective was/is to clear the Donbas. The Luhansk part of the Donbas has been “liberated”. Now Russia is concentrating on taking the remaining Donetsk areas of the Donbas.
Once Russia takes the entire Donetsk area of the Donbas, or even before, the West most likely will do something really stupid which will initiate the use of nukes. I figure this will happen very soon just before or after Russia takes the rest of Donetsk.
Meanwhile, Russia is moving up more “storm troopers” to take more of the remaining Donetsk areas. Recent reports from the Military Summary Channel refer to the recruitment of “storm troopers” by the Wagner group at Russian prisons. Most likely this was going on all along.
When I was a Freshman in High School, what was said about WWI, didn’t add up, or make sense. Then I had teachers who told us that what they were teaching us was nonsense and propaganda, but that we had to pass the test, and they had to earn a paycheck. Otherwise, just ignore what “official history books” and the media had to say about anything.
Then a reporter interviewed my mom and some other ladies from my church, about a chili supper and Christmas Bazar, that they were holding, to earn money for their church group. I was standing nearby, and heard every word that was said. Now, it’s common practice to redact or contract a story, to make it fit into the limited space of a newspaper. However, what that reporter did, was flat out distort everything that my mom and the other ladies had said. She had them saying things that they had never said, and she had got the address of our church wrong, as well.
By the time that I graduated from high school, I no longer believed the media, or anything that the government said, about anything.
If I see; “Plane crashes on takeoff from local airport,” I assume that the headline is the only true and accurate part of the story. Usually they revise it several times, before we find out what really happened. If even that.
Needless to say, I don’t follow the MSM.
My words were translated by computer, I hope you in the West can understand. In the eyes of Chinese readers, the retreat of the Russians is a very common tactic, which we call seduction, and it is not uncommon in ancient and modern Chinese history, such as the Battle of Sidu Chishui.
It is very risky to let Russian planes break through the anti-aircraft weapons provided by the West, and it is a good thing to attract Ukrainian troops to the Kharkov battlefield for a strangulation battle. This can give full play to Russia’s air and artillery advantages. We see Russia doing this. Ukraine loses more than 500 people every day.
Destroying the enemy’s vitality is the key to war, an intellectual confrontation.
…”Prior to joining ISW, he worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as an advisor on Ukraine and Russia for a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.What scares me is that these are the advisors, experts, of the US Representatives and Senators”
What scares me is that these are the advisors, experts, of the US Representatives and Senators.
hello guys! How are you all? I hope everyone is okay! I live in Brazil, and here we have been bombarded for a long time with fake news and western advertisements from all over the world. Here took place one of the ugliest color revolutions and hybrid warfare! We went from being one of the biggest economies in the world to being just a little bitch and the backyard of the world. Here it is very difficult for people to have access to good sources of information. Not because they don’t, but because they still believe in the western media. Few, like me, have the patience to research and end up discovering blogs like this one. I would like to ask, if it’s not too much trouble, if you could list what other sources, quality blogs you follow. Can you give me some names? I’m sure there are some gems out there that I don’t know about yet.
Thank you…….Hug and peace!
Has anyone recently reexamined the shootdown of MH-17? At the time it appeared to me to have been a false flag. It still does.
PUTIN AND HIS ARMY ON THE ROPES, AGAIN!! has been a persistent Western narrative:
“Russia about 10 days away from exhausting ammo, manpower: Former US Commander.” IN, March 15
“RUSSIAN forces are running low on ammunition, according to Western intelligence” – Express, June 27
“Russia Running Out of Precision Munitions in Ukraine War – Pentagon Official” – Reuters, March 24
“Russia ‘running out’ of precision weapons” – UK MoD, June 11
“Russia Admits It’s Running Out of Weapons in Ukraine War” – Newsweek, July 1
“ Russian Federation will run out of shells, artillery and armoured vehicles by YEAR END” – Ukrainska Pravda, August 31.
“Russia has been forced to buy military hardware from North Korea as sanctions squeeze Moscow’s ability to supply its military, the US says.” – BBC, Sept 6.
They’re wrong, but they are consistent.
Concerning the Russian response to the Ukraine offense in Kharkiv , one should remember the battle of Cannae.
Cannae was certainly a triumph of extraordinary military skill. Quite probably the first use of a fully planned and managed pincer movement, and certainly the first successfully executed on a large scale. Two full Roman armies were utterly destroyed in one day.
The irony is that Hannibal eventually succumbed to Fabius Maximus’ Fabian Strategy whereby Fabius, realizing that Rome’s remaining forces would be destroyed in direct battle, opted for continuous attrition of Hannibal’s army through harassment operations on the margins.
The Fabian Strategy ignores territory, and in Fabius’ case the welfare of Rome’s allies and subjects, to focus entirely on slowly destroying the enemy’s ability and will to fight. Eventually, the brilliant Hannibal left Italy and not long after that Rome razed Carthage to the ground.
It seems to me that the Russian General Staff is following both these ancients in turn. The West is doing its utmost to prevent the Fabian component from having its full effect, but they too will tire of the continuous attrition and lack of real victories.
It is so sad, because most people in Europe and probably US too (in the US you probably know it better then I as you live there) are buying on all this west mambo jambo and they don’t even make the slightest idea what is really going on…
What the governments are doing together with the media is almost criminal.
They are supporting one of the most corrupt country in the world with a state that wipes out all opposition, discriminates and murders people, defends Nzi ideology, practices human and organ trafficking, well summing up its like as hell as break through there.
But then we are told by our governments that they are fighting for our freedom and our west way of living. What kind of people have we put in power these days that do such parallel of putting such bad example of a country with the west way of leaving… This should be very concerning for most of us…
The governing elite of the West are driving our nations to a massive disguised catastrophe by deceiving their own citizens in such a way that many will not be prepared for what is coming which will cost many lives by hunger, criminality rise and probably suicide…
We are almost living in a fascist West dictatorship without the repression, at least for time being, but will get there once the media is not able to hide what is really happening as it will become more and more obvious. It’s really sickening.
To finish I’m convinced the threat to our values and way of leaving is coming from within not from Russia.
From Russia with love…
PeBeAl
Frustration growing in Russia
https://russtrat.ru/news/16-sentyabrya-2022-1535-11190
Divide between old guard and khadyrov generation.
Looks to me like Brit brains are still formidable and formenting terror and strategy for NATO.
I don’t think US would be so gungho without the Brits who really are a main driver in this war. From confiscating Russian property to basically treating them like aparthied paraiahs, no one does and legitimises racism and injustice like the Brits. They also have spec ops units for terror. They do divide and rule so well. They have separates Poland from EU and bought it to their side and pull strings of the EU from outside.
The EU is giving them a hard time about NI protocol, now the EU is broken, divided, rudderless and led by the nose by the Brits. They wanted business from London but soon they will be beggars at London’s door as the Brits have basically created the strategy that punished naughty EU. So clever. So evil.
The ease at which the West, especially Europe slid into the most savage and unfair racism is sickening. Cancelling ballet, musicians, athletes, books by Russians. Yet no one learns from history. The savage racism was allowed unchallenged, like they were diseased animals.
Russians still don’t understand. The Brits were made for this war. The only way to stop them is to land on their soil. If you stop the Brits you stop the US.
Putin and Russia aren’t on the ropes.
But they lost that round and are getting bloodied noses without response..Russians are dying. In their thousands.
So not on the ropes but not exactly punching back either right now. May be coming though.
you are working around the clock spreading doom posts with zero proof other than he said she said , the only thing you managed to accomplish is exposing yourself as just another troll assigned to sonar21 spreading FUD
Pics or it didn’t happen’. Ukrops film everything. Yesterday i saw Izum loot consisting of one tank, and a crate of pickles (about dozen jars). Today i saw couple of prisoners painting sign. Where are videos of those dead Russians?
I believe Putin got an earful at SCO. Rest of world has different definition of winning and losing and no one wants to bet on losing horse. There has not been one prominent victory after Lysichansk and only losses. Russian bloggers are pulling their hairs out in dismay that Russia is now even unable to defend its own territory.
i believe you made up stuff that do not even happens at SCO. and no one cares about bloggers who have zero data on the battleground.
you constantly posted lies , FUD and doom based on made up stuff with zero fact
Sergei Shoigu has also had another heart attack! And I have it on the best and most reliable sources that Putin is suffering from a possibly fatal case of crotch crickets. I used to be fond of a gentleman named Peter Zeihan. He is pretty much a one trick pony involving demographics. Which I think he is correct about. When you read his analysis now though? Russia is failing! Russia dies any day now! And his obvious paid toadying for the CIA/NSA is just revolting. But I guess it is a living for him. And that is the Western World. The Ministries of Propaganda work 24/7. And I do not find that shocking. Dictators want to stay in power. What I find revolting is how US citizens lap it up with a spoon.
I’m one among your many readers who has never left a comment but now I want to let you know how grateful I’ve been over these past months to read your articles about the tragic conflict in Ukraine. Without the kind of detailed information you so generously provide it’s no wonder the general public in Western countries is so confused and prone to hostility in relation to Russia.
Many, many thanks Larry.
If you don’t believe the gaslighting, your a victory over Russia denier, election denier, insurrectionist, anti vaxxer, threat to our democracy, growth recession denier. etc, etc etc.
They can’t win the debate so they resort to slandering their opponents which is what you get when dealing with psychopaths.
I’m starting to believe that Putin is false opposition. Sad to say but fak, this b.s. SMO does not make sense at all. Unless the Russian thinking process is completely alien to the western mind, there should be some common sense that applies to basic decision making. Even Kadyrov is bursting at the seams to do something. If Putin was bought and paid for, there is a good chance he would be leading a half-assed effort… oh wait.. it is a half-assed effort. .. please tell me I am wrong.
OK. You are wrong. Happy now?
Russia is fighting the first battle of a multipolar world order, not the last of a unipolar. Its violence is instrumental (removing specific obstacles) rather than expressive (killing for the sake of killing).
If you loved what we did to Libya, of course it makes no sense. But Russia was disgusted by what we did, and is taking a different path.
The ISW is a purveyor of 100% top grade BS propaganda. It has no other purpose than to promote neoconservative talking points, one of which is that Ukraine is winning, and Russia is on the ropes. Mainstream media are only too happy to give platforms to ISW’s professional BS artists. Readers of this blog already know to ignore them.
Dear Larry, thanks for debunking all this BS. It’s painful even to just listen to these guys. I don’t envy the person who has to write whole blog posts in order to show how deranged these analysts are.
But while these people are paid to produce propaganda, what really bothers me is how easily western people believe it.
My hyphothesis is that in the West we are fundamentally racist when it comes to Russia and narcissistic when it comes to ourselves.
In my (admittedly limited) experience, the average western citizen is convinced that Russians are inept, ignorant and semi-literate. There’s no awareness of the sophistication, nuance and depth of the Russian culture.
People have no idea of Russian achievements in sciences for example.
They don’t grasp the extent of Russian scientific and technical tradition when it comes to education.
I’m pretty sure the vast majority of people completely ignores the Russian contribution to mathematics, for instance. They have no idea that all their internet website filters and many of the probabilistic algorithms they use on a daily basis are built according to Probability Theory and Statistics, whose modern formulation has Russian mathematicians fingerprints all over it (Kolmogorov, Smirnov, Tschebichev, Markov, ecc.), among others. They have no idea how good the Russian education system is at producing physicists and engineers.
Those who have a mild appreciation of Russian culture usually only take into account ballet, songs and literature.
Many people believes McCain’s dismissive comment about Russia being little more than a gas station and as such they are very vulnerable to propaganda that depicts the Russians as illitterate, clumsy, brutal and fundamentally incompetent. So they have no trouble when when it comes the time to believe idiotic propaganda that reinforces their own prejudices (they also don’t know what confirmation bias is…)
I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m a retired research engineering Mathematician who on a visit to the Notre Dame Library make a long stop in the Mathematics section filled with the genius of Russians who developed algorithms used to this day by hand and were proven true in every instance. My admiration for Russian Science is UNBOUNDED in that regard!
After his visit to the USSR in the ’50s, a stunned Admiral Rickover commented that the Soviet education system simply outmatched everybody else’s, and that America’s challenge was to come close to it.
Since then, of course, America’s education drove into the equity ditch, but Russia did manage to hold on to much of what the Soviets had set up and are building on that.
Net result is that America, and the West generally are simply no match for Russia in the STEM fields.
That’s why Russia, a “gas station” with a population of 140M outclasses the near 1B population West in nearly every hard STEM field, and especially in the wide variety of fields inherent in military hardware.
It’s becoming hard to tell if the Nonsense about “Russia is being Defeated” propaganda is being written by actual “Propagandists” or by profoundly ignorant “Think Tank Analists” who actually believe what they write.
The former are just doing their (paid) Jobs, and are harmless.
The latter are the so-called “Advisers” to the politicians who are being led to make WWIII go Nuclear.
The shear, screaming Ignorance of History exhibited by the politicians and military officers in the “West” with regards to how Russia and its People view any Attack, or Threat, from European Nations is almost Terrifying; they Refuse to Listen to Russia when they have repeatedly said that those who are seen as an Existential Threat will Get the Nukes.
When the sanctions immediately boomeranged on the US and EU, making Russia much more in petroleum profits and strenghtening the ruble, any time pressure to end this war went from Russia to the West. But our leaders always lie and double down on bad policies. This is easy when there is only a real Fourth Estate in the alt media and Tucker Carlson standing virtually alone on the corporate side.
If Russia merely stabilizes the fron and lets things play out for several more months, we’re the ones in big trouble.
1. I haven’t read anywhere (reliable) that 1st guards Tank Army was/is involved in SMO. If there is no Ukraine Air Force, how can this Army be destroyed, being stationed inside Russia?
2. Information coming from Ukraine and MSM is like an inverted pyramid of lies. Collapse will not take much time.
3. To sacrifice Ukraine to justify existence of Cold War relic NATO is immoral and illegal.
4. Facts and Truth may take some time to surface, and when that happens, Unipolar world will be officially put to rest.
P.S. Thank you Larry Johnson. You are one of a very few courageous rays of light making the History with your honesty, integrity, patriotism and quest for Truth against all odds. You were also one of a very few who debunked “Russiagate” story. When I migrated to U.S. and subsequently became a citizen, likes of you were many more as you know, who were responsible for my decision to migrate from a country of the most ancient continuous civilization (I’m not from Russia, just interested in facts and Truth).
This is a quote from the latest post by Paul Craig Roberts (If it s not legally acceptable or personally offensive, please erase it or let me do it)
“Russia is unable to defend itself because its liberal leaders prefer agreements, on which they themselves say no reliance can be placed, to force. The Kremlin still believes, despite all evidence to the contrary, that it can overcome Western “misunderstandings” of Russia and negotiate a peaceful multi-polar world of cooperation.
God help us”
Your eight points are quite resistant to honest challenge, Larry.
At the same time there is something wrong with the operation, either to remain an operation (with no further apparent potential to achieve its aims – liberation and safety of the republics, demilitarisation and denazification of the whole country) or to become a war of liberation of the whole country (without the necessary increase in manpower and equipment)
We, laymen, don’t need high mathematics and great military expertise to see the reality on the ground, from the honest reporting we find online; troop movements, skirmishes, battles, advances and retreats. We can see that, after over six months, civilians are still being murdered by Ukrainian shelling on the Donbass; we can see Russian troops being rushed here and there to plug the gaps of different overstretched lines (of defence – for four, five months there were only advances; now defence and retreat are being heard of); we hear of the leadership promising great retribution or unheard of military capabilities, but nazi Ukraine and its foreign fellow travellers seem to spit on all such warnings, past and present.
Are those experts with military, security and intelligence background on Russia’s side going to tell us – mere commoners on these issues and very much hoping and expecting and praying for Russia’s complete victory – that Russia’s current military strength will be sufficient to reach such goal? You may believe it yourselves, but plain common sense – born of perceived reality on the ground – dictates otherwise.
Well put. Russia must show some kind of ground wins — we mortals are dumb and these KIA numbers by Russia show no rewards except in 3 days they lose 2000 square miles we need to see something concrete. Even Lukashenko and Kadyrov are grumbling. What will happen is Russian troops will lose interest and this matters. All of us have met people who take 8 hours to prepare a sandwich for an impulse picnic. Is Putin one of these? Why did he torpedo South Ossetia’s referendum they were 100% eager for it this would have helped public enthusiasm. Russia needs to win this or we might as well hang pictures of Klaus Schwab in our offices.
In Germany we are hearing a lot of tellings like: ” Ukraine is defending our “values”. We have to help them.”
Currently Armenia is being attacked by Aserbaidschan.
the EU has signed contracts with Aserbaidschan for supplying of gas,
to replace ” bad russian gas”.
And what are european governements doing about the aggression against Armenia ? Nothing !
So all the western tellings about our “values” of democracy, Liberty, freedom of speech, is pure hipocrisy.
The things you are hearing are not wrong. Ukraine is defending German values from about 80 years ago.
I think it’s worth pointing out that the ISW is neocon organization. From Wikipedia (which I have little use for, but for things of this sort I think mostly dependable): “ISW was founded… with core funding provided by a group of defense contractors”
According to the guys at The Duran, Victoria Nuland or her family is a major funder. Whether she and/or her family funds it or not, it’s certainly funded by people like her, i.e., neocons from the defense industry who make lots of money from war, and who stand to make a lot more money by cheerleading the West into continued funding of the Ukraine conflict. A sober assessment of the situation does not benefit them.
The question which I think more interesting than: Why does the ISW write absurd drivel? is What is the plan for dealing with the backlash from the US and EU public when it becomes apparent to them that they have been lied to? People can be very happy with very little if they expect less, and very unhappy with a lot if they expect more. In other words, the management of expectations is the key to managing public happiness.
Today, Russia surrounded Bakhmut, which means it’s probably a matter of weeks before it falls. When it does, the current UAF defense line will become untenable. They will have to choose between falling back to the Dnieper (which will be difficult since the Russians control the air) or stay put, in which case the Russians will chop their line into segments and then “liquidate” those cauldrons, much like the Russians are currently liquidating the UAF forces South of the Ingulets River. Either way, it will become impossible to continue to deny that Ukraine is losing, and losing catastrophically. That will be a huge shock to the publics of the US and EU, and it will not go over well precisely because articles like that in the ISW are setting the public’s expectation that Ukraine is winning.
I would love to know their plan for dealing with this, but I don’t think they have one. I suspect this is why the US/EU keep trying to provoke Russia into a major escalation so that the US/EU have an excuse for becoming more directly involved than they already are. But so far, Russia is not taking the bait. Tick tock….
MSM analysis usually amounts to anal cysts, pound for pound
I wake every morning and thank God that these boneheads were not in charge in Vietnam. The dolts we had were bad enough, but at least it was possible to survive them sometimes. These twits are multiples stupider that that group and we may not survive them.