- 14 Mar 2022 17:26
#15217854
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, exposed total unpreparedness of Kremlin’s troops for a war of such scale, as well an flawed assessment by Moscow of the real combat capability of the Ukrainian Army. The logistical crisis that the Russian forces are faced with and their tactical defeats on the battlefield since the first days of war have forced Putin to order his forces to practically destroy Ukraine as a country.
An acute shortage of armored vehicles (on March 13, a number of acclaimed western outlets reported that Russia was asking China for military assistance) and huge manpower losses led to intensified cruise missile attacks and air strikes. More than 50 settlements across Ukraine were subjected to shelling, while of them (Borodianka and Volnovakha) were practically wiped out of the earth’s face. Industrial infrastructure, airports, motorways, churches, schools, and hospitals are being systemically attacked. Several thousand households have already been destroyed. Most of the victims are civilians. The civilian death toll and the range of destruction are expanding by the day.
By failing to swiftly capture key cities and declare a blitz victory, Russia found itself entangled in a highly complicated and bloody war of attrition. The Kremlin has neither the military nor the economic, much less the demographic resources to wage such an intense war. There is not a single ally on Russia's side who could provide the aggressor any substantial assistance. Therefore, the Kremlin consistently applies the scorched earth tactics by destroying entire settlements and incapacitating industrial facilities.
According to an anonymous source in Russian diplomatic circles, the Russian forces received from their command a direct order to slaughter Ukrainian civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure. Thus, Russia is trying by coerce Ukraine to capitulation, forcing Kyiv to accept the Kremlin’s ultimatum.
Each new round of talks is preceded by intensified shelling of residential neighborhoods, serving as a psychological lever over Ukraine. The Kremlin is trying to sow panic among civilians and spread defeatist sentiments that could lead to mass protests and public demands that the government in Kyiv accept Moscow’s conditions to just stop the war.
Putin decided to go all in and capture as much of the Ukrainian territory as possible. He takes no account of either the human losses on both sides or the implications of war-related sanctions for Russian economy. In the occupied territories, Russian troops are seizing control of industrial facilities and production capacities, including major factories and power plants. Also, Russia has vast interests in Ukrainian ports. For example, in the strategic port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, Russian troops destroyed several thousand apartment blocks, while leaving intact the local factories and the port. The Kremlin is just fine with killing women and children, being driven by its greedy motivations.
The greatest geopolitical and humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century is now unfolding in Ukraine. The civilizational contours of the future world order depend on the outcome of the Ukrainian-Russian war. This war has proved the real prospects for Russia's military intervention in the EU and NATO countries bordering Russia, which are unlikely to receive significant support from the United States and other leading military powers and will be forced to defend themselves.
Putin thus put to a harsh test and actually devalued the very institutional foundation of the supranational structures of the West serving as pillars of their democracies.
If the Kremlin’s totalitarian revanchism faces no major international rebuff, it will trigger the so-called “domino effect,” resulting in various regional conflicts around the world, which in turn could lead to a war of all against all and ultimately destroy the concept of a balance of power in international politics.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, exposed total unpreparedness of Kremlin’s troops for a war of such scale, as well an flawed assessment by Moscow of the real combat capability of the Ukrainian Army. The logistical crisis that the Russian forces are faced with and their tactical defeats on the battlefield since the first days of war have forced Putin to order his forces to practically destroy Ukraine as a country.
An acute shortage of armored vehicles (on March 13, a number of acclaimed western outlets reported that Russia was asking China for military assistance) and huge manpower losses led to intensified cruise missile attacks and air strikes. More than 50 settlements across Ukraine were subjected to shelling, while of them (Borodianka and Volnovakha) were practically wiped out of the earth’s face. Industrial infrastructure, airports, motorways, churches, schools, and hospitals are being systemically attacked. Several thousand households have already been destroyed. Most of the victims are civilians. The civilian death toll and the range of destruction are expanding by the day.
By failing to swiftly capture key cities and declare a blitz victory, Russia found itself entangled in a highly complicated and bloody war of attrition. The Kremlin has neither the military nor the economic, much less the demographic resources to wage such an intense war. There is not a single ally on Russia's side who could provide the aggressor any substantial assistance. Therefore, the Kremlin consistently applies the scorched earth tactics by destroying entire settlements and incapacitating industrial facilities.
According to an anonymous source in Russian diplomatic circles, the Russian forces received from their command a direct order to slaughter Ukrainian civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure. Thus, Russia is trying by coerce Ukraine to capitulation, forcing Kyiv to accept the Kremlin’s ultimatum.
Each new round of talks is preceded by intensified shelling of residential neighborhoods, serving as a psychological lever over Ukraine. The Kremlin is trying to sow panic among civilians and spread defeatist sentiments that could lead to mass protests and public demands that the government in Kyiv accept Moscow’s conditions to just stop the war.
Putin decided to go all in and capture as much of the Ukrainian territory as possible. He takes no account of either the human losses on both sides or the implications of war-related sanctions for Russian economy. In the occupied territories, Russian troops are seizing control of industrial facilities and production capacities, including major factories and power plants. Also, Russia has vast interests in Ukrainian ports. For example, in the strategic port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, Russian troops destroyed several thousand apartment blocks, while leaving intact the local factories and the port. The Kremlin is just fine with killing women and children, being driven by its greedy motivations.
The greatest geopolitical and humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century is now unfolding in Ukraine. The civilizational contours of the future world order depend on the outcome of the Ukrainian-Russian war. This war has proved the real prospects for Russia's military intervention in the EU and NATO countries bordering Russia, which are unlikely to receive significant support from the United States and other leading military powers and will be forced to defend themselves.
Putin thus put to a harsh test and actually devalued the very institutional foundation of the supranational structures of the West serving as pillars of their democracies.
If the Kremlin’s totalitarian revanchism faces no major international rebuff, it will trigger the so-called “domino effect,” resulting in various regional conflicts around the world, which in turn could lead to a war of all against all and ultimately destroy the concept of a balance of power in international politics.