GUEST BLOG: Ben Morgan – Ukraine’s biggest threat is boredom
Last week, we discussed a different perspective on how Ukraine is prosecuting the war; that instead of Ukraine’s focus being to cut Russia’s supply lines to Crimea by reaching the Sea of Azov, the aim is to attrit Russia’s army. That Ukraine has assessed that Putin’s regime does not have the political capital to order a further mass mobilisation so the number of soldiers Russia has is limited. That, if Russia’s forces in Ukraine are locked into a series of bloody battles they can be destroyed. And; that If the Russian army in Ukraine is destroyed and cannot be replaced, Ukraine wins. This interpretation is derived from analysis by a Game Theory expert, writer and blogger on the Ukraine War, William Spaniel.
If Spaniel is correct, and Ukraine is gambling on attrition rather than conventional military doctrine it raises an inconvenient truth, one that Vladimir Putin has gambled on from the start. That boredom is Ukraine’s worst enemy because if the war ceases to excite interest amongst voters in America, the United Kingdom, Europe or in the many small nations supporting Ukraine their politicians will stop supporting spending money in Ukraine. And; while Ukraine is now prepared for war and can probably secure its current territory, it is unlikely to be able to drive Russia out of the areas it has captured without aid from the liberal democracies that currently support it. So, perhaps the biggest risk of Ukraine’s slow rate of advance is not that its offensive is defeated by Russia, but slower defeat by isolation and starvation as supporting nations lose interest and drift away. The American and English senior officers that advised Ukraine to concentrate its forces and to attack on one axis are probably aware of the inconstancy of their nations, knowing that Ukraine needs ‘wins’ to maintain support from NATO, the United States and the other liberal democracies that support them. Further, that a conventional war-fighting approach although likely to be costly in Ukrainian lives is more likely to deliver fast results, delivering victories that maintain the interest of voters in the countries supporting Ukraine.
So, this week let us look at the conventional military analysis. How is Ukraine doing judged by these metrics?
The first Principle of War is generally stated as ‘Selection and Maintenance of the Aim,’ a statement that means any military operation should start by defining the goal of the activity, so that planning, resources and supporting effort can be focussed on a single clearly defined objective. Ukraine has not published its objectives, so any statements made by commentators are based on their subjective analysis of the situation. Generally, commentators many of whom are ex-military, assess that Ukraine’s strategic goal is to capture Crimea because this peninsular dominates southern Ukraine and the Black Sea. If it is held by Russia, Ukraine is vulnerable. The best way to drive the Russians out of Crimea is to starve them out by severing the network of road and rail lines that run along the Sea of Azov’s northern shore. See the yellow line on the map below. If the Kerch Bridge is destroyed and the Crimean Land Bridge cut, the peninsular is isolated and cannot easily be resupplied making it untenable.
This reasoning is why conventional analysis, including mine, focusses on the southern front especially breaking through from Zaporizhia, and advancing south to the sea. At this point Ukraine’s key thrust to the south started from near Orikhiv, pushing towards transport centres located at Tokmak and Melitopol. The offensive is progressing slowly, progressing roughly 11km to date. Putting this advance into perspective the distance to Melitopl is approximately 70km; and to get close enough that artillery can interdict the Russian supply routes (or within about 20km of the road and rail routes) Ukraine needs to advance to roughly where the red line is on the map below. Approximately, another 60km.
Until recently, Ukraine had forces committed on three axes of advance. However, in recent weeks this situation has changed and now Ukraine is focussed on two key areas:
- The Orikhiv axis pushing south towards Tokmak and Melitopol.
- Advancing on Bakhmut.
Ukraine’s current dispositions splits their resources and maintains large offensive operations on two axes, separated by approximately 200km. Conventional military thinking would err towards concentration at one point, probably the Orikhiv axis. The battle for Bakhmut, could be part of a conventional approach, this operation ‘fixing’ elite Russian airborne soldiers in the city well away from the fighting in the south. Attacking these elite soldiers in Bakhmut makes it impossible for them to withdraw and deploy elsewhere. However, Bakhmut does not look like a fixing battle, it looks like a large attack trying to retake the city. An expensive and difficult task requiring significant resources. Even though Bakhmut is relatively small, any urban area is difficult and dangerous to fight through. The three-dimensional nature of urban areas makes them ‘complex terrain,’ difficult to attack as the defenders use underground pipes and sewers to move, multi-storied buildings to shoot and observe from and the strong concrete walls of buildings as defensive positions. Committing to taking this city will require large numbers of soldiers, that once committed to battle are stuck in Bakhmut.
Meanwhile, on the Orikhiv axis Ukraine continues to advance slowly and steadily towards Novopropivka and Verbove. Slow advances against tough defences, if the Ukrainians were not fighting so hard in Bakhmut and released soldiers from that operation to reinforce this axis – Would the advance be moving quicker?
This is the question that a conventionally trained military thinker immediately asks. Military leaders are taught that in war concentration of effort is vitally important. Army officers are trained to select an objective, then commit every resource that they can against that point in order to overwhelm the enemy. Push the enemy back and take advantage of the confusion created by this movement to encircle and destroy small parts of their force. Essentially, to ‘break through’ a defensive line by concentrating effort at one point, penetrate the defensive line then run amok in an enemy’s less well-defended rear areas. A situation that most analysts have been expecting on the Orikhiv axis, but that has not transpired. Although Ukraine’s recent ‘break into’ Russia’s defences near Verbove potentially brings this situation tantalisingly close.
In general progress is slow, and Ukraine is racing against the rasputitsa or autumn rain that will make the ground boggy and prevent large scale movement. The weather is expected to turn soon, probably in October. After this tanks and other fighting vehicles will find it hard to manoeuvre and even off-road trucks will be confined to roads until the ground freezes again early next year. Essentially, offensive manoeuvre ceases, both sides stuck in location until the weather turns again and cold weather freezes the ground, normally in February.
If Spaniel’s theory is correct, stasis will make little difference to Ukraine’s chances of success, the weather locking Russia’s frontline forces in position and making resupply difficult. This makes the Russian forces on the frontline a static target able to be systematically destroyed by Ukraine’s increasingly more preponderant artillery. Ukraine will continue its slow demolition of Russia’s army that is now stuck in its muddy fighting positions, probably lacking food and other supplies. The wet cold weather will damage morale and bodies increasing the rate of attrition.
However, conventional wisdom is that without manoeuvre both sides can rotate forces, repair and prepare new fighting positions and get ready for the next battle. More mines can be scattered by artillery, rain and mud do not stop infantry creeping out and sowing new minefields or building more barbed wire. Further, conventional military wisdom is that stasis benefits the defender more because within their positions they are already prepared for inactivity. The defenders have shelter and can hunker down in their trenches protected from the weather and from the enemy. The attacker on the other hand must struggle to create their own defensive lines to provide shelter and protection for their soldiers. In conventional analysis, if the road and rail line’s linking Crimea to Russia are out of Ukrainian artillery range when the rasputitsa arrives, Ukraine loses.
However, the term ‘losing’ has many definitions, Ukraine will still have regained territory, broken through the Surovikin Line and caused considerable Russian casualties. The Russians have not been able to drive them back and although Ukrainian gains have been small, they have consistently moved forwards. Ukraine has demonstrated that it can beat the Russians. Just not enough. People watching around the world are not excited by its advances, the billions of dollars spent supporting Ukraine are not keeping the public’s attention. How often is Ukraine on the news this week? When was the last time it was the top of your news feed? It is not because the Ukrainians are unsuccessful, instead it is that news editors need exciting stories maintain their audience’s interest in an ever-quicker news cycle.
In summary, the Ukrainian offensive’s greatest risk is boredom. Whether, Spaniel is correct and the Ukrainians are committed to attrition; or if other commentators are correct and Ukraine’s commanders do not want to use modern NATO tactics and prefer a more attritional approach does not matter strategically because this battle is now about maintaining the support of Ukraine’s donors. In fact, the point of decision is an ongoing battle for the hearts and minds of people in America, the United Kingdom, Europe and in the many small around the world supporting Ukraine. Likewise, Putin’s aim is to hold on. He wins if Ukraine’s support fails.
Therefore, a key question in the next few weeks while we wait for the rain to fall is if Ukraine can do enough to guarantee ongoing support. Will President Zelenskyy’s international diplomacy be enough? Will Ukraine be able to create a breakthrough and demonstrate a return on investment to its donors? So, let’s hope that Spaniel is wrong, that Bakhmut is a ‘fixing’ battle and that Ukraine does have enough force to break through Russia’s lines and drive south. Or, that if Spaniel is correct the strategy of attrition creates a collapse before boredom dooms Ukraine to accept the loss of its coast and of Crimea. And; that we all have a role to play, making sure that others understand that Ukraine’s freedom requires people in all the nations supporting the fight against Putin’s aggression to stay interested and to make sure our politicians continue to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom.
Ben Morgan is a bored Gen Xer and TDBs military blogger
Thanks for the commentary Ben!
The difference in this war is the number and depth of landmines. The poor Ukrainian engineers are having to slowly pick their way through tens of thousands of them, often under fire in order to make advance. Were it not for the mines they would have already run all over the invaders. So, it’s a plodding advance, like it or not.
When autumn comes the leaves will fall and the Russians will be less able to hide their equipment in the tree lines. Seeing as heavy tanks haven’t featured much anyway due to the mines, it may be that the advance continues, as a mostly infantry operation.
The cynic in me suggests that the Whitehouse wants the war to continue as long as possible because their mates in the military industrial complex are making a fortune out of it (at the US taxpayer’s cost). It may be worth checking who in the US government has shares in the likes of Raytheon and BA systems…
My view is similar albeit not quite as cynical. It is very much in the West’s interest to grind the Russian military machine into pieces so that it will take at least ten years to recover. A long slow war will achieve this at a ridiculously low cost in treasure but sadly at the cost of many ukrainian lives.
The Canadian debacle will have ripples .How was it that Zelensky rapturously stood and applauded the Nazi Ukrainian , even after hearing he’d been part of the Galicia unit in WW2 that had killed in particularly nasty and inventive ways, Poles, Roma, Jews as well as Russians.
Zelensky’s own grandfather was killed by the Nazis
Now there are questions about how many other Ukrainian war criminals were allowed in the country, remain unpunished, and how Ukrainian Nazism has endured .The pigeons are coming home to roost.
So what are we saying? It’s ok to invade Ukraine because it has a sizeable quota of arseholes? That has been the American justification in the past ( for invading other countries) and I am sure you don’t support that. Putin did not invade to liberate anyone from Nazis and I don’t think the hundreds of thousands of displaced and fleeing Ukrainians are Nazis. In fact there are other parts of Europe that have fairly prevalent homophobic and racist attitudes and pockets of sympathy to Nazi views. Doesn’t mean they should be invaded.
My comment didn’t suggest any such thing .I would rather issues be sorted out via diplomacy, alas , there were no receptive ears for that.
I’m commenting about the usual canard that Ukraine doesn’t have a nazi issue because Zelensky is a Jew.
And yet here we are , with him applauding a Waffen SS Nazi , you know that very group that killed his forbears.And he cannot have the excuse that he was unaware of the Ukrainian’s past, it was well explained to him in the introduction .Zelensky is not a Nazi, that is clear, they’ve threatened him in the past when he tried to implement the Minsk plan, they have disproportionate power in Ukraine, and the west chose to ally with them and accept them into their countries after WW2 because they were so virulently anti communist, then again in 2014 at Maidan because of their highly nationalistic hatred
of Russians
There is no way you can bleach this out of existence, and this blind support of
Ukraine will bite them in the bum, as has happened in Trudeaus case.
Ukraine doesn’t have a Nazi problem. You are captive to Kremlin propaganda Francesca.
Au contraire, Russia and the Donbas has a Nazi problem.
PhuD try this for size…..
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on September 29 to name the country’s 131st Land Forces Reconnaissance Battalion in honour of Yevhen Konovalets, a veteran of the Ukrainian-Soviet War, political leader of the Ukrainian nationalist movement, and an ally of Nazi Germany.
Repeat after PhuD, “Ukraine does not have a Nazi problem”…. Black is now white, up is down, and history is whatever PhuD wants it to be.
Ukraine might have a problem but Russia has an even bigger Nazi problem knee jerk. You are in denial.
It’s that Ukraine is not the “brave lil deomcratic do-gooder”regime you think it is. t has been amped up on extrrmism for decades, to threaten Russia. Deny it all you like, but glossy Western PR only conceals the truth for so long. Hence the growing “boredom” with supporting the wretched little puppets.
Bollocks Francesca. Stop getting your knickers in a twist over a minor matter that was a result of the Canadian Speaker having excessive autonomy over his actions. He has now been dismissed anyway.
Haha Ovod .A minor matter?
Guess that’s why there are now moves to investigate just how many Ukrainian Nazi “refugees ” were accepted into the west .War criminals included.And this particular guy Poland now wants to extradite.
A minor matter?
I guess, if you’re an anti -semite
Boredom. Yes. The average Russian must be getting bored with this kind of laughable “analysis” .
If the Russian army in Ukraine is destroyed and cannot be replaced, Ukraine wins.
Let’s pause for a moment and consider facts. Russia has around 5 times the population. Since the war began Ukraine has lost over 10 million “refugees” exiting to both Europe and Russia. Ukraine after huge losses is mobilising teenage boys and 60 year olds, whilst calling for the forced repatriation of military aged men from EU. Meanwhile Russia has sufficient voluntary enlistment to enable them to return draft personnel to civilian life.
Who do you think is best positioned to replace armies?
Ben Wallace former UK Defense Secretary writing in the Telegraph stated that the current average age of front line Ukrainian soldiers in 40.
Jesus. If this is true then that is very bad news.
Ahh yes, Russell Brand, personally I prefer Marty Feldman.
It won’t be ennui that stops Western support for Ukraine, but more to do with the resurgence of the Right and Far Right.
Ukraine aid stripped from spending bill to avert US government shutdown
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/09/30/ukraine-aid-government-shutdown/
Alarm grows in Kyiv, Washington as GOP House blocks Ukraine aid
Private appeals from Mitch McConnell, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin fall short
By Jeff Stein, John Hudson, Paul Kane and Jacob Bogage
Updated September 30, 2023 at 9:13 p.m. EDT|Published September 30, 2023 at 2:12 p.m. EDT
……Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — made a concerted effort to build support for the package among Republicans, only for it to fall into the maw of resistance among House conservatives, who have been emboldened by former president Donald Trump and other GOP figures to oppose additional support.
As per usual, this is a battle between the corporate controlled mainstream media followers and the user funded independent media followers. Believe big money or believe the people – you choose.
Ohhh, by boredom, Ben means “a showy splash for the news to tentpole the flagging propaganda offensive.” Which is the only place Ukraine has ever been consistently winning, given it’s on the pedestal of the global western PR machine.
A strike like the totally-bythemselves-nothing-to-do-with-Nato-intel-command strikes on Sevastapol.
Also good for that famous US tactic of crying victory and leaving the field.
For warmongers though, again we have the propaganda cry, “Ukraine will only lose if we stop supporting it!” Ben duly slots into the chorus of neo-cons and cold-war era idjits.
The only hope for anything out of this for Nato is a bleeding wound and testfield against Russia, that they have zero chance of ever winning.Much more chance of tripping off ww3.
Already running out of Ukrainians, they’re shipping in their “moderate rebels” etc from their other proxy wars.
You are the war monger Paul!
I’ll bet you were out there in your walk socks cheering on t boys in Iraq, Ovod. And then bomb those Libyans! Yeah. And hey – wasn’t it great when Putin asked the US to help with the Chechnyans, but the CIA just watched and took data as their assets massacred schools and civilians. Bet you gave a great cheer.
US set up a lose lose for Russia by radicalising Ukraine. If they didn’t act, they’d be weak, because the US does not accept anyone’s security but their own and Ukraine would only increase as a threat; (as many argue has happened by waiting 8 years after the coup and persecutions, creating a 700,000 strong Nato army (now gone, btw). )
If Russia act like they did, they have to put up with useful idiots thinking this is a war of aggression and that Russia actually wants any of the basketcase Ukraine has become.
Clearly Russia is more comfortable putting up with the gaping orifices of the West, because it has the tools to deal with them.
I was against the Iraq invasion Paul. And Libya was a total disaster.Don’t make assumptions.
You are the useful idiot denying that the invasion of Ukraine is not a war of aggression. Where did you get that from?
Over-simplistic, Ovod.
Hitler in the late 1930s was indeed aggressive.
Putin, unlike Hitler, has been provoked.
Your own family background that you have revealed colours your attitude.
Complete crap IV. Hitler would claim he was provoked too! Over the Sudeten Germans for one!
Ovod,
You say you didn’t support them. But were you spending all your time supporting Iraq and Libya, or did you shrug and go “oh well”.
Why don’t the obvious Nazis and persecutions and refusal to adhere to peace and security get your “oh well”.
Because the US & Nato have turned into truth-tellers now?
If the Russians are conducting a war of aggression, so were all the others this century.
If Libya was Responsibility to Protect, Ukraine is certainly responsibility to protect.
If Iraq and Syria was self defence, Ukraine is certainly self defence.
If someone wants to prevent war they have to pay attention te whole time – and that includes prior to 2014, to 2007 and Putin’s Mnich speech, and prior to how the West have ignored and humiliated and tried to oppress Russia ever since 1991 because they “won” the cold war and they clain full spectrum global dominance to keep the Russian Steppe niggers (including Ukraine) under their boot.
The barest modicum of humanity would have preserved the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syrai, Yemen, Palestin – but the West FAIL. And Russia, and the rest of the world shaking off the imperialist anglophones and their Euro simps have every right, having exhausted every attempt to be heard, with this “war of aggression”.
I call you out for racism Paul. ‘Nigger’ is not acceptable language – in relation to anyone.
You should be banned.
You need to take your medication.
O.F.F.S I’m so over hypocrites like yourself Ovod who “calls out racism” but has no qualms calling Russians Orcs.
I’m Russian myself FG. The Russian soldiers are orcs.
‘Nigger’ is a very offensive term and could lead to prosecution.
This war between Russia and Ukraine is going to drag on for years. I hope everyone realises this.
It is essentially going to be like the (forgotten) Iran/Iraq war between 1980 and 88.
In latest news from Crimea, Admiral Sokolov says he has made a full recovery from his recent death.
‘A giant arms fair’
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/09/30/caitlin-johnstone-dying-for-inches-in-ukraine/?fbclid=IwAR38OtMkBh1BWfhhONlWxGSvfSdcEASSqebbvDUH6WZgasTcqNHCEaU8fQQ_aem_AWFepmXwQhvk7p28YvLjyUIon8GwyaQ2lPOdZsnAg7PBPo9l6eAZcaVwIACn-VcvzxY
Back to the “Nazi” thing being bandied by and against both Russia and Ukraine. Clearly this is mainly part of a propaganda war via various media. Historically neither Ukraine or Russia look good. My Ukrainian friend whose father fought for the Germans during WWII said he did so because it was the lesser of two evils and because he wanted to avenge atrocities committed by Russians on his Ukrainian kin.
In current times we have somewhat different labelling but ignoring labels and looking at behaviour gives pointers. Propaganda is flying from protaganists of the current war hence focus on actual behaviour. IMO Putin and the Russians are behaving much more consistently like Nazi’s than the Ukrainians. It would be easy to do a tick box exercise against Nazi principles-practices and see which side fits more closely. Clearly having a stated goal of trying to denazify UKraine is just nonsense and is an excuse/cover for an Imperialistic- Nationalistic style invasion. If elimination of Nazism was important to Russians why use and support the Nazi heavy Wagner group which pro Nazi Utkin founded, why put up with widespread anti semitism in Russia etc. (I know about Azov and some far right activities in Ukraine but on balance it is clearly the Russians that are the most Nazi like. Yet gaslighting from the Russians abounds)
Well said Trev. Who are we to judge the Ukrainians who joined the wrong side considering the evils of Stalinism?
Even Bandera ended up being imprisoned by the Nazis. Building monuments to Bandera is a mistake but so are the statues of Djerzhinsky, Lenin and the naming of Russian districts after bloodthirsty Bolsheviks. Anyway apparently there were more Russian Nazi collaborators than Ukrainians World War 2. Those are the numbers.
How do the Putin apologists explain the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact? I doubt whether this treaty appears in the newly revised Russian history books.
So says PhuD, the backer of real and neo Nazis, who calls black white and up down.
Explain the Molotov- Ribbentrop pact NJ. You have no concept of history at all!
Irrelevant PhuD, bit like you.
You should look up Rabbi Azman who denies there is much antisemitism in Ukraine and says there is far more in Russia and the US. And yes he was born in Leningrad so there!
You are so blinded by false narratives NJ that you can’t see the wood for the trees!
Says PhuD the troll who demands that black is white.
And you NJ (short for knee jerk), have zero relevance because you have zero historical knowledge and zero analytical skills.
Where is the corroborated evidence that Sokolov is still alive? Nada, zilch.
Yes Trev, in your opinion. Now support your opinion with facts. If you are going down the path of denial of Ukraines glorification of Nazi collaboration, the naming of streets and now regiments in their honour, the raising of statues, we can all see that as denial of fact. Can you deny flagrant anti Russian legislation such as banning that language?
If we are talking neo Nazis there is no moral equivalence between Russia and Ukraine, the latter has a monopoly position.
The Famous Dead Admiral Sketch
I wish to complain about this Admiral we promoted not half an year ago.
Oh yes, the, uh, the Blacksea Admiral…What’s,uh…What’s wrong with him?
I’ll tell you what’s wrong with him.. He’s dead, that’s what’s wrong with him!
No, no, He’s uh,…he’s sleeping.
I know a dead Admiral when I see one, and I’m looking at one right now.
No no he’s not dead, he’s, he’s just resting! Remarkable man the Admiral. Beautiful uniform!
The unform doesn’t enter into it. He’s stone dead.
Nononono, no, no! He’s resting!
All right then, if he’s resting, I’ll wake him up!
Hello, Admiral Sir! We’ve got a lovely new medal for your uniform if you show a bit of….
There, he moved!
No, he didn’t, that was you pulling his arm!
I never!!
Yes, you did!
I never, never did anything…
HELLO ADMIRAL!!!!!
Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o’clock alarm call!
(Lifts the Admiral from his chair. Punches him in the face and throws him to the ground.)
Now that’s what I call a dead Admiral.
No, no…..No, He’s stunned!
STUNNED?!?
Yeah! You stunned him, just as he was waking up! Admirals are not used to being punched by a major.
Um…now look…now look, I’ve definitely had enough of this. The Admiral is definitely deceased, and when I saw him on the video screen, you assured me that its total lack of movement was due to him being tired and shagged out following an overly prolonged medal ceremony.
Well, he’s…he’s, ah…probably pining for his family. He has a big workload. Hardly ever sees them.
PINING for the for His FAMILY?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that?, look, why did he fall flat on his back the moment I knocked him out of his chair?
The Admiral likes sleeping on his back! Remarkable man isn’t he? Lovely uniform!
Look, I took the liberty of examining that chair, and I discovered the only reason that he had been sitting up was that he had been propped up.
(pause)
Of course he was propped up! If we hadn’t propped him up he wouldn’t have fallen asleep, and instead of sleeping, he would have rushed off to the Front!! The Admiral needs his sleep you know, great man, very diligent.
“RUSHED”?!? The Admiral wouldn’t “rush” if you put four million volts up his arse! He’s dead!
No no! He’s depressed!
He’s not depressed’! The Admiral is no more! He has ceased to be! He’s expired and gone to meet his maker!
He’s bereft of life. If you hadn’t propped him up he’d be pushing up daisies!
He’s kicked the bucket, he’s shuffled off this mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible!!
THIS IS AN EX-ADMIRAL!!
(pause)
Well, I’d better replace him, then.
Sorry I forgot we’re fresh out of Admirals.
I see. I see, I get the picture.
I’ve got some prison conscripts.
(pause)
Can they fight?
Nnnnot really.
WELL THEY’RE HARDLY A REPLACEMENT, ARE THEY?!!???!!?
I DIDN’T WAN THIS JOB, YOU KNOW!!!
I beg your pardon…?
I’m a qualified insurance assessor! I only do this job because I got press ganged!
C: Excuse me, this is irrelevant, isn’t it?
Well it’s not easy, you know.
Well, what do you want?
I’m not prepared to pursue my line of inquiry any longer as I think this is getting too silly!
Quite agree Sergeant-Major, quite agree, too silly, far too silly…
Russia’s leaders, have just been delivered a reminder by the Russian people, that if they ever dared to detonate a nuclear weapon in this war, even as a warning, the Russian people will storm the Kremlin and drag their leaders into Red Square and hang them from the nearest lamp post.
No force on earth will be able to oppose them.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/10/04/rts-simonyan-faces-backlash-over-call-to-detonate-nuke-over-siberia-a82658
….RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan proposed detonating a thermonuclear device “on our own territory, somewhere over Siberia,” claiming that there would be no impact on the humans living below…..
Simonyan’s remarks were a “deep insult” toward Siberians, said Maria Prusakova, a Communist Party member in Russia’s lower house of parliament from the Altai republic.
“You need to apologize to the residents of Siberia at the very least,” Prusakova said on Wednesday….
…..Simonyan said that a nuclear detonation over Siberia was needed to send a “painful” message to the West amid a “nuclear ultimatum that’s becoming more and more impossible to avoid.”
If I was Simonyan, and the Russian leadership set off a nuclear device, even as a warning, I would would make sure that I had my boarding pass for a plane flight to North Korea in my back pocket.
Russia’s biggest threat is not NATO,
Russia’s biggest threat is not Ukraine.
Russia’s biggest threat is not China.
Russia’s biggest threat is not even its imperialist rival the US
Russia’s biggest threat is itself.
That’s a lovely little mantra for a foreigner on the other side of the world who knows nothing of the Russian lived experience that informs their choices. That is not Russia’s view, given the way they have been treated, and the vast majority of their people support this.
Stop being a western chauvinist and Deal. with. Reality.
https://www.rt.com/russia/584117-putin-valdai-new-world/
I disagree slightly Pat. Russia’s biggest threat is:
1. Putin
2. The siloviki (ex KGB and the like). For them the Soviet Union never ended.
The “Moscow Times’, seriously potato sack Pat?
You do realize the Moscow times is based in Amsterdam and financed by the West.
So bloody what FG! How come someone with Dutch heritage hates the Netherlands so much?
And prove who finances the Moscow Times!