‘They came to the end of the Wehrmacht with such an army’
Johnson quotes the famous Prussian general and military theorist Karl von Clausewitz:
Moscow seems determined to dump its troops on Ukraine as “bait.” This was done by a veteran of the US Army, a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation think tank David Johnson RFE / RL’s Georgian Service correspondent Vaja Tavberidze said in an interview.
The military strategist warns that Russian troops are “slowly making their way in the Donbas,” “mass shootings and a very slow, gradual maneuver,” which will be “very difficult to stop.”
Johnson says Russia’s strategy and tactics have made Kiev’s allies sending artillery and other weapons a vital issue in Ukraine’s defense.
According to him, the President of Russia Vladimir PutinThe plans do not require precision, because “if the target is Maripol,” “then the missile is accurate enough.” Mariupol, home to half a million Ukrainians before the war, is now in ruins and in the hands of Russian forces.
Don’t miss out
Johnson says the current phase of the war is “very difficult” and that “given the international support for Ukraine, the two enemies are increasingly equal in terms of skills, numbers and equipment.”
Russian strategists “hope to deplete Ukraine’s manpower and resources,” said Johnson, a well-known Prussian general and military theorist. Karl von Klauzevitsquotes from: “Don’t be the first to lose in wars of loss.”
According to him, Kiev’s allies must “constantly supply the Ukrainians with the weapons they need to fight,” whether they are precision-guided weapons or older ones.
Johnson says the biggest casualties in the war zone are Javelin systems, or Switchblade US artillery, not US drones.
That army…
Ukrainian officials say at least 30,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the war. Johnson states that “We have no idea about the real losses of Ukraine” Ukraine’s figures are “probably exaggerated.” He said Kiev was “effectively monitoring the information campaign.”
Russia itself does not disclose the number of casualties, but there are allegations of high casualties, frustration, inefficient management, and poor training. Johnson, a former artillery battalion commander, says he “does not underestimate” the strength of the Russian military.
“With such an army, they defeated the best army in the world in World War II. I want to say that in World War II, the Russian army was used as cannon fodder, ruled by politically correct people, but for several years they came to the end of the Wehrmacht (the name given to the German Armed Forces in 1935-1945 – ed.). – Johnson emphasizes.
Putin’s advantage
According to him, Putin, who heads an increasingly authoritarian government, can at least confuse public opinion at this stage, and even declare empty victories, because he “manages the message” that many Russians are allowed to hear.
“He looks at the calendar in the morning and says, ‘Well, debt is cheap, it’s a great achievement. Let’s talk about it ‘… I don’t think he will ever say he lost the war. The great advantage of being an autocrat is: You decide what success is. ” – Johnson says.
However, he thinks that the Russians are not completely unaware of the aggression of their soldiers on behalf of the country. This means that the Russians support the occupation more than expected.
“Let’s not think that everyone will go and protest in Red Square. I don’t see their soldiers fleeing en masse. The worst thing in war is not to pay due price to the enemy of a great sin. “ – emphasizes the analyst.