What Russia Wants From Its Invasion of Ukraine—and Why Zelensky Is Evil

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[–]StillLessons 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

This is a valuable perspective.

The best anyone can do in a complex situation like this is get as many perspectives as possible. There are lies coming from all sides, and any information offered up directly by either Russia or the allies of the Zelensky regime (most notably "western intelligence") is automatically propaganda. We need to listen to lots of different voices hoping to come upon at least a few speaking for reasons other than raw partisan gain.

I admit I don't know who this guy is. He himself acknowledges near the end of the video that his information can easily be dismissed as sounding like pro-Putin/pro-Russian propaganda.

But he looks in detail at two facts that all sides acknowledge: 1) Ukrainians are preventing the exit from the field of any man 18-60; 2) Ukrainians are giving out AKs to civilians telling them to defend their country.

Regarding the first point, he argues that the men from 18-60 are not running from the Russians - they are trying to escape the authorities forcefully conscripting them to fight in the Ukrainian army. I don't know this is true, but it is absolutely in keeping with human nature and with countless wars throughout human history. It is entirely believable.

Regarding the second point, the interpretation in this video is absolutely 100% correct. Giving military hardware to untrained civilians and sending them to fight trained soldiers is telling your population to go out and martyr themselves. Civilians carrying guns are unlikely to kill Russian soldiers operating in military formations. They are very likely themselves to be killed. Telling your civilian population to make martyrs of themselves is a militarily pointless waste of innocent life, and Zelensky should be condemned utterly for it. The west, however, is celebrating the move as a Hollywood plot.

One other interpretation I had not heard before now: he suggests that the Russians are not advancing at all costs when they meet resistance, and that this is intentional, because they don't want to create the mass casualties (military or civilian) this would require. This is an interpretation of Russian strategy I had not heard, explaining why the Russians are pulling back when they meet stiff resistance. In favor of this interpretation is the fact - again acknowledged by all sides - that Russians own the air. With absolute air superiority, Russians would be capable of inflicting incredible death very quickly if they so chose. That they don't do so argues for what this guy is saying.

A worthy watch. Thanks for this.

[–]BootsAndBeards 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

You really have no idea how effective some local guys with rifles are against an invading army. Especially against Russia, which also operates with a draft with a ton of young men with questionable morale and experience. If any man in Ukraine does not want to fight they can quite literally just walk to occupied territory, it can be easily found to the North, South, and East. Even in Ukrainian propaganda and news reports you can see male civilians hiding in underground bunkers with women and children, I doubt they have enough arms to draft every male in that age even if they wanted to for the foreseeable future.

[–]raven9 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I think those local guy's bravado will evaporate when their positions start getting ripped apart by the 30mm cannon that is mounted on the Russian APC's. They have no armour of their own, no command and control to provide air support or any kind of backup for that matter and I'd bet most of them have never even handled a rifle before never mind had time to learn how to use it accurately.