A Four-(and More) Wheeled Reason Russian Can't Win in Ukraine
A 'Newsweek' op-ed
As the war in Ukraine grinds through its fourth year, Russian military might is a shadow of what it was on the eve of the invasion. Its mechanized forces, central to its strategies for victory, are bleeding out and now include museum-grade military trucks, civilian cars, vans, all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles ... and even donkeys. This is not a force poised for victory.
To win, by any rational definition of the term "win," Russia must capture more of Ukraine than the 20 percent of the country it currently occupies. At the very least, Russia must consolidate control over the biggest oblasts in eastern Ukraine: Donetsk and Luhansk. It's still tens of miles away from achieving even this modest aim.
Read more:
Russia's Scooter Troops Don't Live Long on the Battlefield
Yes, Russian troops really are riding into battle on electric scooters. Yes, it’s usually suicide for the unfortunate scooter troopers. No, that doesn’t mean Russia can’t gain ground in Ukraine.