Tag: Russia

US Military Expertise

Contemplate the significance of the two subsequent statements:

Former US commanding general of the United States Army Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges said on Monday that Russians are about 10 days away from reaching the “culminating point” . Once they reach there, the US commander said, the Russian troops will be “forced to stop their assault on Ukraine due to a lack of resources”. According to Lt Gen Hodges, “Russians are about 10 days away from what is called the culminating point, when they just no longer have the ammunition nor the manpower to keep up their assault.”

Russia has shown no signs of halting its assault on Ukraine despite the sanctions being imposed on it by the Western countries. However, experts are of the opinion that Russian forces will soon run out of resources.

15 March 2022

It’s now 34 days later, more than three weeks after the Russians ran out of ammunition and manpower, according to the US military experts.

While there are not official confirmations (that I know of) from the Russian military, it appears that Lavrov is the first, and so far only, Russian official who declared that the 2nd phase of the operation has begun. Truth be told, pretty much everybody else thinks likewise. Considering the intensity of Russian bombings and artillery strikes overnight, which were reported by numerous sources, it certainly appears reasonable to me to conclude that this 2nd phase has indeeed begun. For example, the Russian defense ministry reported on Tuesday morning that its troops had delivered artillery strikes at 1,260 Ukrainian military targets overnight, including 1,214 locations where Ukrainian troops amassed their forces.

How long this phase of the war will last is anybody’s guess. Optimists think a week, pessimists a month, but in reality nobody really knows because the outcome will be determined not by maneuver like during the first phase, but by logistics, specifically fuel and ammunition, in other words by mobility and firepower.

19 April 2022

So, it appears the Russians just might have some ammunition and manpower left, considering that they’re only now beginning the second phase of the Operation Z. So this raises the obvious question: is there any reason to suspect that the NATO forces might be projecting a shortage of ammunition and manpower onto their enemies?

Never, ever, listen to anyone the media anoints as an “expert”. Their expertise, such as it is, usually consists of their ability to repeat the media’s narrative with a straight face, no matter how obviously absurd it is.

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Russo-NATO War, Phase 2

It appears that once Mariupol falls, the second phase of the Russo-NATO war will begin.

Too many people have now been propagandized by the west to believe Russia somehow “failed” and is incapable of taking the western part of the country, but that is not even close to reality. Russia is not capable of taking it all at the same time from 5 different fronts. There’s a huge difference and distinction there. But once Donbass and everything east of the Dnieper is cleared, Russia can and likely will take the rest with concentrated forces. There will likely then be only 2 fronts, one coming up from the south that will cut off Odessa and take Nikolayev and one that returns from the north into Kiev. But we’ll save that for another time as either way that’s far off in the future.

In logistical news, Poland has reportedly begun its shipment of 100 T-72 tanks and BMP-1s to Ukraine. While Australia ships Bushmasters.

In other interesting news which shows that Turkey’s “closing of the Bosphorous” straits was not what it seemed, and was in fact a more than subtle blow against NATO, Turkish defense minister has confirmed that Turkey is strictly prohibiting any NATO ships from passing the straits as well.

“Turkey will not let NATO warships into the Black Sea,” said Minister of Defense of this country Hulusi Akar. At the same time, he referred to the Montreux Convention and said that the passage would be closed to warships of countries that do not have access to the Black Sea.. Akar also admitted that the presence of mines in the sea could be deliberate: they could have been fired as part of a plan to pressure Ankara to let NATO minesweepers into the Black Sea, which is contrary to the Montreux Convention. “We have a suspicion that the mines were deliberately introduced. Perhaps they were fired as part of some plan to put pressure on us in order to let NATO minesweepers [through the straits] into the Black Sea. But we are committed to the rules of the Montreux [Convention] and do not let warships enter the Black Sea,” the minister said.

So much for NATO solidarity.

Also, the first formal appeal for the following: “In the State Duma of Russia, Crimean deputy Mikhail Sheremet today proposed to unite the Republic of Crimea with the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions into the Tauride province within the Russian Federation. “Residents of the regions do not seem to mind – they raise Russian flags everywhere and complain about the attitude of the Ukrainian authorities.”

American Secretary of Defense Lloyd addresses Ukrainian troops.

This comes on the heels of new revelations of how deeply embedded U.S. and NATO command structures (and troops) are in Ukraine. A French journalist here describes what he saw in his time in Ukraine. In short, he says he was shocked to see American generals running the entire show on the ground, and he says the names of them will be revealed in his new exposé in the French Figaro newspaper this week.

This is further proof that this conflict is truly NATO vs. Russia, and NATO is losing badly.

Another report states: “the United States is moving its advanced headquarters units to the western borders of Ukraine. In particular, the 5th Corps is being relocated. This suggests that it is not the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that controls military operations, but NATO officers. And we are at war not with some puppet regime in Kiev, but with the collective West.”

I couldn’t help but notice that the Tory Party’s defense of Boris Johnson for Partygate, and explanation for why he should not be forced to resign despite a) being found guilty of breaking the law, b) lying to Parliament, and c) facing calls to resign from the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, among many others,, is that Britain is at war. This is a fascinating statement, in light of the fact that the UK has not actually declared war on anyone since Johnson took office.

Mr Johnson faced more calls to resign over his fine from the leaders of the devolved administrations – but Tory backbenchers hit back at criticism, asking: ‘Don’t they know there’s a war on?’

But it’s true. NATO is very actively involved in waging war against Russia, and both the USA and the UK are the most observably belligerent, with personnel, intel, and equipment all being actively engaged against Russian forces. And it’s also obvious that all of the media’s claims that Russia was running out of men and ammunition were completely false, as instead of being forced to conclude operations within two weeks, the media is now reporting that “Russian President Vladimir Putin has massed troops on Ukraine’s eastern flank for fresh offensive on the area.”

And it looks like the third phase of the war may well include Finland and Sweden in addition to Poland, as both formerly neutral countries appear to be on the verge of joining NATO. And if the multiple reports I’ve heard on the topic are correct, Russia will be making use of its first-rate troops equipped with the latest hardware and supported by its best air, armor, and artillery in the third phase.

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China is Lost, India is Next

Having failed to keep China in line, the imperial USA is desperately trying to keep India in submission to its failing neoliberal world order:

The US defense chief said that, as the world’s largest democracy, India is central to the so-called “rules-based order,” and he called for collaboration with “like-minded partners.” This collaboration may include co-development of weapons.

Austin and Singh followed their talks by holding a so-called 2+2 meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. “This is a momentous moment in global affairs, and I think as a result, this partnership is even more consequential and more vital,” Blinken said.

However, the partnership has been strained in recent weeks amid efforts by the US and its Western allies to punish and isolate Russia over the Ukraine conflict. Late last month, a top US national security official warned India that there would be “consequences” for countries that try to “circumvent” Washington’s sanctions campaign against Moscow.

“We are keen for all countries, especially our allies and partners, not to create mechanisms that prop up the ruble and that attempt to undermine the dollar-based financial system,” Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh told reporters during his visit to New Delhi on March 31.

President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser, Brian Deese, reiterated those concerns last week, saying Washington had warned India that it would face significant and long-term costs if it aligned strategically with Russia. “There are certainly areas where we have been disappointed by both China and India’s decisions, in the context of the invasion,” he said.

India has declined to impose sanctions on Russia and has ramped up purchases of Russian oil. Indian and Russian officials have also discussed a ruble-rupee payment mechanism for trade between the countries, bypassing the dollar and the euro.

Another source of tension between Washington and New Delhi is India’s historic reliance on Russian-made weapons. India has ordered five S-400 anti-aircraft systems from Russia – in defiance of a warning from the US against the $5.5 billion deal – and it reportedly has an option to purchase more of the surface-to-air missiles.

If India is, in fact, “central to the rules-based order”, then that order is definitely going to collapse, because there is no way India is going to side with the USA and Europe against China and Russia. India may have its differences with China, but it shares a very long legacy of British invasion and oppression with China.

The fact that Westerners have conveniently forgotten their history doesn’t mean everyone else has.

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There From the Start

French sources report that US and UK special forces have been present in Ukraine from the beginning of Russia’s special military operation.

La visite de Boris Johnson à Kiev confirme la place de Londres comme premier allié de l’Ukraine. “Les unités d’élite des forces spéciales SAS sont présentes en Ukraine depuis le début de la guerre, de même que les Delta américaines”, confie une source française du renseignement.

Russia Today provides more detail.

Elite special forces from the UK and the US have been present in Ukraine since the beginning of hostilities with Russia in late February, a source in the French intelligence community reportedly told a Le Figaro reporter last week.

The claim was reported by the newspaper’s senior international correspondent Georges Malbrunot on Saturday, the day when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made his surprise visit to Kiev. The British leader was reportedly surrounded by guards from the elite SAS force, though this claim was not officially confirmed.

UK hopes Ukraine will keep fighting – mediaREAD MORE: UK hopes Ukraine will keep fighting – media
SAS units “have been present in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, as did the American Deltas,” Malbrunot tweeted citing a French intelligence source. He added that according to the source Russia was well aware of the “secret war” waged against its troops by foreign commandos. Le Figaro included his report in their updates on Ukraine.

The UK and the US have been among the most active military supporters of Kiev. Johnson reportedly personally urged his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to keep on fighting against Russia and not settle for peace until better terms are offered.

Western pro-fighting consensus was apparently confirmed last week by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who said on Saturday that the “war will be won on the battlefield” as he too was visiting Kiev.

British media earlier reported that dozens of “retired” SAS soldiers went or planned to go to Ukraine to contribute their expertise in reconnaissance and anti-tank warfare to Kiev’s cause. Their services were allegedly paid for by “a country in Europe, still to be named, via a private military company” rather than by the British government, according to the UK tabloid the Daily Mirror.

The Russian military reported action against what it described as “mercenaries” fighting for Ukraine on several occasions. One of the recent instances was on Saturday, just as Johnson and Borell were in Kiev.

The Russian defense ministry said Ukraine attempted to use a civilian ship in their latest failed attempt to evacuate high-value personnel from the port city of Mariupol, which saw some of the most intensive fighting during the conflict. The individuals intended for evacuation were identified as leaders of the ultranationalist Azov battalion and foreign mercenaries. There are unconfirmed reports that hundreds of foreign nationals could be blocked in Mariupol along with several thousand Azov troops.

Russia has been remarkably patient. What I wonder is how long will Russia refrain from striking back directly against its real enemy instead of fighting the multiple layers of proxies?

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Russia is Well On Its Way

Strategic Culture interviews former USMC intelligence officer Scott Ritter about the Russian military operation in Ukraine:

Question: Do you think that Russia has a just cause in launching its “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24?

Scott Ritter: I believe Russia has articulated a cognizable claim of preemptive collective self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. The threat posed by NATO expansion, and Ukraine’s eight-year bombardment of the civilians of the Donbass fall under this umbrella.

Question: Do you think Russia has legitimate concerns about the Pentagon sponsoring biological weapons programs in laboratories in Ukraine?

Scott Ritter: The Pentagon denies any biological weapons program, but admits biological research programs on Ukrainian soil. Documents captured by Russia have allegedly uncovered the existence of programs the components of which could be construed as having offensive biological warfare applications. The U.S. should be required to explain the purpose of these programs.

Question: What do you make of allegations in Western media that Russian troops committed war crimes in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities? It is claimed that Russian forces summarily executed civilians.

Scott Ritter: All claims of war crimes must be thoroughly investigated, including Ukrainian allegations that Russia killed Ukrainian civilians in Bucha. However, the data available about the Bucha incident does not sustain the Ukrainian claims, and as such, the media should refrain from echoing these claims as fact until a proper investigation of the evidence is conducted, either by the media, or unbiased authorities.

Question: Do you think the alleged Russian bombing of a hospital and an art theater in Mariupol were false-flag provocations?

Scott Ritter: Both locations are available for detailed forensic examination that would either confirm or refute Ukrainian allegations that these locations were struck by Russian aerial bombs. Other data, such as the existence of any NATO radar data that would put Russian aircraft over these two locations at the time of the alleged attack, should be collected. A detailed forensic examination of each site would go a long way in proving or disproving the Ukrainian claims through the collection of weapons fragments and the evaluation of environmental samples which would show the chemical composition of any explosive used, thereby allowing a better idea of what weapon or explosive was used to destroy the sites.

Question: The Western media are reporting that the Russian military operation in Ukraine is floundering because it has not over-run Ukraine entirely. As a military expert, how do you see the Russian operation proceeding?

Scott Ritter: Russia is fighting a very difficult campaign hampered by its own constraint designed to limit civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure and the fact that Ukraine possesses a very well-trained military that is well led and equipped. Russia deployed some 200,000 troops in support of this operation. They are facing some 600,000 Ukrainian forces. The first phase of the Russian operation was designed to shape the battlefield to Russia’s advantage while diminishing the size and capacity of the Ukrainian ability to wage large-scale conflict. The second phase is focused on destroying the main Ukrainian force concentration in eastern Ukraine. Russia is well on its way to accomplishing this task.

The complete failure of pattern recognition by the media is not a surprise, as the media is entirely corrupt. The failure of those who consume media to recognize the intrinsic unreliability of the media is also not a surprise, but only because we now seen people accept obvious absurdities at face value for the last two years. It is, however, disappointing.

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Western Troops Trapped in Mariupol

The persistent rumors of US and other troops surrounded in the besieged remnants of Mariupol have been officially confirmed by the Russians:

We finally have high level confirmation from Russian officials that NATO instructors and foreign fighters are in fact trapped in Mariupol.

Firstly Russian State Duma member Adam Delimkhanov in an interview with RT has openly stated he estimates around 100 such foreigners there, and that they are in communication with them and the rumors are true that they are trying to negotiate a release and escape corridor. It seems to imply all those Macron rumors were accurate.

Igor Konashenkov on the other hand, also confirms that significant numbers of foreign fighters are known to be there because Russia can hear them crying in over 6 different languages in intercepted radio calls. Not to mention there’s now a report that they tried to break through the blockade with a ship to rescue them (ran out of helicopters I guess?)

So this is no longer the realm of speculation and fantasy.

This is proof of an act of war by whatever government’s troops, which presumably include both the USA and France, are trapped there. The only question is if they have sufficient PR and intel value to the Russians to prevent the Russians from simply flattening the buildings in which they are holed up with artillery.

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Devil Mouse Exits Russia

Who do we have to invade to be so lucky?

DISNEY is stopping all business operations in Russia including sale of all products and streaming services.

Some of the world’s biggest companies have been shutting up shop after being hit with massive outrage against Putin’s war in Ukraine. Many corporations have ceased operations in the country in protest of the invasion.

In a statement, Disney said: “Given the unrelenting assault on Ukraine and the escalating humanitarian crisis, we are taking steps to pause all other businesses in Russia. This includes content and product licensing, Disney Cruise Line activities, National Geographic magazine and tours, local content productions and linear channels. Some of those business activities we can and will pause immediately.”

Unfortunately, they’re only going to “pause” their business activities there. But given the organization’s long and ongoing relationship with confirmed pedophiles, to say nothing of its current advocacy on behalf of child groomers, the Russians, and in particular, Russian children, would be well-served if Devil Mouse’s operations on Russian soil were to permanently cease.

Lacey Fairchild’s most recent HYPERGAMOUSE episode summarized the situation in an apt, but succinct manner, treating the Devil Mouse in much the same way that the woodchipper treated Steven Buscemi in Fargo.

“I’m Here About the Job”

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NATO Wants War

It appears NATO is determined to find out whether Russia is prepared to take on the globalist alliance directly

The Czech Republic has become the first NATO country to send tanks to Ukraine, providing T-72 and armoured infantry vehicles following President Zelensky’s plea for help.

Several BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, howitzer artillery pieces and more than a dozen T-72 tanks were yesterday loaded on a train bound for Slovakia where they are expected to head on to Ukraine, footage run by public broadcaster Czech Television showed.

The delivery is understood to be a gift agreed on by NATO allies, raising fears the trans-Atlantic bloc could be dragged into the Russian war in Ukraine despite remaining on the sidelines for more than a month.

NATO leaders have so far given Ukraine anti-tank and anti-craft missiles as well as small arms and protective equipment, but have not offered any heavy armour or fighter jets. Prague’s decision to supply tanks to Kyiv will pile pressure on NATO allies to follow suit.

It would not be a surprise if that train is taken out with a hypersonic missile or two before it enters Ukraine. This is a clear and obvious escalation on the part of NATO, most likely taken in response to the beginning of Phase 2 of the special military operation that began with the fall of Mariupol and the withdrawal from Kiev, and it would be appropriate for Russia to respond with a similar escalation.

It’s evident that Russia has a number of cards to play that it is retaining for future use. But given the Russian predilection for swift and unexpected action, we should not be surprised if it acts in a disproportional manner that takes everyone by surprise when it finally strikes directly at the real enemy.

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Exposing the False Flag

As I mentioned on last night’s Darkstream, I knew “the massacre at Bucha” was a false flag the moment I read the first headline about it. It is not necessary to know anything at all about what the globalist media claims happened in Bucha to know, beyond any shadow of a reasonable doubt, that the official media narrative is both deceptive and false. This is because every time – every single time – there is a military conflict in which the globalists strongly support one side over the other, the media dutifully publishes false reports of nonexistent atrocities.

From the incubators of Kuwait to the White Helmets of Syria to the bloody streets of Bucha, all of these narratives are false, all of the atrocities reported are fake, and to the extent there is anything that actually happened there, the events are false flags, with the actions of the parties actually responsible attributed to innocent parties. Every. Single. Time.

Which, of course, is why most readers here have been waiting to see what the inevitable false flag would be. Some guessed something to do with Chernobyl, others are still anticipating a “Russian” bioweapons attack on Ukranians or possibly somewhere in the West. This one is, frankly, as underwhelming as it is unconvincing.

That being said, the observable facts of the matter also prove that “the massacre at Bucha” is a fake and a false flag, which further supports the mounting evidence that Vladimir Zelensky is a fraud and an actor, as he has been filmed publicly crying while decrying this nonexistent Russian massacre. Vassily Nebenzia, the Permanent Russian Representative to the UN, addressed the attempted false flag in a press briefing today after the UK prevented the subject from being raised in front of the UN Security Council, which tends to imply that the West may have even been actively involved somehow in staging the false flag.

I would like to present to you the real facts about Bucha.

During the time that the town has been under the control of the Russian armed forces, not a single local resident has suffered from any violent action.

For as long as the town was under the control of the Russian armed forces locals were moving freely around the town and using cellular phones. So they could post on social media any photo and video footage of any theoretical “harassment” if this were the case. However, that did not happen.

Let me address the developments in chronological order.

On March 30, following another round of talks in Ankara, Russian Ministry of Defense announced the withdrawal of forces from a number of regions, including Bucha.

That fact was confirmed the next day by the mayor of Bucha. In his video of March 31 Anatoly Fedoruk presented the withdrawal of Russian forces as a victory of Ukrainian Army. Interestingly, he had not mentioned any mass atrocities, dead bodies, killings, graves or anything like that. It is hard to imagine that a city mayor can “forget” to address such a devastating scenario.

Let me show you the video posted by Mr. Fedoruk. As you will see, he looks happy and smiling. It is hard to imagine that he is acting like this against the backdrop of “massacre” in the streets. That’s in Ukrainian, but as I said, he is very happy that Russian troops withdrew, which he regards as a great victory of the Ukrainian army. He makes no mentioning of any atrocities in the city.

This video was posted on “Ukraine 24” channel on the 1st of April. I would like to stress – nothing about “atrocities” was revealed on April 1st.

Let me also show a photo of Zhan Belenyuk, a deputy of the Ukrainian parliament, who, according to his reports in social media, visited Bucha after regaining control by the Ukrainian government. As you can see, he is also smiling. He is joyful. In his reports he mentions no dead bodies. Not a single reference to “atrocities”.

On April 2nd the National Guard of Ukraine posted on official resources a video from Bucha. Let me show you the footage. The video captures members of Ukrainian armed forces entering Bucha. The footage shows no dead bodies in the streets. The Ukrainian military interviewed several people in different locations across the town. None of them said a word about any “massacre” or mass killings. Camera also captures background behind these people, with no dead bodies in sight.

To sum it up, there are no reports of atrocities which are accredited to the Russian military in Bucha, which happened before the Ukrainian army took control of the town. Four days after the Russian military left the city of Bucha there was not a single sign of any “atrocities”. I repeat – not a single reference to it, anywhere.

The infamous video depicting bodies on the city roads only appeared on April 3rd. It is full of discrepancies and blatant lies. According to its authors, the bodies were lying on the streets for at least 4 days by the time the video was filmed. However, the bodies are not stiffened. How is that possible? It is against the law of biology. The bodies do not have signs of decomposition known to forensic experts, including cadaver stains. The wounds contain no blood.

Another point illustrating that this video is fake.

The Ukrainian forces use either blue or yellow armlets or stripes. Because members of Ukrainian militia do not always wear military uniforms, local civilians in Bucha wore white stripes on their upper arms when the Russian forces were stationed in Bucha. That was done to prevent misidentification of civilians from members of militia. When the Ukrainian forces entered the town, they fired at the people with white stripes, killing the civilians. There is a video showing a conversation between members of Ukrainian units. It was published in social media by the so-called “territorial defense” – a radical nationalist fighting group. One of the radicals asks if he can shoot at the people without blue stripes. The other confirms that this is permissible.

Russian speakers know that, but let me translate for the rest of you:

Question behind the scene – «There are folks without blue bands, can I shoot them?»

Answer: «Of course».

I hope the evidence we demonstrated today leaves you with no illusion that the video circulated by the Kiev regime is a crude forgery. It does not stand any scrutiny.

Of course, the fact that every other narrative that has come out of Ukraine has rapidly been proven to be false should have been everyone’s second clue that “the massacre at Bucha” would fall apart just as quickly.

UPDATE: “YouTube bans any open discussion about the Bucha false flag.”

So, you know it’s confirmed to be fake.

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An Economy of Force

A pro-Russian analyst explains why the media keeps overreporting massive quantities of Russian casualties while the Russians control the battlespace and continue to take Ukrainian villages and cities. Note that BTG stands for “Battalion Tactical Group”, a combined-arms manoeuvre unit deployed by the Russian Army that comprises a mechanized infantry battalion of 2–4 companies reinforced with air-defence, artillery, engineering, and logistical support units.

I have counted every single brigade and BTG listed on the map and have come out with a startling find that correlates exactly with what I’ve been saying for a while, and have written in detail about in the last report. Namely: there appears to be only about 50-60 total Russian BTGs in Ukraine. Considering that a Russian BTG is listed as having an estimated 600-800 men, this would amount to 50,000 – 60,000 troops in total deployment. The author himself has stated these are all the confirmed groups in the country. You can check for yourself, every unit is listed typically as either regiment or brigade. A regiment is supposed to have around 1,000 men. A Russian brigade is typically composed of 2 BTGs but on the map if you click each ‘brigade’ the exact disposition is given, and many of them say 1 BTG while others are 2 BTG. And yes, the ‘expert’ behind this new map has stated that he believes Russian total BTGs is much less than was advertised, and he is a fully pro-western ‘analyst’. He believes Russia originally started with maybe in the ~80 BTGs range, but of course conveniently he never managed to track any of those missing 30 or so, and in fact attributes them to having been destroyed, since the current operative ‘narrative’ amongst the completely lost western “OSINT armchair analyst” crowd is that Russia has lost 20-30 BTGs – an extrapolation of the laughably inflated “official figures” from Kiev that list Russian losses as 30,000 KIA, etc. Like I said, it’s quite convenient that those ‘destroyed’ phantom BTGs were in fact never tracked or witnessed in theater by the experts, and the ones that ARE being tracked just so perfectly happen to fall into the 50 BTG range.

What’s interesting is that, prior to the onset of a major propaganda campaign on the eve of the military operation, when the CIA had to go into full fear-mongering mode, even sources like CNN were reporting the following last year: “In April and September this year, Russia pulled than 50 battalion tactical groups to our borders. Currently, 41 battalion tactical groups are in combat readiness around Ukraine and in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Of these, 33 stay on a permanent basis and eight have been additionally transferred to Crimea.”

This sounds remarkably similar to the troop disposition the military experts tracking every single unit in the theater are seeing. It seems the much vaunted “180 BTGs” bogeyman was all hype and propaganda.

More and more experts are now starting to backtrack and also opine that Russia might be using way less forces than initially suspected.

This economy of force makes sense, particularly because it was obvious from the start that a) Russia wasn’t utilizing its best units and b) Russia was much more concerned about fighting a much larger conflict with NATO forces than it was about the Ukrainian forces with which it was already engaged.

Of course, in the aftermath of the successful Syrian operation, which was also performed with a minimal force, the economy of force utilized tends to indicate that Russia’s military capabilities are even more formidable than previously estimated if subsquently proven to be true.

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