Quote Originally Posted by Kristy View Post
From what I've seen the Russian military is ill-equipped and ill-trained to properly fight not only a war with NATO but all out guerilla assault against them. Outdated rations, poorly on not even maintained equipment cutting on corners so oligarchs can have yachts and Manhattan apartments. Almost non-existent communication between soldiers and command, no real discipline the battlefield, low morale, and it appears little of them had any combat training against NATO forces. It would not take much for NATO to destroy Putin's military with conventional aircraft once they disrupt communication and supply lines and the Russians are already doing that to themselves. Russia can only win by indiscriminate civilian population bombing and cutting off amenities such as water and food in order to starve the population into submission. They knew they will be slaughtered if they try to take cities by direct force.

Russia now has the numbers and overwhelming firepower but cannot lay hold of Ukraine even with a puppet government without years of guerilla and tactical warfare supplied by NATO intelligence and weapons. Putin will take Ukraine in time but with his army as shitty as it truly is and once more and more Russian soldiers and hired mercenaries come home in body bags plus what it is costing him per day with no economy to adequately support it that if his wins, he loses.
I've thought for a long time that Russian military power must be overrated. I get that things are going to be cheaper there but they spend less than the UK on defence but their armed forces are 10 or 20 times the size, there must be a lot of shit in there. Then throw in the corruption and conscript troops. Who tells us their military is good? Russia and the military industrial complex who want us to spend spend spend. I haven't even mentioned yet that the US spends more than 10 times as much. It's all about the nukes and given their space program seems to work I guess we have to assume that enough of their missiles would land.