[ad_1]
Two weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin began his invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s “accurate strikes” no longer look like that as its ground forces are still fighting, says CNN in an analysis of the situation.
When the invasion had not yet begun, some US officials predicted that Kiev would fall within 48 or 72 hours but the Ukrainian flag still fluttered.
If, Ukraine was not a real country, as Putin said at the beginning, it certainly would have fallen by now. But even with 150,000 Russian troops within its borders, according to U.S. estimates, they control at most about 10% of Ukraine.
Countless checkpoints have appeared around Kiev. Ukrainian forces – to the surprise of many, have been agile and effective against Russian armor.
Small units that know the territory well have interrupted the route of Russian convoys. Anti-tank weapons obtained mainly from the US and Great Britain and Turkish attack drones have proved quite effective against the Russians. And yet it could not be said that the Ukrainians have the advantage. Russian attempts to capture bridges north and south of Kiev in the early days of the invasion failed.
Even in the south of the country, where Russian units have encountered less resistance, they have not yet taken the port of Mariupol. Analysts say Putin may have miscalculated the possible response to his attempt to invade a country that, in his obscure rewriting of history, had no right to exist.
“He gambled, seems to have failed to recall the events that set in motion the end of the Russian Empire“, Say Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage in Foreign Affairs.
“The last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, lost a war against Japan in 1905. He later fell victim to the Bolshevik Revolution, losing not only his crown but also his life. Lesson: autocratic rulers can not lose wars and remain autocrats“, They write.
The Kremlin has also taken a toll on public opinion – not that it has ever bothered Putin. While Zelensky, the comic actor returned to the President, has faced the challenge with dignity.
As speculation spread about how Zelensky could be evacuated from Ukraine, he said he needed ammunition – not a trip, adding that the Ukrainians would fight to the end.
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link
