Russia - threadbanned users in OP

As I have explained to you, it's not the Rand corporation expressing their unbiased view, that report was commissioned from them by right wing billionaire Charles Koch to put out a Pro Russia, anti Ukraine support piece because it's significantly in his financial interests as his companies have ignored sanctions and are still operating in Russia and are engaged with them.

I have to agree, there is an element of absurdity about the Russian casualty figures.

They are still suffering massive losses , the US estimate of 100k dead and injured as of the end of November makes sense and reflects that.

Figures of 110k dead and 350k injured are fantastical.

From weeks before the invasion European countries should have been making it clear that while it might not be a hot war that they would see it as a war time situation. The Brits did, the Polacks did, the Balts did and the massive inflow of anti tank weapon, anti aircraft missiles was a game changer for Ukraine when Russia eventually did invade.

12 months on, much of Europe is still only coming around to the idea.

Russia will not conquer all of Ukraine but it may take the 4 annexed oblasts, at an incredible cost to all sides and probably their own long term stability.

The risk of this becoming a multi year war grows every day it goes on.

It was a great tragedy that the USSR wasn't dismantled at birth, the most murderous half century in human history could have been avoided.

Britain and France have capable militaries.

German does not, for the last no. of years it hasn't even had a unified command structure. Decrepit and run down and deliberately underfunded and undermined for 20 years is the only description.

Italy who knows.

I certainly don't see any end in sight at the moment, indeed could drag on for years.

Casualties are a tough one. There was a leak of the gross amount of Russian payments to families of fallen soldiers back in Sept last year which, if true, indicated around 50k were dead or missing at that time (not including LNR and DNR figures).

I take most estimates with a pinch of salt, but I'd expect attrition also be high among the Ru army - accidents, bad medical care, desertions, exposure, self-mutilation, etc. Having to drain prisons is never a good sign. Suspect there will be much more mobilisation to come.

The Ukrainian MoD stating an attack has been "repelled" does not mean what you think it means. Youre thinking far too literal

It means the line of contact is at place X and the Ukrainians have been engaging the enemy and not allowing them to gain ground - it does not mean that people were literally charging forward and being repelled backward like some kind of tug of war match.

Most of these positions are entrenched, and most of the attacks are artillery and drones probing. The combat footage shows this too.

And unfortunately they are not repelled every time either - wagner have captured blahodatnoye and attacks reported on Vasukivka, moving slowly NW of Soledar into the towns and villages along Bakhmutka river

The big picture? Wagner/Russia are pushing north to dislodge the AFU from Seversk. Shown below are the 2 roads left to supply Seversk.

At current rate of attrition theres at least 3 weeks before Wagner reach Sviato-Pokrovksy and cut off 1 of the 2 routes outs. If they do, its likely Seversk will be evacuated, and with it a large chunk of land to the East. It also makes the attacks on Kreminna from the forest plantations either side of Seversky-Donets impossible to keep up, as previously the AFU took advantage of their control of right bank of the river to ferry small groups of troops across the river and into the forests around kreminna. This will stop if the AFU lose Seversk

The AFU need a big counterattack to stop Seversk from falling or else they have a mountain to climb to regain it and lands near Kreminna later on.

My bank statements are none of your concern

And neither is any of my personal information yours. Thanks for making the point for me.

The past 2 day's there seems to be an decrease in the size of the Russian attacks. They must be running out of prisoner's to just throw at Ukraine.

That info, as I now point out for the second time, is stated on the page where the report is located. I did the links and quote bits in my original post, so no need for me to repeat the exercise for the obtuse.

Not a fan, and he's a bit of a Churchill wannabe, but indeed he's been a key supporter of Ukraine, which has translated into real results (not just photo ops). Far better than the alternative.

I suspect he won't be the only one at the victory parade, half the world will turn up

75% of them dead already.

For 10 years the Russians tried to hold Afghanistan, and failed, and their main enemy's were Afghan tribesmen wearing the Shalwar Kamis, sandals and carrying AK47's. Only in the latter stages did they have any kind of sophisticated weaponry, curtesy of the US via Pakistan. They never had anything remotely resembling what Ukraine has presently at its disposal, and what is en-route. So if the Afghans could achieve what they did with what they had, just imagine what a Ukraine resistance movement would be like ??? I know an ex- Russian soldier who had been in Afghanistan, and even many years later, if it came up in the conversation, he would shudder at the memories. No, holding Ukraine would be a continuous nightmare for Russia.

Lol. I was wondering there alright.

In WW2 in Berlin most sides collected their dead for burial, even collected enemy dead, all bar the Communists.

The Red Army bulldozed what they had of their fallen in to a hole and walked away, leaving the rest to dogs, Berliners and the allies to take care of.