Proposed add to the (correct) adage "amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics" being invoked lately.

Yes, but Russian army isn't amateurish, it's that they're used to brutally shelling and bombing cities from afar (Grozny, Aleppo, Idlib) without consequence to them.

— zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) March 8, 2022

But that is the definition of amateurish in military matters. I don’t often disagree with Zeynep, but here she’s showing when something is far outside of your experience and study, you make just terribly obvious errors of judgment and reasoning.

If an army goes in without enough spare parts, supplies and fuel on what they think will be an “easy” campaign: amateurish.

If an army is forced to rely on civilian walkie-talkies and other unencrypted, readily-intercepted comms: amateurish.

If an army has a 60km long convoy stuck on a road that it cannot leave, and has only survived by luck: amateurish.

If a military force has no integrated command and control and doesn’t even know what entire divisions are doing or where they are: amateurish.

If a military entity commits its entire force, as the Russians have, with no backups and no reserves: very amateurish.

I know this isn’t her natural realm so I’ll excuse her here, but come on. This is basic military stuff, not some mysterious new aspect of warfare. The Russian army has proved to be amateurish. That’s all.