Oh, the attack on Kyiv was just a feint, was it?
If you lose 20% of your whole invasion force on a feint, what's that called?
— Noah Smith 🐇🇺🇦 (@Noahpinion) March 30, 2022
Yeah. Never expected Ian Welsh to become a Putin bro, but he’d been trending dumbass since the pandemic began. The Russian effort is something that definitely starts with an “f,” but “feint” would not be the correct term. More like a fuck-up, farce or flame-out.
Russia's *confirmed* tank losses are now approximately 1 out of 8 of its total usable tank force from before the war.
In one month.https://t.co/xPqgX3ir4x
— Noah Smith 🐇🇺🇦 (@Noahpinion) March 30, 2022
For those not that knowledgeable about anything to do with the military, this is Very Bad. Especially considering the Russians aren’t gonna be getting any parts any time soon for the tanks that are still kicking.
Imaging you’re fighting a single person. It’s just you and the other individual in single combat. You’re a big bear of a man, so you swing at him so hard, with every ounce of your force, that you fall over and hit your head on the sidewalk. You land a glancing blow on the dude you’re fighting but that’s about all. Meanwhile, you’re bleeding on the ground as he comes up behind you and kicks you in the ribs repeatedly while you grab for his legs futilely.
This is about where Russia is regarding Ukraine, spent, bleeding on the ground. Sure, Russia is still a big scary bear with weapons aplenty. But see that whole “bleeding on the ground” part after expending maximum effort and having achieved little.