DarthTrader
Diamond Member
- Mar 29, 2022
- 1,495
- 1,066
Michael Kofman is a premier Russian analyst and has these take aways.
- Kiev was always a distraction he predicted a small force to hit Kiev for political pressure but that the main pincer attack to be through Kharkiv and Mariupol
- He predicted that back in January.
- Russia has used almost NONE of its high tech weaponry. Almost all of the Russian losses are old Soviet Armor and aircraft.
- Russia's casualties are almost entirely conscripts used to "pad out the force". They were forced into the military in the last few months before the war and were always intended to be cannon fodder.
- Russia has effectively pinned Ukraine in the Joint Operations Area in the South East in the Donbas Pocket and he doesn't know what will come of it.
- Ukraine cannot counter attack. They are unable to resupply effectively if they tried.
- NATO is out of weapons to give to Ukraine which is why they are now down to giving Ukraine the scraps from old Soviet era.
- Russia hasn't tried to capture most cities if they can avoid it. THAT WAS THEIR PLAN ALL ALONG.
- He summarizes as:
- "Russia is working the body, to use a bad boxing analogy."
- They didn't seize air superiority in the beginning with surprise allowing Ukraine to disperse their air defenses because they sought a "political victory" rather than a military victory.
- He now says they have clearly changed to a military victory mindset which means their goal is to destroy the Ukrainian Army in the field. An objective that was previously not attempted.
- They don't capitalize on jamming communications primarily because of their use of conscripts who have mixed comms and Ukraine's comms overlap so there's less flexibility.
- Ukraine likewise doesn't jam Russian comms.