Putin did not have to invade Ukraine. He was having one of those Peter the Great moments and he suddenly felt like having a nice satisfying conquest. The funny thing is, it had not been going too badly for Russia overall before the invasion. But you know what they say about undersized dictators who are addicted to conquest: They never know when to stop. That was certainly true for Hitler, up until that fateful moment in the bunker.
Russian Army Losing A Battalion Every Day
The Russian army is losing at least a battalion’s worth of vehicles and men a day as twin Ukrainian counteroffensives roll back Russian territorial gains in eastern and southern Ukraine. That’s hundreds of casualties and scores of vehicle write-offs every day.
These losses are catastrophic for Russia. The Russian army barely was sustaining a little over 100 under-strength battalions in Ukraine before Kyiv’s forces counterattacked in the south on Aug. 30 and in the east eight days later.
In just under two weeks of brutal fighting, the Ukrainians have destroyed, badly damaged or captured 1,120 Russian tanks, fighting vehicles, artillery systems, trucks, helicopters, warplanes and drones, according to the Ukrainian general staff. Independent analysts scouring social media for photos and videos have confirmed nearly 400 of the Russian losses.
Around 5,500 Russian troops have died in Ukraine since Aug. 29…
David Axe in Forbes via NBF
Collapse of Russian Command and Control Accompanied by Panic Among Troops
Ukrainian tactical prowess emerges on decentralized battlefront
Revisiting nuclear deterrence in the age of a deranged Putin
Up to 200,000 Russian troops have been killed, captured, wounded, deserted, or mutinied since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine began. Russia is recruiting violent criminals from prisons and mercenaries from some of the most unsavory places on Earth, in an effort to keep warm bodies on the battle front.
Russia thought it was ready to defend against a Ukrainian counter-offensive, but it expected only one such attack — in the Kherson area to the south. Russia was not prepared for a two-pronged counter-offensive in both the northeast and in the south. And who knows what other surprises the Ukrainians have up their sleeves?
Russia is fighting a WWII Soviet-style war of mindless attrition against sovereign Ukrainian territory, including civilians and civilian infrastructure. Ukraine is presently shifting the momentum of the battle in a more intelligent, 21st century manner. We will see how Russia’s brutal torture kidnap rape-murder-annihilate war machine out of the last century can adapt to opponents capable of thought and maneuver.
Inside the liberated town of Izyum
Russia is a backward hellhole of a country. The question is how much longer the Russian people will allow their mafia government to lead the nation down the path of utter decline. Putin did not have to invade Ukraine. But it made him feel like the big man to do so.
Russians take a lot of punishment before they are willing to act outright against authority. We can hope they will see the need to do what is needed before too much more permanent damage is done to Europe and the civilized world– and to Russia’s own dwindling prospects..
Bonus Video: Zooming in on Ongoing Ukrainian Offensives
Perun’s Youtube channel is one of the best in terms of collating large numbers of open source details and making sense of the large volume of contradictory information at large on various topics. The latest Perun video examines the current Ukrainian military offensives. His analysis begins with the early days of the war leading up to the rising expectations for a counter-offensive against Russia in Kherson Oblast in August 2022.
From there he launches directly into what actually happened, contrasting it mercilessly with what had been expected by mainstream sources. A very interesting video.
al fin next level 
Putin had no other choice, because Ukraine under the puppet regime was the chosen tool to destroy Russia.
Interesting logic. (clears throat)
Or you could also say that there is a little man with a pitchfork inside Putin’s head that forced Putin to take that fateful step. He had no other choice, you see.
When one is a true believer in a personality cult and its propaganda wing, anything can be justified.
It comes down to the question: where was the benefit for the Russian people? It is easy to understand Putin’s paranoia and narcissistic madness. But how long do the people play along with the fool before they wake up from the deep serf trance?
Or you could just be repeating back to me the “official narrative” that everyone is required to believe. That the destruction of Ukrainian democracy and the murder of thousands of people in that country over the past eight years are just minor incidents.
Almost 60,000 Russian combatants have died in the past 7 months due to Putin’s vanity war in Ukraine. That is just the beginning, it seems. Putin is busy digging up more cannon fodder from Russian villages, prisons, foreign hellholes, and anywhere else he can find them. Meanwhile Russia is hissing down like a fast leaking car tire. This little whim of Putin’s will not end well.
Russian propaganda can flail all it wants for justifications. The devastating consequences for Russia will remain.