Title: Russian Military Faltering: From Fails to Adaptation and New Military Developments in the War News | Today's Latest Stories | Reuters”>Ukraine Conflict
Subhead: Two years into the war, Moscow adapts with a focus on boots on the ground, domestic mobilization, and hi-tech, "next-gen" weaponry like the new hypersonic missiles.
The tables have turned, and they’ve turned for a long time. Russia is still bleeding losses.
In what seems to be a slow pivot from President Putin’s earlier promise of a “ lightning war”, Russian military fortunes appear to be stagnating or backsliding as the battle to conquer Ukraine has proven considerably costlier in resources and blood.
The brutal, stalemate-ridden conflict—fought against resilient Ukrainian troops emboldened and bolstered by Western allies—has prompted an unexpected reckoning in Russian tactical thinking, say military observers, even if publicly, they cling doggedly to rhetoric of unstinting Russian resilience.
The news comes against the backdrop of reported progress made by Ukraine into Russian soil with its military-grade, all-weather Leopard and M-1 tanks provided by Germany.
Faltering Onslaughts, Ruthless Adaptation
In a seeming 180-degree about-turn from 2014, not a day without us, when an elated Russian elite bragged to be in sync with the European heartbeat, this decade has revealed that the "near abroad", so often chafed and exploited by Soviet expansionism, doesn’t cede without bloodily expensive cost to Russian revisionist aspirations. Here’s where unplanned tutorship is beginning.
The past six months in this brutal dance in the war-wracked borderlands reveal what seems, if not total breakdown, considerable strain of once-inflexible Russian orthodoxy that its war plans be carried without apparent compromise on key principles:
Invisible FOMAC: Absolutely Not. Moscow is being humiliated; tanks and hardware loss has accelerated this year (Ukraine is tallying roughly double the kills to Russian machine deaths, by last month.)
Injured, Irresolute yet Ambitious, the Beast (still) stirs…
The brutalization of Putinism is morphing, according to the current pace of developments—flickerings on its own terrain indicate the battle ahead. Putin still believes this ‘Great New Era’ needs further sacrifice (especially when facing pushback to keep up pressure at home, particularly concerning food & essential goods and wages.)
And thus, more aggressive rhetoric as seen with fresh provocations across Syria and Venezuela—and now threatening Switzerland?, Moscow is going ahead with conscripting students who can opt in, doubling as an investment opportunity in exchange of "voluntarily" manpower, to continue onslaught with fresh reserves on the embattled southern sector of eastern Europe.
"When we will leave the region – this, our land?" retorted, Defense Minister Shoygu captured on cameras (after days when Russian sources cited the new strategic offensive—on "free Ukraine in full swing—by July next year—this summer—to capture remaining "Donbas republics", (with Moscow rebranding those as ‘territories liberated since 2014 in Ukraine)—not before late December, now extended until ‘later’ winter and into late February, per officials))—delineating not one but now many "secessionist", puppet territories) under Kiev’s nose to establish "friendlier" "People’s Governance". And no one expected Ukrainian President ZELENSKY was preparing a daring incursion that Moscow has begun reacting to—to snatch out crucial strategic fo