Interesting that Russia’s uniformed Defense Minister, Sergey Shoygu, isn’t a military man.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Shoigu
He’s a Civil Engineer who spent the first few decades of his career managing construction projects, bouncing around the old Soviet Union. He eventually rose up through the Communist Party to run the Russian equivalent of FEMA.
Sergey, You’re doing a heckuva job.
intercst
The whole invasion looks like the main orders and the strategic outline originated with someone who knows less about war than I do. I’ve at least read the US Marine Corps’ “Warfighting” and their “Urban Combat Manual”.
AD writes,
The whole invasion looks like the main orders and the strategic outline originated with someone who knows less about war than I do. I’ve at least read the US Marine Corps’ “Warfighting” and their “Urban Combat Manual”.
That’s true.
The Russian military obviously has experienced hands on the payroll. The guy that ran the scorched-Earth campaign in Syria was brutally effective, incinerating some 300,000 people. Perhaps he’ll get a promotion as Putin suffers more embarrassment at the slow progress in the Ukraine.
intercst
The whole invasion looks like the main orders and the strategic outline originated with someone who knows less about war than I do. I’ve at least read the US Marine Corps’ “Warfighting” and their “Urban Combat Manual”.
By most accounts, the Russians believed they would be greeted as liberators and sent in the vaunted Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii, (VDV)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Airborne_Forces
The VDV however are more like riot police than actual combat units and got obliterated when met with actual defense. The Russians were expecting civil unrest not military opposition.
Which leads to this funny parody of a VDV propaganda video.
Sergey, You’re doing a heckuva job.
LOL
He sure is. He must have had a chip on his shoulder when he was in charge of fixing things. He is in his element now.
How to lose 50k Russian troops in three months and a war in the process. A best seller by Sergey Shoygu. Printed in Mandarin.
I have read due to Shoygu’s lack of military experience the person running the war is Gen. Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and first Deputy Defence Minister https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valery_Gerasimov
Related but unconfirmed news is that Ukraine claims to have killed Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, who, again unconfirmed, might be the nephew of the above Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/08/europe/russian-general-killed…
Related but unconfirmed news is that Ukraine claims to have killed Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, who, again unconfirmed,
If he wasn’t killed the Russians would have produced him by now for propaganda purpose to show what liars those Ukrainians are? Reports he was shot by a sniper. A serious threat in Urban Warfare.
Tim <never be the most dangerous looking thing on the battlefield … or salute senior officers unless you want them killed?>