Copy-paste and browser translation (and some minor corrections-explanations by me) of FB post of Teet Kalmus:
Today's summary (10.03). Igor Taro writes about events on the front very thoroughly, I will not dwell on all these things.
Solovyov, the russian's first prodigy (Solovyov is the one of the main Russian Russia-will-grow-large-and-other-countries-suck guy nad owner of some villas near lake Como), wrote a rather long text about the Ukrainian army. What could you find there? Since 2014, the Ukrainian army has been preparing for a defensive war against Russia. The military operates according to NATO standards, the technical park has been modernized, the troops are mobile and well managed. The Ukrainian army is the third largest in Europe after Russia and Turkey. Incredible rebirth in human storytelling.
As you can see, all arrogance has disappeared and reality has arrived. Now let's add here the modern military equipment from the West and that's the mess in the house. Ukraine has been using technology from the West since 2014 to intercept all communications, and because of the Russian army's failed crypto-communications project, the military calls each other on regular mobile phones. It turns out that the drivers of fuel trucks do not dare to do their job, because the probability of getting killed is very high. Fear is also everywhere else, because the Russian army was absolutely not prepared for a situation where the opponent has modern weapons. According to one Ukrainian military source, they simply cannot destroy all Russian technology so quickly, because a very large amount of it has been assembled in Ukraine, but they are constantly dealing with it and they still have a lot of surprises in store.
The greatest achievement of the Russian army so far has been their world-class PR - all sorts of cartoons of weapons without analogues, a TV channel, goods with army insignia in stores, etc. No one in the military leadership expected Russia to go to war against a well-prepared large army. They went to hit the hat, Kharkiv should have been conquered in two days, Kiev with three, according to today's knowledge. In essence, all the landings made failed, the elite units have not justified the hopes and expectations placed on them. A very inappropriate time was chosen for the invasion, because the time of road degradation reached Ukrina. Technology is falling apart, tanks are not starting. Logistics are not working. The 60-kilometre-long column is a logistical disaster. Encrypted communications don't work. Due to the cold wave that reached northern Ukraine, it is necessary to spend the night in tanks in this column at a temperature of more than -10 degrees. In constant fear that it might be attacked. What combat morality are we talking about in this context?
Around Kiev, the Russian army has gathered everything possible - the Kadõrovs (Chechen regional leader), Wagners, Rusgvardia, units of the Russian army. It is not out of the question that they will make another desperate attempt to attack, but it will be very deadly for Russia, because the defenders are well equipped, motivated and supported by the whole city. The missiles are running low, and Putin is said to have scolded Shoigu for spending 8 very expensive missiles on the destruction of vinnitsa airfield, which is completely pointless in military terms at the moment. There is nothing that can replace them quickly, because Russia was able to produce 2 Kalibr-type rakes a week before the war. Carpet bombing from planes is problematic because they can be shot down. There remains a variant of cannons to shoot into the city. As they do in Mariupol, because that's all they can do. In the name of spreading the so-called Ruskii Mir, mainly Russians are killed. Knowingly, cruelly, the Russians kill russians first and foremost, because they cannot do anything else in the given situation – they cannot conquer cities, the Ukrainian army cannot be destroyed. War crimes remain.
It should come to every ordinary brother in Russia that for every life in Ukraine destroyed, they will have to pay for later. All destroyed buildings and infrastructure objects must be paid for by them. Each subsequent day of this beastliness is equal to an additional year to the time during which Russia is not considered a normal country. We know how hard it is to build something, but how easy it is to destroy everything.
Putin insists on victory, victory and victory once again, but his military has nothing left to add much. It is true that there are weapons of mass destruction, but Ukraine is not Syria, after the use of chemical weapons, Russia would no longer be able to escape embarrassment, never. After the use of tactical nuclear weapons, too. What are the options left? They are no longer under the right conditions for Ukraine after the end of the war. During these two weeks, the whole world was able to make sure that Ukraine no longer needed NATO, they could do it themselves if all the weapons were modernized. Ukraine can calmly abandon its aspirations for NATO, because now NATO has a lot to learn from them.
If at the beginning of the war there was a lot of talk about the Kremlin's attempts to kill Zelensky, now it would give the opposite effect to what he wanted, because after killing him he would become a legend, a martyr. He's already everything Putin isn't. Above all, he is a human being, with a capital letter. This possible killing would make no difference to the ukrainian fight, but russia's own image would become even more horrifying, even though it is already terrible.
Ukraine has chosen a defence warfare tactic, part of which is the destruction of senior Russian military personnel - generals, colonels, sub-colonels, and this is done very successfully, because the Russian army quite often uses unprotected communications for communication. Russia, in turn, is trying to cause the Ukrainians suffering by carrying out war crimes, so that they will give up. But no one wants that Putin's Russia there anymore, there's only terrible anger and rage. And Ukrainians should not be angered, especially if they are defending their homeland.
So much for the economy, according to the calculations of Russia's own economic people, the quality of life there is rapidly declining to the level that was 1995. In addition, closure, pariah status, loss of the entire quality of life so far. From Europe, the spoiled scrubs of sanctioned people who somehow want to live in that terrible West, like oligarchs, are also sent home from Europe. It's okay, now they can "enjoy" life in a new reality. Homeland is calling. Welcome back home!
Credit to Ukraine!
