"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (114 Viewers)

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These are good points and there is no doubt that all armies have significant new lessons to be learned and applied. However it is also important not to exaggerate the risk. At the end of the day Russia has no Money, no equipment, no people willing to fight in another war, an infrastructure that was already on the point of collapse before the war started and a serious lack of technology. The Ukraine representative to the UN pointed out that 24% of Russians don't have internal toilets and a similar percentage only have the most basic heating and conditions can be brutal. Whilst many knowledgeable people are talking about Russia being in danger of becoming a vassal state of China.

Finally the proposed method of development which is common in Ukraine is wide open to corruption and I fail to see how with the current Russian leadership it can succeed. Ukraine had a serious corruption problem but are making strides to improve on that which is why they have made serious progress in a number of ways in particular technology. (For an example see my previous posting re Electronic Warfare.)

Corruption is an evil system and as we have seen in history with a corrupt leader and officials who put themselves first, the finest countries and empires can slide backwards, From Roman and Greek times, through Chinese, Russian, Austro-Hungarian, British empires to the present day. I am sure people can add to this list.

Which is a long way of saying, be wary but ensure you have a balanced view.
 
Witness how Russia's full-scale invasion has transformed this radioactive wilderness into a modern battlefield.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W79q99Yj8sQ

I watched a YouTube video by the "The History of Everything" channel on the Chernobyl disaster being the end of the Soviet Union. Actually, more like the final nail in the coffin. I like his channel. Check it out.
 
Part of a long rambling article on what is happening in Italy at present this part directly refers to Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni's changing stance on Ukraine.

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These are good points and there is no doubt that all armies have significant new lessons to be learned and applied. However it is also important not to exaggerate the risk. At the end of the day Russia has no Money, no equipment, no people willing to fight in another war, an infrastructure that was already on the point of collapse before the war started and a serious lack of technology. The Ukraine representative to the UN pointed out that 24% of Russians don't have internal toilets and a similar percentage only have the most basic heating and conditions can be brutal. Whilst many knowledgeable people are talking about Russia being in danger of becoming a vassal state of China.

Finally the proposed method of development which is common in Ukraine is wide open to corruption and I fail to see how with the current Russian leadership it can succeed. Ukraine had a serious corruption problem but are making strides to improve on that which is why they have made serious progress in a number of ways in particular technology. (For an example see my previous posting re Electronic Warfare.)

Corruption is an evil system and as we have seen in history with a corrupt leader and officials who put themselves first, the finest countries and empires can slide backwards, From Roman and Greek times, through Chinese, Russian, Austro-Hungarian, British empires to the present day. I am sure people can add to this list.

Which is a long way of saying, be wary but ensure you have a balanced view.
Overestimating and underestimating the enemy are common flaws, indeed. Both can damage or kill you, just at a different time. It's so difficult to find the right spot between those two extremes. The task that can probably never be solved at 100%.
In this war (if counted from 2014), Ukraine overestimated the enemy in Feb-Mar 2014 and allowed the swift occupation of Crimea. Later on, there was an underestimate of the strength and decisiveness of the separatist and Russian forces who crossed the border. That led to the defeats at Ilovaisk and Debaltseve, to name just a few. In 2015-2022, the Ukrainian public and governments struggled to find the right balance between "over-" and "under-".
I'm not sure we managed to find it yet.
Saying that, my "gut feeling" is that most countries of "the West" are still underestimating the danger. Exceptions are Poland, the Baltics, Finland, and probably all Nordic. Probably, Japan. Or maybe misinterpreting the threat vectors, which is another lethal flaw.
 
 

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