Moscow says it will keep pushing its offensive in Ukraine, though NATO doubts Russia has the resources to make a significant breakthrough.

NATO’s top military officer has said Russia’s armed forces are incapable of any major advance.

“The Russians don’t have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough,” NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe Christopher Cavoli told reporters on Thursday.

“More to the point, they don’t have the skill and the capability to do it; to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage,” the general said.

  • @slaacaa
    link
    English
    1027 months ago

    I really hope this is true. The delay in US funding gave a huge advantage to Russia

      • @saltesc
        link
        English
        -407 months ago

        I find that Americans that usually say this kind of thing are staunch Sanders supporters. The same Sanders that continuously blocked the bill with quite a few other non-Republicans in that cohort.

        We watch such bills abroad too because they’re international. There’s no sides and parties to it, just an example of how dumb American politics is as a whole. Don’t worry, I’m sure the Republicans are dumbest if that makes you feel better. But it is important to scratch a bit deeper below social media’s handpicked articles and comments, lest you end up becoming the same as those you oppose without realising it.

        • @baru
          link
          English
          337 months ago

          Republicans blocked it. There’s no “both sides” to this.

          • @saltesc
            link
            English
            -107 months ago

            There’s slightly more to it than that in politics and voting, but sure. Let’s go with it being a single party’s decision over everything else if that suits the rhetoric everyone wants to hear. Life’s easy focusing on just one of many things anyway.

            • @Dkarma
              link
              English
              37 months ago

              Someone doesn’t understand symbolic votes. Lol

              Bernie has always been on the right side, morally of pretty much every issue. Your implication otherwise here is simply laughable.

              • @saltesc
                link
                English
                07 months ago

                It wasn’t symbolic. He was (arg. rightfully) opposed to other parts in the propositions. This is laughable? What is the implication? You can read it directly on his site as well as those of other democrats and independents who ultimately contributed towards the bills not passing. These are the sources, so I doubt they’re implying anything.

                If I’m personally implying anything, it is that many Americans seem to not do the above. When they make a statement, it’s based on a single component of a much larger picture, as though that single component is the entire picture. However, looking up information rather than being fed information socially would resolve this. Unfortunately, pekple tend to fall for argumentum ad populum quite easily. Additionally, pride rejects the claim that oneself has fallen to fallacy.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    317 months ago

    They could still hold onto the land and Ukrainian population they’ve taken so far. Anything less than Ukraine regaining Crimea and the rest of its territory will not only be a loss for them, but would tell the Russian government that the West would rather appease them than let allow a conflict to escalate further. Appeasement didn’t work on Hitler, and it won’t work on Putin either.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      127 months ago

      Considering after two years of a Military Operation that was supposed to last weeks, they are now putting someone in to put them into a “wartime economy footing” I expect them to eventually either lose or have all of Ukraine. There really doesn’t seem to be middle ground for Putin.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        27 months ago

        Even if they would get all of Ukraine, I would expect quite a bit of underground resistance that would make holding on to Ukraine expensive.

  • @mlg
    link
    English
    137 months ago

    Okay not that I’m insinuating that this is the same circumstance, but the last time a certain nation said this, it eventually backfired.

    Putin’s plan to capture Ukraine failed miserably, but Russia still has a significant fighting force and time to keep drawing this war out as long as they want.

    Ukraine’s former general emphasized their own losses and said it was critical that Ukraine train more troops and acquire supplies quickly.

    They can’t afford to stock on latest greatest weapons which is why they’ve been overly reliant on donations of old and surplus tech, especially vehicles.

    NATO, ie mostly the USA, has failed to supply Ukraine with any significant stock of modern muntions that would give them an edge against Russia. It’s been two years and they still don’t have base block F-16s which would absolutely have helped during the early stages of the war.

    Russia can keep the war machine going, slowly rearm, and try again, which could prove detrimental for Ukraine. They need to be decisively defeated in order for Ukraine to succeed.

    For Ukraine’s sake, I really hope someone diposes Putin in a coup, considering how much of a wreck he made.

    • @CopernicusQwark
      link
      English
      127 months ago

      Both can be true: Russia can lack numbers to make a strategic breakthrough, and Ukraine can simultaneously not be able to field enough materiel to be able to recapture their losses.

      IMO the most likely outcome is a stalemate that turns into de jure conquest of the territory Russia has captured and it turns into a cold (or at least cooler) war.

        • @Dkarma
          link
          English
          27 months ago

          Cuz Putin dies. That’s the only way this ends i guess

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      17 months ago

      For Ukraine’s sake, I really hope someone diposes Putin in a coup

      Yeah you don’t want that, the second biggest party is the communists, but from what I hear they’re not really communists, just boomers nostalgic for the USSR.

      The nationalists waiting in the wings to seize power are even more psychotic than Putin.

      The liberals are a distant 4th want to bring back the 90s, which created the conditions that got us here.

      The communists would maintain the war for the same reasons the Putin does

      The nationalists would make it 10x worse

      The libs might end the war, but would definitely immiserate all of Russia again so the nationalists have an easier time recruiting.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    137 months ago

    Then why the fuck did they send so many troops to Libya?!

    I guess I shouldn’t complain too hard, you never want to correct an enemy when they’re making a mistake.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      127 months ago

      Because they have strategic interests across the globe. From the Russian perspective, taking control of Ukraine would be great, but preventing them from intefrating into the EU and NATO is the real focus. Ukraine can’t take back the occupied lands, and Russia will be able to l outlast Ukraine in an attritional war.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    127 months ago

    Great, let the Russians break their backs over this.

    I’d like to see their military capabilities in traction for a while.

  • @AllYourSmurf
    link
    English
    -97 months ago

    If the Russians can’t succeed with numbers, will they escalate?

    • Tacos_y_margaritas
      link
      fedilink
      -27 months ago

      I worry that they will escalate with nuclear weapons. Putin seems hell bent on starting WW III.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        97 months ago

        Nuclear weapons will lose all their remaining international support, as well as NATO launching full conventional strikes against every Russian military asset in the Black Sea and occupied Ukraine. Russia knows that use of tactical nuclear weapons will result in the total collapse of the Russian state, which is why theu are aonky going to use them if NATO troops coming knocking on the doors of St. Petersburg

        • @assassin_aragorn
          link
          English
          107 months ago

          It depends on how retaliation goes. If the side that’s attacked uses conventional weaponry, we’re all fine.

          So basically if Russia starts using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, NATO could respond with a conventional invasion of Russia and be done before noon. There’s scenarios where the rest of the world is fine if Russia uses nukes. But there’s no scenario where Russia is fine if they use nukes.

          The only leverage Russia has to prevent all of NATO from joining in militarily is nukes. Using a nuke removes that leverage.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            27 months ago

            Exactly. Russia is not going to nuke anyone because they are not an ideological state like the USSR. They are a kleptocracy. Generals will not allow their grift to be interrupted, and it makes no money if you nuke something.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            17 months ago

            Russia has repeatedly stated than NATO troops on Russian soil will result in nuclear strikes of NATO targets. Russia has seen two different apocalyptic invasions in the past 200 years, and they are committed to inflicting that onto any realized threats.

            There is no scenario short of Russian invasion of a NATO country that will wee NATO forces enter Russia or Belarus. Any Western response will be conventional, but total, strikes if Russian military assets in the Black Sea and occupied Ukraine.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            07 months ago

            Sure but if Russia is willing to open the nuclear Pandora’s box because they can’t make progress in their war in Ukraine, what do you think they will do if they are about to lose a war to NATO in an afternoon? I don’t see use of nukes here ending a different way even in the case where NATO initially responds with conventional arms only. Who knows though, I’m pretty damn far from an expert here but hopefully we never have to find out.

  • Amoxtli
    link
    fedilink
    English
    -68
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    What a minute, didn’t NATO say that Russia is trying to conquer all of Europe, and attack NATO countries, yet it doesn’t have the numbers for a significant breakthrough in Ukraine. Something’s fishy going on with this statement… The psychological operations continue.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      467 months ago

      I dont think its unreasonable to assume that the Russian military command genuinely believed the they were a lot stronger than they actually were when this started. Just based on what news I’ve been following, it seems like its very common for Russian officers to lie to their superiors about how strong their units are for the sake of looking good.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        287 months ago

        Not a Russia simp, I’ve been watching this war with some interest, and I’ve got a friend whose only hobby at this point is following this war.

        If you look at how much Russian military ops have changed across almost every consideration over the course of the war, it’s really a stark difference between where they are today and where they were two years ago. It’s pretty clear Russia totally bunglefucked the opening maneuvers in the war. They’ve had to learn a lot of lessons and learn them hard, and they’re still learning them, but they are learning. I definitely think that Russia really did expect this was going to be a cakewalk, and that they were going to force Kiev into negotiations or else kill Zelenskyy in the first week. I can’t be 100% sure what the Russian military leadership was expecting, but I seriously doubt it was this.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          197 months ago

          They’re learning a lot at the top level but the bottom level are more untrained than they have ever been. most new soldiers are given a week of “training” a rusty old rifle with and handful of ammunition and are sent to the front.

          Their professional army is gone.

          Their tank stocks are severely depleted

          They can’t fly their air force anywhere near the front for fear of it being shot down.

          Their losses in the last couple weeks carving about 10 square km of kharkiv have been dizzying. Ukraine was reporting almost 1600 russians removed from the battlefield the other day and that was just for that day

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          107 months ago

          I feel it’s been common knowledge since after the first month of the war that Russia has miscalculated significantly. They sent in paratroopers, some of the most time consuming and most expensive soldiers to train, into Kyiv where they were summarily killed or captured with no support. Other units ran out of ammo and fuel, with soldiers indicating they weren’t expecting to invade.

          Every day this war lasts is a spit in the face to Putin and his shitty planning.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            127 months ago

            My buddy is on the side of the Russians in all this (we’ve agreed to disagree) and even he admits that the Hostomel airport wasn’t anything else but a disaster. But it did give us one of the funniest moments in the whole war (so far), when a war journalist approached a Russian soldier to ask when he thought the Russians would be arriving.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              3
              edit-2
              7 months ago

              Just curious, what the heck does your good friend say to justify the Russian invasion? (Edit: apparent stroke when I first wrote this)

              • @[email protected]
                link
                fedilink
                English
                27 months ago

                So, he feels that the Nazi gangs in East Ukraine were engaging in ethnic cleansing against Russian speakers / Russian nationals that was more or less state sanctioned by the state showing they weren’t interested in doing anything about it. He fully believes Russia’s stated purpose in all this is to seize control of East Ukraine in order to stop the Nazis.

                Imo, there’s clear enough evidence that there’s a Nazi problem in Ukraine. What isn’t clear to me is why that’s a reason for Russia to expand its territory (spoiler alert: it’s an excuse, obviously. Russia also has a Nazi problem, like a lot of other countries. The northern hemisphere is working through some shit ATM.)

      • @MrNesser
        link
        English
        157 months ago

        Russian officer: See that tank we have 15 more in storage.

        Russian general: can I see them?

        RO: ah well you see there are logistical concerns and we have to make an appointment with the guy…

      • Amoxtli
        link
        fedilink
        English
        -38
        edit-2
        7 months ago

        I dont think its unreasonable to assume that the Russian military command genuinely believed the they were a lot stronger than they actually were when this started. Just based on what news I’ve been following, it seems like its very common for Russian officers to lie to their superiors about how strong their units are for the sake of looking good.

        Russia isn’t part of NATO. Why is NATO contradicting itself with a narrative that Putin is out to conquer Europe, bring back the USSR, and claim here, it is too weak to do so on this front?

        • @mean_bean279
          link
          English
          197 months ago

          Last time I checked, Ukraine was in fact part of Europe. It’s a bit strange, I know. So with that, maybe attacking Ukraine (again, part of Europe) is attacking Europe. Oh, and that answer should answer your whole “and is trying to bring back the USSR” piece of your question. If you’re gonna simp for Putin at least just own up to an unproved attack and a land grab, no need to dance around like it makes you morally superior.

          • Amoxtli
            link
            fedilink
            English
            -32
            edit-2
            7 months ago

            Paying attention to the quote I have of your statement

            I dont think its unreasonable to assume that the Russian military command genuinely believed the they were a lot stronger than they actually were when this started. Just based on what news I’ve been following, it seems like its very common for Russian officers to lie to their superiors about how strong their units are for the sake of looking good.

            • @mean_bean279
              link
              English
              187 months ago

              Bad news, I’m not the person you’re quoting. I’m assuming your native tongue is Russian. Because you’re either very pro-Russia, or your tongue is at least in Putin’s asshole.

              • @[email protected]
                link
                fedilink
                English
                77 months ago

                Probably better not to waste your time “debating” them, their goal is only to spread misinformation, and they won’t argue in good faith.

                Better to just tag them as “shill,” downvote, and move on.

                • @NOT_RICK
                  link
                  English
                  87 months ago

                  I like to provide links that prove when people are spouting bullshit so anyone who is less informed that stumbles upon the argument can see how blatantly wrong they are. I notice this guy got awful quiet once I proved Russian state media says insane threatening shit on the regular.

        • @NOT_RICK
          link
          English
          137 months ago

          It’s possible to have aspirations beyond what your current capabilities are. Look at Benito Mussolini’s entire military history. Russian state media regularly makes claims that they will reconquer the Baltics and Poland. They even said they would nuke the North Sea to destroy Britain with a tidal wave. Are we supposed to just ignore what they say?

          • Amoxtli
            link
            fedilink
            English
            -317 months ago

            It’s possible to have aspirations beyond what your current capabilities are. Look at Benito Mussolini’s entire military history. Russian state media regularly makes claims that they will reconquer the Baltics and Poland. They even said they would nuke the North Sea to destroy Britain with a tidal wave. Are we supposed to just ignore what they say?

            I am going to make a bet you can’t back up your statements. NATO is too stupid to figure out the military strength of Russia and takes their word for it, instead?

        • @assassin_aragorn
          link
          English
          117 months ago

          Because Russia has been gradually conquering territory, not all at once. They create puppet states and take over land, then regroup and rebuild before attacking again. There’s a clear pattern of this with Georgia, Crimea, and now the whole of Ukraine. Each time prior, the international community wagged its finger and slapped sanctions. It’s generally accepted now that enough is enough, and it ends here.

          It certainly doesn’t help either that Russia has been funding far right parties throughout the West who try to lift sanctions against Russia.

        • @gsfraley
          link
          English
          7
          edit-2
          7 months ago

          Because Putin trying and failing still results in genocide and millions dead, ya goof. A pyrrhic victory for the people trying to defend their home and defend their neighbors and loved ones is a helluva lot worse than if Russia never fucked with them in the first place.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          57 months ago

          Ah yes, the narrative NATO has been skilfully spreading via… checks notes … Russian state TV…

        • mephiska
          link
          fedilink
          57 months ago

          What their actions and intentions have been, and what they are actually capable of, are two different things. There is nothing contradictory here.

        • @Num10ck
          link
          English
          17 months ago

          geography. The current borders of Russia dont have enough natural barriers to secure from land invasion with their troop level. if they could expand to reach more natural barriers then they can defend the remaining barriers. this strategy hasnt changed in ages. its becoming more obvious that russia cant achieve this with what they currently have on their own. if say north korea and/or china and others pitch in, the math changes.

      • Amoxtli
        link
        fedilink
        English
        -297 months ago

        If you don’t have the capacity, then you can’t. How do you know they are “trying”? NATO said Russia is a threat to NATO and the US says Russia is a threat to national security. This statement seems to indicate that NATO is crossing their own lies. It is a contradiction, one of many coming out of NATO.

        • @Carrolade
          link
          English
          147 months ago

          It’s really not that complicated. Russia today lacks the forces. Russia in two years, after the economy is pushed further into wartime measures and further mobilization of troops, may not.

          I don’t recall NATO officials ever saying Russia was going to attack the Baltics tomorrow.

          • @assassin_aragorn
            link
            English
            77 months ago

            This is exactly what’s happened over the last few decades too. They take Georgia, then they wait and resupply. They take Crimea and launch a war in Eastern Ukraine, then wait and resupply. They thought they could take the entirety of Ukraine and repeat the pattern, but they’ve overplayed their hand.

        • Hegar
          link
          fedilink
          17 months ago

          Russia has said multiple times that they are a threat to NATO. Pretending otherwise is as childish as pretending this isn’t a proxy war between NATO and Russia.

          If you’re going to defend Russia, at least try not to contradict Russia.

    • Buelldozer
      link
      fedilink
      English
      5
      edit-2
      7 months ago

      Something’s fishy going on with this statement

      It’s not difficult to understand. The SACEUR doesn’t speak for NATO as an organization and in fact the idea that Christopher Cavoli is “NATO’s top military officer” would come as quite a surprise to his boss Admiral Rob Bauer the Chair of the NATO Military Committee.

      Admiral Bauer, unlike Cavoli, actually does speak for NATO.

      What does Admiral Bauer have to say? His statements are the official ones, not the just opinion of an Officer.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      47 months ago

      If they win in Ukraine it will bolster their military strength, war chest, and public support in Russia.

      Then they’ll attack their next victims when they’ve had time to prepare.

    • Hegar
      link
      fedilink
      47 months ago

      Yikes, just looked at your profile. A supporter of both capitalism and authoritarianism?

      I’ve never seen anyone so eager to tell the world that they are Neutral Evil.

    • MxM111
      link
      fedilink
      37 months ago

      I do not see contradiction in those statements. Plus, if they can do 50 miles per year, sooner or later they will conquer Ukraine, then Baltic states, then Moldova and Poland and so on…

      • mephiska
        link
        fedilink
        27 months ago

        Poland is a NATO member, so no, they’re not touching Poland. If they do it’s WWIII.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            17 months ago

            As long as there is no Manchurian president in the US, we have Article 5. If surplus hardware from the 80s and 100 Bradleys have done what they have done imagine what 1000 Bradleys hundreds of we’ll supplied and maintained Abrahams, Leos and Challengers can do when supported by the good ATACMS, Tomahawks and of course hundreds of F16s, F22s and F35s. There is no need for nuclear weapons, NATO can curb stomp Russia in traditional warfare. You need one breakthrough and then Prigozhin showed what defenses you can expect once you get past the front. Or Ukraine with their kamikaze Cessnas.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          17 months ago

          And for all their bravado “Poland is next” (see Medvedev for instance) they shit their pants and were soooo ready to cooperate when a missile fell on Polish soil and killed a farmer. Turned out to be a failed Ukrainian S300, but once Article 5 was even a remote possibility we all saw their real thoughts.

        • @assassin_aragorn
          link
          English
          17 months ago

          I don’t know, I think Poland is in a “I wish a bitch would” mood. They could have it handled before the rest of the world even has a chance to respond lmao

          (More seriously though, yeah you’re right. I’m mostly joking around)

          • @SkyezOpen
            link
            English
            17 months ago

            Didn’t they just buy a shitload of HIMARS too?