I think Putin sending all of his generals a case of Vodka would be like spitting in the ocean.
First there would have to be a Russian Lincoln to identify and select him. And Putin ain’t that.
I don’t think Grant, or even Alexander the Great, could succeed with the miserable logistics and useless troops the Russians have put into play here.
It’s like they intend to prosecute a guaranteed failed campaign with maximum effort.
Question - would these ships be from various countries? Sinking them would be an International crime?
What if those ships are from a NATO country? Does Article 5 kick in?
Tradition. I have read WWII histories of a T-34 driving cross country with a dozen screaming Cossacks – Ukraine didn’t mind being part of the Soviet Union at the time – clinging to the outside, ready to jump off and overwhelm any anti-tank gun crews they came across.
Because the inside was full (possibly of loot)? If you are getting the hell out of Dodge-grad, the riding on the outside of vehicle is likely faster than running.
Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN are behind the latest grain shipments. Turkey is the key. Loss of a ship(s) would prompt Turkey to stop all Russian shipping, not just military. So looted Russian grain, oil, and freight ships would be halted.
The mine hazard still exists; I’m not seeing the Russian surface ships leaving Sevastopol any time soon due to the Ukrainian unmanned sea vessels. Aircraft with anti-ship missiles are a possibility though the shipping route goes through NATO waters for a significant distance. Russian subs are still available. I could see a sub launching a torpedo and the Russians claiming it was a floating Ukrainian mine. Telling lies is second nature at this point in the conflict.
Or, to be more local, a Georgy Zhukov…
But yes, if they replace them with generals who have been in the fighting and know what is needed, there could be an improvement to Russian abilities…
But as the Spartans were reported to have said once…IF…
Press on.
How laconic.
It’s not like a Grant or a Zhukov would help. The generals they already have aren’t the sort to think “oh, logistics and training, well, we don’t need to worry about any of that”.
Replacing generals implies the problem is with the front line commanders. Rather, the largest problem seems to be that major strategic decisions are being made in Moscow without adequate input from or deference to the people expected to prosecute the war and that’s been compounded over several months.
I recall an article that listed several “rules” that various soldiers in WWII figured out for themselves just by living through the war. One that stood out was “A bad ride is better than a good walk”, which means, take any ride you can get, no matter how uncomfortable it might be, like hanging out on the outside of a tank.
Russian helicopter has a bad time:
Very interesting . Thank you
He had every chance to make a safe landing.
I was thinking the same. Sinking those cargo ships would cause a major incident.
I give it a score of 1.0. It would have been higher, but he totally blew the landing.
I’m not sure just where he thought he was going, half the fuselage was on fire. He could have landed anytime, terrain was perfect.
Yep, the drawback in this case is all the experience seems to be in retreating/running away.
It is possible, the pilot was no longer alive, or capable of flying. It could have been on auto pilot with control ability slow degrading due to the fire.
If he was still alive and in control, he may have been thinking get as far away as possible.
Fire takes no prisoners . Being captured alive would have been better survival odds.
But who knows what kind of panic set in as the fire grew (assuming the crew survived the initial hit).