The entire point of strategy in warfare is to make a fight as unfair as possible. The point of my post was not to denigrate the Ukrainians for using smart tactics but to expand on the question of how a old late model F-16 was able to shoot down a much newer more modern fighter. Well, that and to explain why AWACS style aircraft as such a huge force multiplier on the battlefield.
Given the choice between having the best fighters or the best AWACS I will pick the AWACS the majority of the time.
Oh, how did you both quote and selectively highlight only a portion of my post?
An Atlantic article has pointed out an interesting thing: Although Trump being in power is, by and large, a good thing for Putin, it has posed a weird inconvenience for Putin, which is that he now can’t afford to rail against the United States and instead has to awkwardly say good or neutral things about America and Trump, in order to stay in Trump’s good graces, even as American-made weaponry continues to hammer Russian forces.
Many people, myself included, have asserted that trump is simply a paid Putin stooge through and through. And has been for 20 years.
if Putin indeed now needs to stay on the nice side of trump that suggests either we were wrong all along (Narrator: Inconceivable!), or the stooge has the bit in his teeth. Or won’t stay bought. Or one of those other metaphors about being a double-crossing scalawag.
Let me suggest an alternate explanation. Trump is only useful to Putin as a stooge as long as Trump still has power and influence in US politics. If Putin is too obvious in his distain and disrespect for Trump than even those with Trump Derangement Syndrome will have trouble following Trump after watching Trump tough guy image take such a fatal hit.
Given Trump seems hellbent on bending over backwards for Russia and destroying the United States as we know it, I don’t think any of us can be blamed for wondering if he was a paid stooge for Russia. While I won’t discount the idea the Russian’s have something on Trump, I think it’s most likely he’s just a useful idiot.
The Trump organization has received various financial considerations from Russians for quite a while now which might be why he’s shown so much favor to them. Then again Trump family members have made a lot of dough from Chinese interest as well. Putin has to be careful what he says about Trump because he knows the man is capricious and volatile. If Trump is humiliated by Putin who knows what kind of help he might provide Ukraine?
Before providing new instructions he has to first thank Trump for freezing a number of items of military aid to Ukraine and unfreezing certain restrictions on Russian banks this week.
In the immortal words of Mork from Ork, ‘Humour! Ah! Ah!’
. I always do that. D’oh!