How to Kill a Man....And Make Your Enemy Pull the Trigger
- Fred
- 19h
- 3 min read
A poor Russian Soldier summed up Putin's War in Ukraine this way (Wall Street Journal):
"Losses are so heavy that (Vyacheslav) Kudryashev, a former heroin addict who was jailed on drug charges after his previous front-line stint and injury and rejoined the army in return for freedom after six months’ service, said he and many in the Russian army think the war is a deliberate campaign to purge society of those on its lowest rungs, culling the downtrodden, the homeless, and the prison population."
Yes.
I mean, end of article? Kudryashev is right.
Not only is he right, but summed it up in one sentence.
I think that Vladimir Putin is rarely surprised, the FSB is, arguably, one of the most ruthless and thorough intelligence agencies in the Eastern Hemisphere. Putin was prepared for multiple scenarios when he started his special military operation.
When Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, instead of a quick capitulation, the Ukrainians fought back valiantly and the first wave of the Russian Army took heavy losses, but almost immediately Putin changed course, like he was aware that total victory was not a guarantee.
All he really wanted was a Russian Crimea, a land bridge, and Donetsk/Luhansk. When the war ground to a stalemate, Putin moved to Phase II, emptying the prisons and conscripting men from across the Russian countryside. Even if Ukraine didn't roll over, a swift Russian victory would have been almost impractical, a very unpopular occupation could have drained resources more than a stagnated front.
How can I say that? Ukraine is about the size of Texas. Imagine a foreign power trying to occupy gun-crazy Texas. (Population of Texas: 50 Million Guns.)
Today, Russia occupies the parts of Ukraine where the population mostly identifies as Russian. Ukraine has held territory where citizens mostly identify as Ukrainian.
The Russian Army itself wasn't defeated, not by a longshot, but stood at readiness on the sidelines in case NATO attacked. (Which was never going to happen.)
So Putin kept shoveling young "soldiers" into the meatgrinder. Not his "A Team," but prisoners and drug addicts. (Like Kudryashev.)
I read some CIA accounts, when the war was 6 months old, that Putin's operation could grind on for a decade. That was 4 years ago.
Russian war bloggers on Telegram continue to howl that it's like Putin isn't even TRYING to win anymore. Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group was the only entity making inroads in Ukraine when Prigozhin demanded that the full force of the Russian Army be unleashed on their enemies. Since Putin unalived Prigozhin in 2023, the war map has remained nearly unchanged. The Wagner Group was nothing more than a glorified bunch of mercenaries and thugs that were more efficient than the real war objective.
Before Covid, Putin seemed satisfied with being the richest Russian alive and staging world class athletic events like the Olympics or World Cup.
After Covid, Putin became darker, more bent on crushing dissent. Everything inside Russia has been about defeating domestic enemies (like Navalny) and streamlining power under Putin.
If there was no Ukraine War, and Putin simply executed criminals and drug addicts in the streets, the Russian people simply wouldn't accept it, let alone those in the international community, like Amnesty International.
You send a man out to the front lines, with a week or two of training, a gun, and a helmet, Putin declares them heroes, whether they return alive or not.
Every Ukrainian that dies is a win for Putin.
Every "undesirable" Russian that dies is a win for Putin.
Every Male Russian that hates the president, but flees the country, is a win for Putin.
When a young Russian Soldier is returned to his hometown in a box, Putin tells the Mothers of those soldiers "don't hate me, hate those Ukrainian Scum."
Putin propagandizes death from every angle in his favor.
If it wasn't real life, it would almost be comical, but Putin uses the threat of sending his enemies to the Donetsk Direction as a way to keep Russian Men in line....
Much like Hitler threatened to send his soldiers to the Russian Front.
In Russia, the homeless are sent to war.
In America, the homeless get internet newsletters.
Uh-oh, I hear a Rush Limbaugh Homeless Update--