Perhaps the most important lesson for Putin is the realization that he cannot rely on the military’s assessments of its readiness, forcing him to take a more direct role in overseeing strategic operations. Ultimately, the combination of strategic lessons and a battle-hardened force will make Russia more lethal on future battlefields.
beat to hell is not battle hardened
Nobody with a functioning brain thinks Russian army is beat to hell. Certainly not a single western military person is saying this. I guess I can see why you’d think this is the case if you’ve just been guzzling propaganda for the past two years uncritically though.
I have heard Western military people say this, in person. It doesn’t mean Russia is not still a threat, but their capabilities have been degraded during the two years of the “easy 2-week war.”
If they’re doing so well, why haven’t they been able to defeat a country with a population a tenth that of Russia?
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-air-force-general-russia-military-larger-better-than-before-ukraine-invasion/7788601.html
Meanwhile, funny how you forgot all of NATO pouring everything they have into Ukraine.
Even more, if they’re expected to engage in another sustained campaign, who’s going to be fighting it? They can barely keep their conscription pipeline full now. Who’s going to sign up to sacrifice themselves in Meat Grinder round 2?