(RightWing.org) – Russia expected a quick win in Ukraine, but it hasn’t gotten one. Now they’re throwing in everything they can in a massive push for victory. Will they succeed or suffer an embarrassing failure?
On March 16, a senior Department of Defense official said the US now believes Russia has committed 75% of its offensive units to the invasion of Ukraine. That gives them a powerful force – but one they can’t keep in action for long.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has committed "around 75%" of his military forces to the unprovoked attack on Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense official said Wednesday.https://t.co/B112DgX8i6
— Newsmax (@newsmax) March 17, 2022
On Tuesday, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, pointed out the US Army committed around 29% of its forces at the peak of the global war on terror and was hard-pushed to maintain that level of effort. Russia’s military, designed for use at and near its own borders, doesn’t have the same logistics capability as the US Army. How long can they keep such a high percentage of their troops in combat? In fact, it looks like they’re already struggling. In the last week, Russia has started to recruit Syrian mercenaries and asked China to replenish its weapons.
It’s too early to write off Russia’s army, though. While they’re struggling to keep their invasion force supplied, most of that force still exists. There’s a lot of combat power in Ukraine if the Russian generals can work out how to use it.
The DoD official also cautioned the estimate of 75% refers to Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs). These are powerful units of about 1,000 men and combine tanks, infantry, artillery and air defense, forming the Russian army’s striking power. Much of the army isn’t organized into BTGs, though; Putin’s struggle in Ukraine doesn’t mean Russia’s other borders are unguarded.
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