What land that was controlled by the rebels before the Russian invasion is controlled by the Ukranian army now?
It is effectiveness, not sophistication, in military doctrine that wins wars. That's a way to attack the enemy's troops without putting your own in the line of fire.
It's flashy and sophisticated. It's also expensive, requires months of training (Ukranian soldiers are typically thrown on it after a few weeks, and it breaks down easily if not properly maintained. See how well that worked in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or Vietnam for that matter.
I don’t think that you are facing reality, here. Russian military doctrine is apparently to bomb civilians and infrastructure until the population capitulates. Then send in ground forces.
Russia has shown no ability to use a combined arms strategy with any fines. The Wagner Group appears to function independently of the Russian chain of command.
Russia users a meat grinder strategy: throw poorly trained and equipped young men to their deaths against a highly motivated, better equipped often NATO doctrine trained force.
Most of the elite trained and equipped soldiers of the Russian invasion force are dead. They died in the first attempt to deep strike Ukraine. They are gone. About 20 Russian generals are dead. That’s astounding. Why? Because typically you leave tactical decisions to the field officers and NCOs.
But that is not how Russian doctrine goes: they don’t trust the lower ranks. Russian military service is brutal and breeds brutal soldiers or it breaks them. This is part of the reason moral is so low for the average Russian conscript.
And that conscript is typically not from metropolitan areas in Russia but from the poorly resourced areas with ethnicities Russia has long neglected.
So those poor guys get bussed to a field, get five barely functional equipment, shelter, out of date food and are told to wait- sometimes for weeks.
Then they get bussed to the front to be hurled at the enemy: by which time they are already, exhausted, demoralised and alcohol dependent and they get killed by a drone they never see or a NATO trained enemy that has night vision, body armour and working comms devices following combined arms integrated orders.
Russia can’t even combine artillery with ground assault: that’s why the Ukrainians getting hold of Patriot MDS will be the death knell for Russia as it’s military doctrine relies on it being able to pummel cities (even to the extent of ignoring military targets).
Do you see now?
