Ukraine: 'Be prepared for bad news'

NATO is preparing everyone for lowered expectations.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned there could be bad news coming out about Ukraine, as fears grow of a stalemate with Russia and allies such as the U.S. debate whether to send more aid to the country.

“Wars develop in phases. We have to support Ukraine in both good and bad times. We should also be prepared for bad news,” Stoltenberg said in an interview with German broadcaster ARD on Saturday, according to Politico Europe.

About the only significant success during 6 months of Ukraine's counter-offensive has been the establishment of a beachhead on the other side of the Dnipro river. However, there are significant problems with that beachhead.

A Ukrainian soldier told the BBC that soldiers sent to help defend recent Ukrainian advances on the Dnipro river were so inexperienced they couldn't even swim.

Ironically, a lot of Ukrainian men can swim.

Nearly 20,000 men have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the war to avoid being drafted, the BBC has discovered.
Some have swum dangerous rivers to leave the country. Others have simply walked out under cover of darkness.
Another 21,113 men attempted to flee but were caught by the Ukrainian authorities, Kyiv confirmed.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is beginning to lose support in eastern Europe. Starting with Hungary and including Bulgaria.

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Cassiodorus's picture

A Google search turns up this:

Europe faces nervous wait after Dutch election surprise, Ukraine aid in balance

Sure, totally pro-war, but note the undertones.

Also:
EU and US Ukraine Funding Even More in Doubt as War Effort Falters

Looks like a downward spiral at this point.

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13 users have voted.

The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.

happen in the future?

This is from a pro Ukrainian source with a big following!

https://kyivindependent.com/media-zelensky-bypasses-zaluzhnyi-in-communi...

President Volodymyr Zelensky is allegedly "bypassing" Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi in communication with some military commanders, complicating the latter's ability to fully command Ukraine's Armed Forces, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Dec. 4, citing anonymous sources.

The news comes amid speculation in Western and Ukrainian media about alleged disagreements between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi, which have received a lot of public attention following Zaluzhnyi's sobering op-ed on the state of the war for The Economist.

Instead of directly communicating with Zaluzhnyi, the president maintains parallel communication lines with chiefs of some military branches, such as Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi or Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, sources told the news outlet.

Zaluzhnyi allegedly receives some information from his subordinates only at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters meetings.

"There is an impression that Zelensky has divided the Armed Forces into two groups: the 'good' one commanded by Syrskyi and other favorites, and the 'bad' one subordinate to Zaluzhnyi," a person from Zaluzhnyi's inner circle told Ukrainska Pravda.

"This greatly demotivates the commander-in-chief and, most importantly, prevents him from commanding the entire military."

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earthling1's picture

@humphrey
that rule over Ukraine are the same cretins that rule over us.
If a civil war breaks out there, will they panic and tighten there grip here to prevent a civil war from spreading to US shores?

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5 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

snoopydawg's picture

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started the big offensive in June and now the blame game begins on who lost the war. NATO countries have been dumping their old equipment into Ukraine and some of it is from the 80's or even older.

Kiev initially demanded over 1,000 armored vehicles, which US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin deemed “near-impossible.” Eventually, they received 1,500. However, some vehicles were criticized as “unfit for combat,” with issues like missing tracks and inadequate maintenance blamed on Ukrainian troops.

The US secured a supply of 155mm artillery shells from South Korea, since it could not produce enough by itself. Requests for F-16 fighter jets were denied due to cost concerns and their vulnerability to Russian air defenses.

The US also trained and equipped nine Ukrainian brigades in NATO methods of warfare. Simulations based on Ukrainian and Western intelligence projected Ukrainian brigades reaching the Sea of Azov in 60-90 days with up to 30-40% casualties.

“The plan that they executed was entirely feasible with the force that they had, on the timeline that we planned out,” a senior US military official told the Post. “They got everything they were promised, on time,” a senior US official said.

The attack scheduled for mid-April finally “lurched into motion” in early June. Ukrainian troops immediately got bogged down in minefields and mauled by Russian artillery.

“Incinerated Western military hardware – American Bradleys, German Leopard tanks, mine-sweeping vehicles – littered the battlefield. The numbers of dead and wounded sapped morale,” the Post noted. After just four days, General Valery Zaluzhny “tossed aside” American doctrine and planning, switching to smaller-scale infantry assaults.

Good gawd being okay with up to 40% loss rate? Yeah cannon fodder aren’t worth anything but throwing their lives away. People entering the military should look at how their country treats their veterans after they have been used up and they are no longer useful. Start with America.

Russia learned from its earlier mistakes and has now become the experienced best army in the world and that was what Ukraine was sent against.

The NATO-armed 47th Brigade, so new that 70% of its members had no combat experience, was to lead the way.

Just think about how all the blood shed could have been avoided after 1 month into the war when a peace agreement was almost completed, but Biden sent Johnson to tell Zelensky to keep fighting.

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QMS's picture

perhaps it would be more descriptive to state:
"it is only going to get worse"
but then the EU countries and US population
would balk at sending more money for a losing
cause? Face saving is difficult when the
propaganda no longer holds sway.

Thanks NATO for the CYA admission.

Oh, and BTW, how is that expansion plan
working out for you?
Lack of funds = withdrawal.

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6 users have voted.

question everything

Bob In Portland's picture

Russia could probably have "defeated" Ukraine within weeks at the start of the war if it had unleashed its weaponry, but the purpose of the war has been to disarm the military and eliminate the nazis. The most complete way of denazifying and demilitarizing Ukraine is to let them continue to attack Russian lines, constantly being mowed down.

We seem to be getting towards the end of this. Russia expects to absorb large portions of Ukraine in the east and the south. I don't see them avoiding Odessa. That too will be part of Russia.

How will it play in Congress? Biden, not wanting to be tied to this loss would rather say that "Gee, if the Repubs hadn't cut off the money for Zelensky..."

So now we have a Democratic President who is not only arming a country attempting to commit genocide but also supporting an openly (in Ukraine) Nazi regime.

And still he is getting support from people who don't want the bag of shit under the R.

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4 users have voted.
Pluto's Republic's picture

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....what the outcome of Russia's SMO — the "unprovoked" attack on Ukraine — would be. We continuously told our Readers exactly what to expect as far back as February 2022. There have been very few surprises along the way.

For Readers who do not know this: the territories along the borderlands, which have been occupied by an ethnic Russian population since before World War I & II — Officially became part of the Russian Federation, more than six months ago. As a result of the most recent referendum taken throughout the region,the people in those territories are now naturalized Russian citizens, living in what is now Russia. Any non-combatant individuals among them, who wish to return to Ukraine, or travel to a nation where they hold citizenship, are free to leave. Those who wish to migrate to other countries are are being assisted by Russian officials.

The rest of the population have been re-assimilated into the Russian nation. They still possess their homes and lands and other property. They are no longer part of a defensive local militia, under attack by Ukrainian military troops sent from Kiev. The regular Russian Army has replaced them. This population of new and former Russian citizens now have jobs or businesses, many are enrolled in schools and colleges. The Russian social service works with the retired and those with special needs. All have been issued Russian passports (or travel documents) that will take them wherever they wish to travel.

People in the United States, or in Europe, or in NATO, who are not aware that the world has moved on from their obsession with Ukraine have only their own governments to blame for their deplorable ignorance. The subversive narrative they believed has ended, just as we expected. The American people have paid for 90 percent of the murder and mayhem in Ukraine with nothing to show for it. The uninformed would be well advised to take a critical look at their neocon-controlled media, which has deliberately kept them clueless and delusional. And financially insecure.

Otherwise, these delusions will certainly persist through their country's insane economic and military attacks on China, at which time they will suddenly wake up both clueless and destitute.

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