151
IMO, Russia will have to pay a huge price to take Mariupol. Thousands of Russians dead. The paradox of urban warfare is the more you bomb it, the more rubble you create, the more you help the defenders. Rubblized buildings become like bomb-proof bunkers extremely costly to take.
152
What does Russia have left? I was playing with some numbers last week. The real question is what does Russia really have in storage? Is the equipment even there, is it useable? #RussiaUkraineWar
153
One of the most powerful defense tactics is the establishment of engagement areas (kill zones...places the enemy will die). 7 simple steps (adjusted for simplicity):
154
There should be no road to Kyiv or through any city that is not blocked in some way. No road should allow free rapid driving a single vehicle. If a road needs to be used by civilians, create a serpentine "s" obstacle. These can serve as checkpoints to search for infiltrators
155
“Why Is America spending $66 Billion on Ukraine?”
156
Strategic Failure 3 - Of Putin's many goals, to include erasing Ukraine, is the revival of Soviet glory, Russian strength, and weakening of European powers. Now, NATO will add roughly 800 miles of borders to Russia and has a renewed purpose, cohesion, clarity.
157
I was in a massive (10k+) Twitter space today where tired conspiracies I thought were dead were being peddled by people with huge followings:
- 2014 Maidan revolution was a CIA coup. Maidan personnel shot their own (False)
- Ukraine’s military is full of Nazi battalions (False)
159
"If Ukraine truly has the ability to send drones over 600 kilometers..." Spencer..."it will mean Russia will have to use a lot of resources...manpower, air defense capabilities, to defend a lot of sites they falsely believed were untouchable." @Newsweek newsweek.com/russia-map-ukr…
160
Strategic Failure 2 - By not being able to militarily accomplish their goal in Ukraine with the second "most powerful" military in the world, Russia has shown the rest of the world that their military is not as powerful, proficient, capable, ready as many believed.
161
Bakhmut holds! Russian attempts to isolate the city appears to have failed and the Ukrainian defensive status remains strong even as Russia continues to invest beyond reason. twitter.com/Tendar/status/…
162
Bollocks. Russia is NOT headed to Moldova. It can't simply bypass Odesa. Kherson will be liberated! Russian military will culminate soon (weeks, not months).
163
Large explosions in Kyiv. Air defense working. Air sirens across the country. Russia continues it’s war crimes & terrorism against Ukrainian civilians, cities, & infrastructure. The world is not doing enough to help Ukraine or to stop Russia #ArmUkraineNow #russiaisateroriststate
164
“Pain is just weakness leaving the body ” hooah! James leading the way! twitter.com/jmvasquez1974/…
165
Yes! .@CNN reporting The U.S. will send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine. Official announcement as soon as this week. Ukrainians will be trained to use them at a US Army base in Germany. cnn.com/2022/12/13/pol…
166
Happy New Years to all. 2023 the year of Ukraine’s complete victory!
167
Strategic Failure 4 - Russian global influence/power. By doubling down in Ukraine, Russia has become weaker in every form of national power (Diplomatic, Information, Economic, and Military). 50 nations have rallied against them in support of Ukraine. Sanctions are crippling them.
168
Strategic Failure 6 - A complete disregard of any Laws of Wars/Geneva Convention and the ordering, condoning, allowing of mass military unit level execution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide will be tried/prosecuted in international forums for years.
169
Strategic Failure 5 - Militarily, Russia will require decades to recover from loses just up to today. 80,000 Russians have been killed, wounded, captured, gone missing or have deserted in Ukraine. Billions worth of military equip, sophisticated technology, missiles, gone.
170
Very important. Establishing the connection between soldiers and their families. Respect to Ukraine. Humane treatment of POWs is another path to their victory. twitter.com/ZMiST_Ua/statu…
171
I stand by the best response to the explosion in Poland caused by Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine (executed by daily Russian war crimes) is an immediate massive increase in lethal military aid so Ukraine can end Putin’s war of choice faster, especially ATACMS #ArmUkraineNow
172
Extremely proud @ZelenskyyUa is traveling to the United States on an American military plane. We got you! twitter.com/POTUS/status/1…
173
Received more news that my "Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender" continues to be printed & used in Ukraine. Humbled to have played a small role in helping the brave people fighting for Ukraine, Europe, the free world. There is much more I want to put in it. johnspenceronline.com/urban-warfare
174
This just has to make the cover of major magazines like Time. #Azovstal will be a global story for generations. A story of brave men and women resisting evil. Historic. Legend. twitter.com/Kozatsky_D/sta…
175
Russia does not have what it takes to seize Odessa. It does not have the numbers of soldiers, types of forces, or capabilities to take a defended city of that size that is using a layered defense and thousands of military, territorial defense, & civilian defenders. #urbanwarfare
Chair of Urban Warfare Studies | Madison Policy Forum | Author of Connected Soldiers / Understanding Urban Warfare