Three years in the trenches: From ‘Russia’s losing’ to ‘Ukraine is done for’?

[Sunsettommy]

Here is an interesting take on history, it shows that initially Ukraine had 3 times the soldiers available against an undersized Russian invasion force which seemed more as an effort to scare Ukraine into submission when they quickly and easily surrounded Kiev but that began to break down when their poorly supported columns were undergoing increasing attacks on them.

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RT

Three years in the trenches: From ‘Russia’s losing’ to ‘Ukraine is done for’?

After 36 months of active fighting, navigating retreats, counterattacks, and protracted assaults, Russia has gained the initiative

February 24, 2025

Excerpt:

Exactly three years ago, Russian troops entered Ukraine with the aim of forcing Kiev to halt military attacks on the Donbass republics, to ensure its own security, and dismantling a regime that fostered the growth of neo-Nazism in the country. Due to the West’s support for its proxies in Kiev, the conflict has dragged on, and Russia’s military operation has reshaped perceptions of what a modern armed conflict between two large armies – each with its own strengths and weaknesses – should look like.

Here we revisit the events of the past three years, reflecting on the significant developments along the front lines.

February – March 2022: Shock and awe, or there and back again

Russia’s military operation started in the early hours of February 24, 2022. Troops were deployed to Ukraine from seven main directions: towards Kiev along the right bank of the Dnieper River; towards Chernigov; Sumy; Kharkov; and the north of the Lugansk People’s Republic; and from Crimea via two routes: one via Perekop towards Kherson and the Kakhovka Dam, and another through Chongar towards Melitopol. Landing forces were also deployed – amphibious forces landed on Snake Island in the Black Sea and airborne forces landed at Gostomel Airport near Kiev.

At the same time, massive missile strikes struck pre-identified targets all over Ukraine: air defenses were suppressed, communication nodes were disabled, fortified command posts, weapons depots, fuel storage facilities, and oil refineries were destroyed. One missile even struck the call center of Ukraine’s Center for Information and Psychological Operations near Kiev.

The militias of the then-newly-recognized Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) also actively fought. LPR militia advanced north, capturing territory alongside Russian forces, while DPR forces moved west from the Sea of Azov to Volnovakha, in the direction of the Russian army. By March 2, through their joint efforts, the city of Mariupol had been encircled.

However, the primary mission assigned to the LPR and DPR militia units was to engage and neutralize the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) along the most heavily fortified section of the line of demarcation (what had essentially been the border between the DPR and Ukraine since 2015) which stretched from Toretsk through Donetsk and to Ugledar.

Overall, the task was achieved: the Ukrainian command struggled to maneuver the main forces of the AFU and, with a few exceptions, offered little resistance during the first two weeks of the fighting.

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