I remember a specific question being asked before we escalated our War in Afghanistan. The question was “What is the objective?”. This question was never adequately answered, yet our fervor to lash out after 9/11 carried us into the graveyard of empires. That war just recently ended: 20 years later.
Kos, correctly, continues to hammer the point that shit logistics are what’s defeating the Russians. This isn’t meant to take anything away from the brave Ukrainians defending their homes, but the Russians do have possibly overwhelming force. They just can’t supply it.
This brings me back to the initial question, and like ours, one that hasn’t been adequately answered. What is Putin’s objective in this war? From the map, it appears to be an “all of the above” strategy.
I’ve read a few possible objectives, that aren’t mutually sustaining. In a list: topple the Ukrainian government, solidify gains in Donetsk and Luhansk, secure fresh water for Crimea, and remove Odesa from Ukraine’s control.
Putin’s lap dog generals probably told Fearless Leader that all of these things could be achieved. And in this grasping, they may achieve none of them.
Far and away, Ukraine’s democratically-elected government is Putin’s biggest obstacle. The other objectives might have been secured by a singular focus. Had he concentrated his forces on the objective of taking Kyiv, we would be having a very different conversation today.
Thankfully for us all, he has bad advisors.