Hard to read, John. Hard words to read. You hate to see any soldiers anywhere treated as expendable. Getting your wounded out and back to a safe haven is a tenet the US has always had. In today's modern military, the ability to evacuate wounded is better than it has ever been. Such callous disregard for your troops is appalling. I wonder if the Ukrainians do better. Hopefully, Trump will make progress in his efforts to bring peace.
I question the claim the Russians have had a million casualties. This is a Ukrainian claim. The Russians still have a massive number of troops they can keep sending. Otherwise, great post. Very informative. Clearly this is not sustainable forever. But Russians will pay any price for the Motherland and its security.
DIA estimate from May of 2025 is 750,000 Russian casualties and 700,000 Ukrainian casualties.
The WSJ article reads like it was created by the Ukrainian government given how carefully it ticks all the preconceptions of Russian troops but doesn’t explain battlefield performance of the past 20 months or why the Ukrainian losses seem to be accelerating.
If the Russians are allegedly using meatwave tactics, then what are the Ukrainians doing to have so many casualties?
Russian battlefield performance has been underwhelming, to say the least. The fact that they are still grinding out minimal gains without any kind of strategic breakthrough seems proof of that. As always, of course, it is very difficult to know the truth of losses on both sides, but the overall picture seems clear enough, and it is not flattering to the Russians.
Fair points, although I wasn’t extolling the quality of the Ukrainian military, merely pointing out that the Russian military has not covered itself with glory in Ukraine. Whether that’s due to battlefield tactics, poor strategic leadership, or what I couldn’t say, but given the apparent overwhelming superiority of the Russian military to even the NATO-supplied Ukrainians, it seems like this war should have been over long ago.
The intelligence advantage enjoyed by the Ukrainians is definitely a contributor, no doubt. I’m not knowledgeable enough to know whether drones can be used effectively in defense but not offense, but offhand I can’t think of a reason why.
Russian army humiliated itself in 2022, and they spent 2023 digging in and rebuilding their tactical doctrine. In 2024 they introduced their new dispersed offensive doctrine that helps mitigate the NATO ISR advantage with a death from a thousand cuts approach.
In 2025 they’ve reintroduced big offensives but with an interesting twist of alternating pressure zones to force Ukraine to keep moving reserves around the battlefield, where they’re far more vulnerable to indirect fire and drones.
I would say they’ve evolved quite a lot in a relatively short period of time, which is impressive given their reputation.
Ruff stuff. Reminded of The Red Army’s proclivities during The Second World War; frequent use of human wave attacks. In his excellent memoir “In Deadly Combat” Herbert Bidermann was an officer cadet (fahnenjunker) & initially serving with von Manstein’s 11th Army during the drive down into Crimea in 1941. He said the Russians would mount these furious, human wave assaults in a desperate attempt to break through the German lines & a few of their machine gunners actually lost it because of such mass killing. Russians would come wave after wave, climbing over their own corpses. The psychological aspects of that must be immense.
I'm an outlier here as I think this is a CIA psyop feed to the WSJ to give the impression that the Ukrainians are succeeding....they're not. I follow a substack writer by the name of Simplicius who has specialized in reporting on the military aspects of this war. He provides maps and videos and gives a balanced perspective.
The Russian Army is fighting in Ukraine exactly like they fought the Nazis in WW2. Grind down the defense with overwhelming unrelenting attack, which is costly in manpower. This has become a drone, foot soldier, and artillery war because the once vaunted tank has become obsolete. It is a war of high casualties on both sides. Keeping an eye on a belligerent NATO, Russia has defensively position some of its best equipment and most experienced troops in defensive positions along the North South NATO axis, and uses less experienced troops along with North Koreans in Ukraine. Yet despite this self-limitation the Russians are advancing 5-10 kilometers a day on various salients. Ukraine has simply run out of manpower and has limited reserves to reinforce collapsing positions, plus a high desertion rate. No one wants to be the last man killed in a war that can't be won.
A military collapse is possible by this fall which may be why the maneuvering to dump Zelensky is now in full swing. The neo-cons are desperate to get NATO boots on the ground which is the motivation for making the Russians look incompetent.
I'm not denigrating the Ukrainian soldiers who have fought valiantly, but this war has parallels with the US Civil War. The north won by sheer superiority in numbers and industrial base. The war will stop when Putin has conquered the Russian speaking eastern portion of Ukraine to give him the buffer he wants from NATO. Sadly it will be similar to what was agreed to in the Minsk I & II treaty that the was scuttled by the West.
First, let me say I honor your military service as I did my own father’s who retired from the Air Force with a Purple Heart earned in Korea. I am a military brat and think there is no more worthy country to defend militarily that the US.
That said, I consider the WSJ (along with most legacy media) suspect at reporting news accurately. Second, given the Marxist milieu from which the most recent Russian government arose, the reportage of the WSJ, if accurate, should surprise no one. Third, I question whether there are any longer “[p]rofessional military analysts in the U.S.” I believe Obama gutted the military to the same extent he gutted the intelligence community, and the people he left behind in leadership positions are (or were, in the case of those ID’d and jettisoned by Trump) corrupt and incompetent – just as Obama wanted.
Finally, I take issue with your conclusion that “[Military personnel] do not crawl through the mud under machine gun fire, bind up their wounds, and overcome intense moments of terror so that politicians can accomplish some political goal.” Politicians do, in fact, use military personnel as cannon fodder to accomplish goals I cannot relate to, and they always have.
I enlisted in the Army after I decided, after one year of college and work. I was 20 and the oldest in my basic training platoon. A few guys called me grandpa. At 20. Everyone else was 18 or 19.
"Comparisons are odious." Articles like this may reinforce US sentiments of superiority and yet, all I notice is that, in spite of all of these gruesome details, Russia just keeps coming. We laud the commitment to victory shown in the strategy of Abraham Lincoln and, the tactical generalship of US Grant in the American Civil War, but it can seem as indifferent to humanity as this article illustrates in modern Russian military leaders. Grant was determined to achieve a binary concept known as "victory", and he knew that he had resources that his opponent lacked, one of which was more humanity to bring to the fight. Lincoln and Grant were acutely aware of the human toll his tactics were costing, yet they persisted, and their soldiers were obedient to their commands. That Lincoln's dedication to victory was in service of a noble cause is of probably cold comfort to those he expended in service of it. Sadly, Putin is as dedicated to victory as Lincoln and Grant were, even though his cause has none of the merit that Lincoln and Grant had underpinning their dedication. He knows, like Grant, he has resources that Ukraine does not, and is entirely content to expend them in service of attaining victory. I pray Ukraine denies him that, but that prayer costs me little.
Good article John.
Hard to read, John. Hard words to read. You hate to see any soldiers anywhere treated as expendable. Getting your wounded out and back to a safe haven is a tenet the US has always had. In today's modern military, the ability to evacuate wounded is better than it has ever been. Such callous disregard for your troops is appalling. I wonder if the Ukrainians do better. Hopefully, Trump will make progress in his efforts to bring peace.
If you are relying on WSJ information, I do not believe most of what you wrote.
I question the claim the Russians have had a million casualties. This is a Ukrainian claim. The Russians still have a massive number of troops they can keep sending. Otherwise, great post. Very informative. Clearly this is not sustainable forever. But Russians will pay any price for the Motherland and its security.
DIA estimate from May of 2025 is 750,000 Russian casualties and 700,000 Ukrainian casualties.
The WSJ article reads like it was created by the Ukrainian government given how carefully it ticks all the preconceptions of Russian troops but doesn’t explain battlefield performance of the past 20 months or why the Ukrainian losses seem to be accelerating.
If the Russians are allegedly using meatwave tactics, then what are the Ukrainians doing to have so many casualties?
Russian battlefield performance has been underwhelming, to say the least. The fact that they are still grinding out minimal gains without any kind of strategic breakthrough seems proof of that. As always, of course, it is very difficult to know the truth of losses on both sides, but the overall picture seems clear enough, and it is not flattering to the Russians.
That leaves out the massive NATO ISR advantage for the Ukrainians.
They’re not that special. They simply are told where Russia is moving troops and what kind of troops they’re moving.
When the defenders know where every blow is going to land and still can’t stop those blows, it’s pretty impressive orchestration by the Russians.
Keep in mind that Ukraine has tried multiple NATO style offensives during this conflict and every single one has resulted in them getting mauled.
The drone warfare favors the defender, particularly when the defenders are told well in advance where the Russians are concentrating efforts.
Fair points, although I wasn’t extolling the quality of the Ukrainian military, merely pointing out that the Russian military has not covered itself with glory in Ukraine. Whether that’s due to battlefield tactics, poor strategic leadership, or what I couldn’t say, but given the apparent overwhelming superiority of the Russian military to even the NATO-supplied Ukrainians, it seems like this war should have been over long ago.
The intelligence advantage enjoyed by the Ukrainians is definitely a contributor, no doubt. I’m not knowledgeable enough to know whether drones can be used effectively in defense but not offense, but offhand I can’t think of a reason why.
Russian army humiliated itself in 2022, and they spent 2023 digging in and rebuilding their tactical doctrine. In 2024 they introduced their new dispersed offensive doctrine that helps mitigate the NATO ISR advantage with a death from a thousand cuts approach.
In 2025 they’ve reintroduced big offensives but with an interesting twist of alternating pressure zones to force Ukraine to keep moving reserves around the battlefield, where they’re far more vulnerable to indirect fire and drones.
I would say they’ve evolved quite a lot in a relatively short period of time, which is impressive given their reputation.
Ruff stuff. Reminded of The Red Army’s proclivities during The Second World War; frequent use of human wave attacks. In his excellent memoir “In Deadly Combat” Herbert Bidermann was an officer cadet (fahnenjunker) & initially serving with von Manstein’s 11th Army during the drive down into Crimea in 1941. He said the Russians would mount these furious, human wave assaults in a desperate attempt to break through the German lines & a few of their machine gunners actually lost it because of such mass killing. Russians would come wave after wave, climbing over their own corpses. The psychological aspects of that must be immense.
Brutal stuff.
That ferocity may have had something to do with the NKVD battalions training machine guns on the troops from the rear in order to prevent retreat.
More than likely. As Col Douglas MacGregor, USA, Ret., has accurately noted, “The Red Army was an army of slaves.”
You actually believe what you read instead of what the front lines are telling you. Funny.
I'm an outlier here as I think this is a CIA psyop feed to the WSJ to give the impression that the Ukrainians are succeeding....they're not. I follow a substack writer by the name of Simplicius who has specialized in reporting on the military aspects of this war. He provides maps and videos and gives a balanced perspective.
The Russian Army is fighting in Ukraine exactly like they fought the Nazis in WW2. Grind down the defense with overwhelming unrelenting attack, which is costly in manpower. This has become a drone, foot soldier, and artillery war because the once vaunted tank has become obsolete. It is a war of high casualties on both sides. Keeping an eye on a belligerent NATO, Russia has defensively position some of its best equipment and most experienced troops in defensive positions along the North South NATO axis, and uses less experienced troops along with North Koreans in Ukraine. Yet despite this self-limitation the Russians are advancing 5-10 kilometers a day on various salients. Ukraine has simply run out of manpower and has limited reserves to reinforce collapsing positions, plus a high desertion rate. No one wants to be the last man killed in a war that can't be won.
A military collapse is possible by this fall which may be why the maneuvering to dump Zelensky is now in full swing. The neo-cons are desperate to get NATO boots on the ground which is the motivation for making the Russians look incompetent.
I'm not denigrating the Ukrainian soldiers who have fought valiantly, but this war has parallels with the US Civil War. The north won by sheer superiority in numbers and industrial base. The war will stop when Putin has conquered the Russian speaking eastern portion of Ukraine to give him the buffer he wants from NATO. Sadly it will be similar to what was agreed to in the Minsk I & II treaty that the was scuttled by the West.
Dick Minnis
removingthecataract.substack.com
First, let me say I honor your military service as I did my own father’s who retired from the Air Force with a Purple Heart earned in Korea. I am a military brat and think there is no more worthy country to defend militarily that the US.
That said, I consider the WSJ (along with most legacy media) suspect at reporting news accurately. Second, given the Marxist milieu from which the most recent Russian government arose, the reportage of the WSJ, if accurate, should surprise no one. Third, I question whether there are any longer “[p]rofessional military analysts in the U.S.” I believe Obama gutted the military to the same extent he gutted the intelligence community, and the people he left behind in leadership positions are (or were, in the case of those ID’d and jettisoned by Trump) corrupt and incompetent – just as Obama wanted.
Finally, I take issue with your conclusion that “[Military personnel] do not crawl through the mud under machine gun fire, bind up their wounds, and overcome intense moments of terror so that politicians can accomplish some political goal.” Politicians do, in fact, use military personnel as cannon fodder to accomplish goals I cannot relate to, and they always have.
Other than that, a fabulous article as usual!
To be fair this is how the defense of Stalingrad was executed. (When factories were strategic goals)
I enlisted in the Army after I decided, after one year of college and work. I was 20 and the oldest in my basic training platoon. A few guys called me grandpa. At 20. Everyone else was 18 or 19.
"Comparisons are odious." Articles like this may reinforce US sentiments of superiority and yet, all I notice is that, in spite of all of these gruesome details, Russia just keeps coming. We laud the commitment to victory shown in the strategy of Abraham Lincoln and, the tactical generalship of US Grant in the American Civil War, but it can seem as indifferent to humanity as this article illustrates in modern Russian military leaders. Grant was determined to achieve a binary concept known as "victory", and he knew that he had resources that his opponent lacked, one of which was more humanity to bring to the fight. Lincoln and Grant were acutely aware of the human toll his tactics were costing, yet they persisted, and their soldiers were obedient to their commands. That Lincoln's dedication to victory was in service of a noble cause is of probably cold comfort to those he expended in service of it. Sadly, Putin is as dedicated to victory as Lincoln and Grant were, even though his cause has none of the merit that Lincoln and Grant had underpinning their dedication. He knows, like Grant, he has resources that Ukraine does not, and is entirely content to expend them in service of attaining victory. I pray Ukraine denies him that, but that prayer costs me little.
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