As the horrific war in Ukraine continues with fierce and successful resistance from the brave people of the invaded country, it becomes apparent that the Russian forces were unprepared for a drawn-out fight, and that they are struggling to maintain their fighting ability. They are low on ammunition, low on fuel, low on every kind of supplies, and the support lines are insufficient, sometimes apparently absent entirely. Morale is low, and the will to fight is dwindling. Vehicles and equipment in full fighting condition are being abandoned by the roadside because they run out of fuel, which of course depletes the already thinning resources even more for Putin's army.
A telling incident is that a missile launcher vehicle worth millions was abandoned for spontaneously ruptured tires. Upon closer inspection, the tires were long past their date of expiry, having sat on a parked vehicle for way too long without replacement. This might be an oversight on behalf of incompetent leadership in the Russian army, or it might be a case of some corrupt person in the organization having skimmed the funds for new tires for personal profit, rendering millions of Euro worth of equipment inoperable in order to grift a few thousand for themselves. The vehicle would still have fared okay in a parade on a paved road, but hitting the dirt in countryside Ukraine made several tires burst in a matter of hours, to the point where the vehicle was stuck in the mud and unable to move without help -- help that was not available.
The Russian army was clearly counting on a swift operation and a quick victory from a devastating first strike. With the war now in its third week, it is apparent that neither the organization in 'Battalion Tactical Groups' nor the morale and conviction of the personnel were anywhere near in shape to take on fierce resistance in a prolonged fight. Reports of catastrophic Russian losses and mass defections from Russian ranks deserve to be taken seriously. Add to this that Putin is now asking his few and weak allies, like Syria, to send troops for reinforcements, and we see a clear picture of desperation.
Now, a desperate Putin is unnerving, but it's far better than a victorious Putin. We can only hope for this campaign to be drawn out long enough for his armed forces to collapse from depletion, exhaustion and demoralization, all of which are clearly eating them already.
We stand with Ukraine.
