It's becoming more apparent with each passing day that Russia is struggling to defend against the Ukrainian counter-offensive. The intense fighting around Bakhmut, or rather the pile of rubble that used to be Bachmut, now has small patches of territory changing hands several times per day. While this might seem like a repeat of the pointless meat grinder in Verdun during World War I, with countless lives being sacrificed to gain control over a piece of land that has no real strategic value, it's actually more likely a deliberate tactic from Ukraine.
Ukraine's forces are better equipped, better trained, more mobile, and infinitely better motivated. As an engineer, I hesitate to use the word "infinitely", but in this case it's appropriate, because most Russian soldiers have exactly zero motivation, while Ukrainians are fighting to keep their country and their chosen, successful way of life. In fact, many Russian soldiers have less than zero motivation, and are actively looking for ways to get out of the battle without being shot as deserters.
The fighting near Bakhmut is killing people on both sides, and every death in a war is a tragedy, but right now there are far more Russian casualties than Ukrainian. This is also in part due to the rigid and outdated command structure of the Russian army, and incompetent leadership all the way from the top down. Russian lives are being cynically thrown away, with soldiers being treated as expendable cannon fodder. This will only work for a little while before their troops are depleted to the point of being dysfunctional. Reinforcements are no longer available, because Putin has thrown all his remaining resources into the war in Ukraine.
The Russian propaganda machine is working overtime to put a positive spin on current events along the front and on their home turf, but the messaging is becoming more desperate with each day, and the lies are becoming ever more transparent and easily debunked.
Russia's army is obviously taking a heavy beating, but they are standing with a bloody nose trying to claim that everything is fine, and that Russia has nothing to fear. Russia has everything to fear, and their desperation is clear. Medvedev's recent and completely unveiled threat of a nuclear attack is definitely not a sign of Russia doing okay.
Russia is collapsing, under external pressure and from internal strife. Any claims to the contrary are just desperate propaganda from a totalitarian regime that is losing its grip.
