Venik (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} venik4) wrote, |
Re: Ukraine
I agree and I think this is the reason why Russia is trying to work not just with Yanukovich but also with Timoshenko: the Kremlin learned not to put all of its eggs in one basket.
I think you are overestimating NATO's capabilities and underestimating Russia's. What we've seen in Georgia was a small operation involving a single tank division, a few squadrons of support aircraft, and two brigades of VDV and Spetsnaz. Russia has been conducting similar operations in Chechnya for years.
There was little interesting about this campaign, other than Russia being able to keep its war preparations secret. But even that wasn't too impressive considering that the 58th Army's home base is just 30-some miles from the Georgian border and the Russians did not need to forward-deploy troops.
Most of the equipment the Russians used is nothing new. They didn't need to use any of their hi-tech hardware. Even in Chechnya on occasion they deployed some hi-tech stuff, like the Ka-50, Mi-28N, and Su-27IB as a combat test. The Georgian army, on the other hand, fell apart so quickly, this wasn't any kind of test for the Russian army. This was a much smaller and low-tech operation than, for example, the attack on Grozny in Dec 1999 - Jan 2000, which involved twice the number of troops - from the same 58th Army - Russia deployed in Georgia.
I agree and I think this is the reason why Russia is trying to work not just with Yanukovich but also with Timoshenko: the Kremlin learned not to put all of its eggs in one basket.
I think you are overestimating NATO's capabilities and underestimating Russia's. What we've seen in Georgia was a small operation involving a single tank division, a few squadrons of support aircraft, and two brigades of VDV and Spetsnaz. Russia has been conducting similar operations in Chechnya for years.
There was little interesting about this campaign, other than Russia being able to keep its war preparations secret. But even that wasn't too impressive considering that the 58th Army's home base is just 30-some miles from the Georgian border and the Russians did not need to forward-deploy troops.
Most of the equipment the Russians used is nothing new. They didn't need to use any of their hi-tech hardware. Even in Chechnya on occasion they deployed some hi-tech stuff, like the Ka-50, Mi-28N, and Su-27IB as a combat test. The Georgian army, on the other hand, fell apart so quickly, this wasn't any kind of test for the Russian army. This was a much smaller and low-tech operation than, for example, the attack on Grozny in Dec 1999 - Jan 2000, which involved twice the number of troops - from the same 58th Army - Russia deployed in Georgia.
