13 Dec: Russians CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE | War in Ukraine Explained

[@RFU]

🔴 WE FINALLY SHIP to the UK 🇬🇧 and EU 🇪🇺! 🔴 Support via Online Store: uasupporter.com/collections/men

[@giacotor5677]

Each time will be the places where you will ship?

[@rymoe6299]

Just Ordered a Grey Beanie 🇬🇧🇺🇦 will wear it with Pride!

[@RFU]

Appreciate your support!

[@EdgyNumber1]

Awesome, @@RFU This man's gonna grab a hat and a T-shirt. Great reports, keep it up, mate! _Slava Ukraini, heroyam slava!_ 🇺🇦🇬🇧💪

[@egilandersen8395]

Please add shipping to Norway.

[@blacklion8208]

" The Russians decided not to repeat history for the third or fourth time in a row"... Love the sarcasm. Lol

[@CAPSLOCKPUNDIT]

What a pity. I was looking forward to the popular definition of insanity to change from "doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting better results" to "being Russian."

[@mingyaowu7720]

"pocket"😅🤣

[@marcusmagni]

@@CAPSLOCKPUNDIT well they are still far from being at the level of Cadorna

[@_b0h4z4rd7]

@@CAPSLOCKPUNDIT Don't underestimate the Russians, they have a long tradition in this repetitive manner. Let's say the weather wasn't good enough or the troops aren't well trained in repeating.

[@bekeneel]

They're not only losing cuz of Ukraine's intelligence & smart fighting, but also their own stupidity lol.. Russian state tv put up a soldier nowq that was held prisoner by Ukraine, trying to let him tell how supposedly terrible he was treated there. But he just honestly said it like it was & was treated good, so they just removed the interview lol.

[@desertgecko4549]

This is the best war update channel on KZbin. As much as I enjoy it though, I can't wait for it to morph into a "rebuilding Ukraine" updates channel.

[@NTraveller]

It's too early to rebuild

[@lukejohnston4666]

@@NTraveller I think he means after the Russians are fully kicked out including from Crimea.

[@bc-guy852]

Well said. Slava Ukraini.

[@desertgecko4549]

@@lukejohnston4666 Indeed I do!

[@lukejohnston4666]

@@bc-guy852 I am not Ukrainian but let me reply "Heroiam slava" (glory to her heroes, or if translated into Indonesian language "Jayalah para Pahlawannya")

[@donnyacosta2821]

I live in United States and I have bought in your UA store and the delivery has been excellent and the product has been received in perfect conditions! So, you can promote as well your store in United States ! Slava Ukraine!!🇺🇦🇺🇸💕

[@LtexprsGaming]

Another great update video. Thank you so much for reporting daily updates to the Frontline.

[@michaelhamilton7111]

Thank you from Costa Rica. Glory to Ukraine.

[@hitrapperandartistdababy]

Def my favourite analysis channel on the overall battle. Others explain it well aswell but nowhere near to the extend you do and gives a much better understanding of military tactics

[@bc-guy852]

And you know from the passion in the voice - that THIS creator - has a vested interest there. Not an outsider.

[@davidkiefer6553]

#2 again! Thank you for detailed reporting without a lot of fluff. #1 in reporting about Ruzzian-Ukrainian war.

[@thepatriot1613]

Love your reports, Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@okeydokey3120]

Thank you. I'm just a nobody, but I truly care about the Ukrainian people and the situation. My cousin has supported Ukraine for years, since the 2014 invasion, and I donate to her non-profit bakery. She has friends in Ukraine, and together they provide evacuation, medical supplies, food, heating, and she sponsors Ukrainian children all the way through college. She can be found at KHUB (Kind House Ukrainian Bakery), in Amarillo Texas. There are no prices for her beautiful cakes and other baked goods. She just asks that you donate what you can, and all profits go to Ukraine. There are many ways to help. May God's angels surround Ukraine and strike fear into the hearts of the enemy.

[@tima1301]

Thank you for the support!

[@peterbeninger7068]

There are no 'nobodies'. Just this post makes a positive difference in the world. Thank you.

[@The_ZeroLine]

How dare you even speak, nobody! Only somebodies are allowed to support Ukraine!

[@championknife]

Auf dem angegebenen Frontabschnitt kämpfen Ukrainer gegen Ukrainer. Nach dem verfassungswidrigen Putsch in Kiew im Jahr 2014 weigerte sich Donbass, sich den illegalen Behörden von Kiew zu unterwerfen. Danach begann in der Ukraine ein Bürgerkrieg. Und jetzt befreien die Truppen von Donbass ihr Territorium. Das sind auch Ukrainer, werden Sie sie auch unterstützen?

[@pawelmod3292]

All societies are built from thousands and millions from nobodies!

[@SRFriso94]

I saw a very interesting map recently on the Ukraine subreddit, a map of how far the Russians had come around Bakhmut. The line has shifted about 13 km since August 1st, at that's at a cost of probably upwards of 10.000 men. And I'd say that's a pretty conservative estimate. Absolute madness.

[@GermanTaffer]

And now compare that to the battle of the Somme, where in 4 months 1 million soldiers died or got wounded.

[@somethingelse9535]

@@qman8816 Ratio of Bakhmut defense is 5 dead Russians to 1 Ukraine. Shame all those dead Ruskies.

[@TheSteve_1992]

@@qman8816 10k Russians dies, not Ukrainians. You read it wrong

[@ursus9104]

Like Falkenhayns old taktik from WW1, you strech the line of your enemy and start barrages of fire to make whole armies bleed to the state of mutiny. That has now begun in Russia….

[@danekender5332]

@@qman8816 👈🤡

[@thianthiptopia2925]

With love to all Ukrainian🇺🇦 fighters and population. From Denmark. 🇩🇰

[@vasilysgr5815]

Are you guys joining NATO??

[@claus-not-santa]

@@vasilysgr5815 Denmark?😮

[@claus-not-santa]

Imported to Denmark?😮

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

@@vasilysgr5815 Lol are you stoopid?

[@harryhewitt6795]

@@claus-not-santa Even Denmark would thrash your ruSSist imperialists.

[@MegsCarpentry-lovedogs]

Yes, Georgie, on Ukraine matters youtube also reassured us that Bakhmut was "OK." The battles continue and Georgie does refer his audience to come check out your channel. You are doing wonderful work. Thank you from East Canada.👍💯💝🇨🇦💪🇺🇦

[@peterbeninger7068]

East Canada is also by far Best Canada! I miss it so much.😪

[@MegsCarpentry-lovedogs]

@@peterbeninger7068 What a lovely comment! Nice and positive. Awesome!💯🍁🇨🇦😀

[@Demogrunt]

Russian/Wagner forces continuously trying to capture Bakhmut since August is insane. A quote from Benjamin Franklin comes to mind: “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”

[@daledelatte9607]

They started pushing Bahkmut in late June, it's been almost 6 months

[@RichardTaylor1630]

@BuildTheFutureYouWant You mean, "they don't get paid," or "they don't get their pay." With no pay coming in from Putler, I think that the Wagner Group will soon be going bakhmrupt.

[@RichardTaylor1630]

".... since June....." If I recall correctly, it was in July that my hero Denys Davidov predicted, with regret, that Ukraine would not be able to hold Bakhmut more than a couple of weeks. But here we are five months later, and Bakhmut stands, or at least most of it.

[@niksandy7125]

“Beware of Wagnerites, they have no loyalty but to money, they are uniformed savages and have an affinity for long battles for little strategic value, stranger still they seem to enjoy the ‘meat grinder’” - Abraham Lincoln

[@xlDeathlxJosey]

They don't care, it's mostly prisoners and people Putin just wants rid of to begin with. This is essentially purging Russia and ethnic cleansing with Ukraine doing the killing for him. Putin would happily sacrifice 100s of thousands of prisoners for a symbolic victory.

[@paulshearer9140]

Thanks!

[@RFU]

Thank you for your support!

[@robinminn271]

Really appreciate the photo view at 2:04. Makes your description better to see

[@MightyRude]

This makes me think of what a soldier fighting in Bakhmut said, he said: “we give the wagner soldiers gifts and make them happy, then we take that happiness away”.

[@exarder1377]

Thank you for the daily reports! amazing how you're capable of fitting so much information in a couple of minutes.

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

The orcs are starting to learn. Every war they suffer catastrophic defeats early, but their manpower allows them to hang on. The survivors start to learn. Incompetent commanders are replaced or killed. They get more dangerous over time. The infection must be removed quickly.

[@brandonlyon730]

It didn’t work in World War 1. In fact the military eventually mutiny there own Tsar and basically left him and his family to die.

[@dakaodo]

@@brandonlyon730 But it DID work in WW II. Soviet commanders in the late war sometimes survived Stalin's political purges long enough to accumulate significant experience and skill, and some of their soldiers did too. We can celebrate whenever Ukraine is able to exploit these systemic Russian weaknesses of military character, but neither should we underestimate the ability and cunning of the Russian human animal that is desperately trying to survive.

[@MrJonezy541]

They don't have the man power anymore, in the Soviet times they could afford to throw millions of troops into an offensive but they just don't have the population to do that anymore.

[@norbertszekeres867]

@@dakaodo In the Winter War not really paid out .

[@youareliedtobythemedia]

There's a champagne factory? Finally we know why Russia wants to take the city.

[@claus-not-santa]

Why?? 😮

[@estherkisob9919]

It's really good news to know the upcoming battles in the east by Ukraine will be by artillery, which means less Ukrainian casualties. This is modern warfare and that's how it should be fought instead of using mobilized troops as cannon fodders. We Always appreciate your thorough analysis in short time limit.

[@pierceplaysstudios245]

Question, what is russia known for? Artillery right? So why is the battles shifting to something russias good at a good thing for ukraine. Their expending more shells then we make and are always outnumbered 10:1 in Artillery numbers.

[@harryhewitt6795]

@@pierceplaysstudios245 The ruSSists were once known for artillery but not any more because their weapos are so inaccurate compared to western technology. If a system is able to strike its target every time instead of once in 100 efforts it is like having 100x more artillery.

[@_b0h4z4rd7]

@@pierceplaysstudios245 Russian artillery is inefficient and not precise. Ukraine will rather strike at positions at the front line but strike at support and communication lines.

[@pierceplaysstudios245]

@@harryhewitt6795 what are you talking about?? I've heard nothing about russian artillery being THAT inaccurate. Also, their using drones to target strikes as well as ukraine so when comes to simple guns like self-propelled and towed ukraine is beat because russia has accuracy+numbers

[@estherkisob9919]

@@pierceplaysstudios245 The answer is very simple. Ukraine has modernized artillery and also Russia is running out of artillery and ammunitions. What good is it to modernized troops and they have no weapons to fight with.

[@nowakevelyne223]

Thank you for the report ! Slava Ukraini ! Love from France and Poland 💙💙💛💛

[@niksandy7125]

The words ‘Russians caught in the crossfire’ have a great ring to them I love this channel, first on the list of my daily Ukraine fix. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦💪

[@bonvoyage7876]

thank you so much for your work👍greetings from Germany 🇩🇪❤🇺🇦

[@HaveHappiness]

Solid content everyday! Glory to the hero’s 🇺🇦🫶🇦🇺

[@toni-leeblair5869]

🇺🇦💙🌻💪✌️🇦🇺

Each time I patiently wait for your uploads and each and every time my day becomes that much better after watching it!

[@recurvearcher6542]

Thank you, Your posts are my first go to for updates, always clear precise and offering tactical explanations. Keep up the excellent reports, from Perth West Australia

[@charliewatts6895]

Some more good news. The United States confirmed today it will be supplying Ukraine with Patriot Missile Defence System.

[@DerStrom]

Heloo from Canada! Slava Ukraine🇨🇦

[@adriaank75]

Yesssss Thank you for making the online store accessible to the EU! Let's go shopping everyone!

[@garyfilmer382]

Thank you for this excellent report. Great to see Ukraine🇺🇦striking military bases, especially air bases, in Russia. Bakhmut holds - no matter how many times the orcs attack! The courageous armed forces of Ukraine🇺🇦will be victorious! Slava Ukrajina!🇺🇦

[@NTraveller]

Hopefully, a nuclear arsenal will be targeted one day. That will be quite a blow! Hail to the Nation! All will be Ukraine!!!

[@hellgates_javed6451]

@@NTraveller even if russia could they wont stop it why would they waste a chance to nuke them?!

[@NTraveller]

@@hellgates_javed6451 I don't understand what you mean

[@louisquatorze9280]

A clear and concise report. Thank you.

[@arthurcrime]

I wish I could upvote this more than once, you are doing very important work. Thank you.

[@edwardbertorelli7358]

Thanks again for your reporting

[@karensheehan2878]

The front line can change a lot in WAR. Hold fast Ukraine. We love you.🇦🇺💕

[@kineahora8736]

💪🏻hold strong!

[@iainnicholson4399]

Thanks for the update

[@boop9239]

To elaborate on why Ukraine striking Russian airports/airstrips is such a big deal. It causes a dilemma for Putin which means he either has to draw resources from the front line into defending these airstrips or does nothing but risk constant bombardment from Ukrainian artillery and therefore increases the likelihood to lose more aircraft. Either way, it is a lose, lose for Russia.

[@ashtonkuypers4501]

Other vital targets are now in range to. Such as oil/natural gas pipeline infrastructure and other strategically vital targets will need to be protected

[@chadjenkins4876]

It's the kind of thing you might not see the results right away, but a bit down the line supply lines and whatnot becomes more and more difficult

[@akylrysgal6242]

What a nice city it was, Bakhmut, a furniture factory, a champagne factory …

[@Ed_Stuckey]

Thank you, sir.

[@zoomeraygun1]

Well done Ukraine 💙💛

[@vevenaneathna]

thankyou for your hard work and dedication to the most concise and up to date information. ya maybe i disagree with some minor thing here n there like yakolivka control but you actually present the news and everyone else just copies eachother now. even the bigger names on youtube who upload daily, theyre 2-3 days behind you. I hope you guys have reliable power in mykolalv. thankyou again from usa

[@NAFO_MythicPlague]

Great debriefing directly to the meat and potato's of the lot. Thanks for all your hard work on these video's and the time you put into them. Have a great day

[@KnightsWithoutATable]

With how much of this war is being put on the internet, it is going to be picked apart by war scholars for decades.

[@Tr1Hard777]

Imagine in 100 years they will be teaching history with such detail that they will have day by day updates and videos to match up with almost every move. History class in 2100 will be interesting af.

[@Sylvan_dB]

"We should attack the country that previously manufactured our weapons!" said no one with a brain, ever.

[@boonedockjourneyman7979]

You give hope.

[@bigd4561]

Bless Ukraine. 🇺🇦

[@kurtwpg]

Pretty simple rule: If the Ukrainians are moving backwards, it's a trap.

[@peterb2272]

It is quite amazing that the Russians can count "a few streets" as a major success.

[@kaasmeester5903]

They also found 2 washing machines so a good day for them.

[@canuckprogressive.3435]

@@kaasmeester5903 How many toilets?

[@kaasmeester5903]

@@canuckprogressive.3435 They go behind the washing machines, so 2 also :)

[@nogisonoko5409]

Well it a foothold to the outer defensive layer of Bakhmut. Failing to deny Russian this street would undermine Ukrainian defense positions on that sector.

[@RichardTaylor1630]

@@nogisonoko5409 .... if it were not mainly a "special Ruzzian slaughter opportunity operation."

[@axelwerker4775]

Thank you for the update 👏🏻👍 Slava Ukraine 🇳🇱♥️🇺🇦

[@sb6934]

Thanks. And Take Care!

Excelentes reportagens. Recomendo a todos amigos brasileiros. Excellent reporting. I recommend it to all Brazilian friends.

[@donlindell1994]

I love my Ukraine coffee mug and people ask me during video calls where I purchased it all the time. I send them here and to the web site. Slava Ukraine!

[@michaelthelen4840]

4:04 The "Museum of Friendship of Peoples" in Klimovo: What an irony! Keep going with this great channel!

[@fmfbrestel]

Needed a mousepad for a while, grabbed the sleak black one with a small trident from your store. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@guusbokmusic]

Yes! Bought a T in support of Ukraine and your channel!

[@claus-not-santa]

You are a HERO !! 😅

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Thanks for sharing.

[@flyboya340]

As usual the best most informative blog on Ukraine War SLAVA Ukraine

[@oneshotme]

Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up Glory to Ukraine!!!

[@hannisateur]

(4:00) northern part of the map "Museum of Friendship of Peoples", that one is probably another torture camp now too 🙄

[@jiyushugi1085]

It's worth remembering that although the Doolittle attack on Japan - like Ukraine's attacks inside Russia - caused only moderate damage, the effect was profound, as it caused the Japanese to not only re-position fighter squadrons from the frontlines in China to Japan, weakening their forces there, it convinced the Japanese to take Midway Island, the result of which was catastrophic for Japan.

[@RichardTaylor1630]

You mean " it convinced the Japanese to ATTEMPT TO take Midway Island...." They didn't take it. Instead, they lost four aircraft carriers and hundreds of airplanes in a vain attempt to do so. If Tojo had been smart, he would have immediately worked out a peace treaty with the US, involving Japan's exit from the Axis powers, thereby saving millions of US, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, British, Dutch, and most of all Chinese lives. Japan's industrial might would have survived as a means of enriching the Japanese people, even if their dreams of replacement of the population of China would have vanished. Also, because such a denouement of the conflict in the Pacific would have allowed the US to focus resources on the European / North African theaters, the defeat of Hitler would have occurred much sooner. US/British/Free French forces would have been able to advance across all of Germany before the Russians arrived, thereby avoiding the massive rape, looting & murder that fell on eastern Germany with the arrival of the Russian hordes.

[@elenavoicu8150]

Thank You ♥️ FREEDOM !!!!! ✌️✌️✌️💙💛🇺🇦♥️ Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦ZSU 🇺🇦ARMY 🇺🇦

[@hsaurid]

Thank you! Events are falling into place for Ukraine. It is getting quite likely there will be significant offensive thrusts in the next few days and weeks. Add the fact that the Orcs are running out of ammunition, could see significant liberation of occupied Ukrainian territory. The big questions are when and where. Keep an eye on Eastern and Southern Ukraine meteorology in the days ahead. Slava Ukraini! And for your entertainment: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5ndpIqwnd9qeMU

[@marilyndunbar9180]

🇨🇦Your reports are the best on U tube. Stay safe and keep up the good work ❤️🇺🇦

[@THURNISJACKSON]

Thank you from Southern USA

[@NTraveller]

Please, send your troops!

[@angela1984a]

*Slava Ukraini!* 🇺🇦 🔱 🇺🇦

[@michaelroark2019]

Great use of the aerial photographs to show the vulnerability of the Russians in their new "conquests" of Bakmut. Sometimes the Russian tactics seem so crazy that they can make an advance but to what longer term prospects.

[@danielmadar9938]

Thank you

[@1midnightfish]

Good to know you ship to the UK! As soon as I've paid my rent I'll buy something. Mate, if I win the lottery you'll be one of the first to know, I appreciate your work more than I can say. Слава захисникам України! Вони захищають весь світ💙💛

[@davidarchibald50]

Thanks mate. Now no more excuses, guys. Every kid needs a UA t-Shirt for Christmas! Slava Ukraini!

[@IgnorantGravity]

Hi, I've noticed in several of your videos you seem to keep mixing up east and west. Such as in this video you mentioned the fighting in the factories went from a furniture factory and "shifted eastward toward the champaign factory", but the map shows that further to the west. In standard "north is up" maps, west is left, east is right. I'm certain this is not intentional. Thank you for your great efforts reporting daily! You're doing amazing work keeping us informed

[@NTraveller]

It's just too much champagne

[@1midnightfish]

Thank you. My sense of direction is generally so poor that when I heard that I convinced myself I had east and west mixed up - the report was so nerve-wracking that I let it go, but it made my head spin for a couple of seconds! It also brought back a ridiculous memory from my 1970s childhood, when I couldn't understand why the Soviet Union, which as I kept hearing from the adults around me was politically on the left, actually appeared to my right on the map of Europe... I'm cringeing as I type this but I was about seven

[@JamsheedRPGgod]

isn’t hard to figure out your north east south and west, you guys are just slpw

[@darrenjohnston1744]

This is brilliant news that Ukraine is now producing its own artillery pieces on an industrial scale Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇬🇧

[@skyscraper5910]

is there any effort to donate any of the proceeds from your website to military / humanitarian aid for or in Ukraine?

[@dk6024]

It's a bit shocking we're talking about individual buildings. It reminds me of the prelude to operation Uranus.

[@bremnersghost948]

Bakhmut has been a Gateway Fortress to the Interior of Ukraine since at least 1571, Must be Miles of Tunnels under the City that Ukrainian Forces can Fight from and Shelter in, While the Ukrainian Heavy Weapons pound the Russian's from the Heights around the City.

[@wl9275]

An interesting new bit of info for me. Thanks.

[@chahinebourenane6291]

I think that your map are getting better, keep going.

[@davenaoh5545]

Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦💪

[@dariops2777]

SLAVA UKRAINE 🇺🇦🤝🇪🇦

[@akend4426]

Hey RFU (Reporting From Ukraine), I heard that there was a sudden check of combat readiness in the Belarusian army earlier today, along with reports that a number of Russian and Belarusian soldiers are heading towards the southern regions of Belarus for, *ahem,* “training exercises.” Well, looks it’s time for another exciting round of “Is Putin actually going to drag Lukashenko into the conflict?” But in all seriousness, how likely do YOU think Belarus fully committing to the war is?

[@RFU]

They don't need Belarus. I'd say there is less than 5% chance.

[@ebrim5013]

Pulling in Belarus is very risky for not much gain. If Putin loses the Lukashenko regime, he has much more frontier potentially turn hostile.

[@canuckprogressive.3435]

@@qman8816 Does Prigozhin pay you well for these comments?

[@NTraveller]

That's just rumours. There are no combat-ready troops in Belarus, soldiers there are helping to dig out potatoes

[@TheGunfighterx]

@@qman8816 👈Like a dvmb cheerleader on the sideline that thinks her "team" is winning....smh

[@davidfraser9365]

As always 👏👏👏. 👍👍

[@slavojalois1639]

Slava Ukraine!

[@kalmansovari6878]

Is there a vodka factory in this town

[@dionysusxyz]

Yay purchase available

[@Dadoimp]

Ukraine will prevail! 🇭🇷❤️🇺🇦

[@claytucker8651]

Its pure irony to fight over a city that's biggest attraction is a place called the Museum of Friendship of Peoples. Slava Ukraine!!!

[@schwarzflammenkaiser2347]

How does the logistic of urban Combat for the attacker even Work? I doubt they can get any Kind of supply vehicle near that warzone.

[@petrikehusmaa7909]

Slava Ukraini 💪🇺🇦🇺🇦

[@stacey_1111rh]

Glory to heroes 🇺🇦💪🏼✌🏼

[@DoahnKea_Tuber]

"Interaction" to maintain dash feed.

[@jackjones9460]

Thanks for the Good News! Surely, 10,000’s of new artillery shells will greatly help end the Russian invasion.

[@MrVenturadog]

Nothing about if the Reaper drone is coming yet?

[@asanitationstompout8473]

US is considering it so far...

[@juliewebb7041]

Ruzzia doesnt seem to be able to do right for doing wrong.I hope this continues...GB.XXX

[@alpinecenter]

Fierce fighting was reported around the Museum of Friendship of Peoples. Uh, sounds right to me.

[@styxasaurus]

Do the 5 story buildings even exist anymore?

[@davidheaf5082]

Am I right in thinking that an image of General Valerii Zaluzhnyi appears on the thumbnails of this channel. If so, what is his precise connection with this channel?

[@yuritatsumicom]

Any products sold in New Zealand?

[@beam3819]

God Bless Ukraine. God Bless the Defenders of Bakhmut. God make the Ruzzians loose the battle in Jesus Name and the Angels fight the good fight against Ruzz.Slava Heros🇺🇦✌️

[@sakanatsuri]

頑張れウクライナ！❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@mikeq7134]

Do you think that that reorganization of the Russian forces at Bakhmut into attack groups is leading to those attack groups taking individual initiatives--new, fresh approaches? For instance, do you think that that new direction for an attack on the city, which you described, might have been the creative initiative that the officers of those attack groups are expected to take? Do you expect that we will see other such battle groups striking out in new directions (and getting destroyed)?

[@_b0h4z4rd7]

If that is the first approach of "creative initiative" by the Russians, they will fail hard, because they don't have any experience with that. Remember the Russian strategy in WW2, when it came to German ground direction Berlin. They could have taken routes to avoid costly battles, but would have arrived in Berlin few days later. They constantly chosen the hard way and lost thousands of soldiers for at least nothing. Did they learn anything? I doubt they'll learn in few months what they haven't learned in decades.