Gen. Mick Ryan on how to cross a river. Or not. Brilliant thread!

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6. Death By Combat

or death by firing squad. I'm guessing failure to meet your objectives has really bad consequences, so why not?

Russian/Soviet military casualty figures from WW I and WW II were much higher than other countries. They have always placed a low priority on their soldier's lives.

The difference today is Russia is standing alone. It has no real allies that can prop it up economically to maintain their high loss rate in soldiers (who knows if women will be conscripted; they were in combat units during WW II) and material. The longer this conflict drags on, the harder it will be for Russia to sustain. Replacement soldiers and material will become harder to produce under economic strain. Ukraine by contrast, has nearly unlimited resources on the material side if NATO continues to send them weapons and support materials. More Ukraine soldiers will be trained and move to the front as time goes by to replace personnel killed or wounded in combat.

The best chance of Russian success probably evaporated in the first days of the conflict.