The days of our jackal

"These are the days of our jackal. Our new Hitler. The world's bad guy. Putin is going down. We know it, he knows it. The only question is this - will be take the rest of the world down with him?"

Some think we have now entered the most dangerous time in the Ukraine War. Why? I thought the Ukrainians were doing well. They are. Maybe too well. In the beginning, the Ukrainian Army fought the best Russia has to offer, and did not break. In fact, as summer continued, the Ukrainians received more and more very effective weaponry from us and NATO. Now into September, the Russian Army looks more like the Iranian Army did, after Desert Storm.

Vladimir Putin continues to prowl around like a caged jackal. His army, which he is so proud of, has taken a beating. How much so? The number of Russian casualties to date is somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 troops. That includes some of his best special forces and high level generals. He has lost 25% of his tanks. Some of his remaining troops have turned tail and run, as shells from the M777 Howitzers rained down. Russian soldiers have abandoned their heavy armor as the rockets from the HIMARS systems, found their marks. If you were in a Russian uniform, these are very bad days.

What does that leave Putin with? There is a real possibility that Russia could lose this war. Not only lose the war, but also have dozens (or hundreds) of their leaders wanted for war crimes. Billions of dollars in restitution for Ukraine could also be in the offing. In light of these bleak outcomes, Putin is left with one option, and one only. Nukes. He continues to  threaten NATO countries like Germany and the UK with nuclear mayhem. Russian TV just reported that Russia could turn London into a "Martian landscape". And what a tempting target London would be with the Queen's funeral going on. 

From a military perspective, this war has been of interest to see the difference between the Russian weapons and the ones supplied to Ukraine from NATO. Russia's order of battle has always been to throw everything at an enemy but the kitchen sink. Use saturation attacks. Instead of smart weapons, Russia uses and lots of dumb ones. Odds are, some will hit their mark.

Ukraine on the other hand, is using some of our latest and greatest stuff. Very smart munitions. "Shoot and scoot" delivery systems. Just the HIMARS system alone, has given the Russians fits. In fact, the "best" anti-air system in the world (S-400 missile system), has had a tough time countering the HIMARS system. 

Biden was on 60 Minutes yesterday. When asked about Putin using nukes, Biden responded by warning Putin - "Don't, don't, don't".  Even a tactical nuke in Ukraine would tip the kettle. Start a fire which maybe could not be contained. In other words, the nuclear war many have worked to hard to avoid during the past 70 years, might happen after all.

These are the days of our jackal. Our new Hitler. The world's bad guy. Putin is going down. We know it, he knows it. The only question is this - will be take the rest of the world down with him?