The size of the fight in the dog

"Note to Vladimir. Call it a day. Retreat to Russia, and get ready to pay a boatload of war reparations to Ukraine. This was a stupid venture from the start, and it is not getting any better." 

Mark Twain is rumored to have said, "It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but rather the size of the fight in the dog." I thought about that old saying this weekend, when the news started leaking out that the Russians were actually getting beat in the eastern regions of Ukraine. So much so, some troops were (reportedly), turning tail and running. Why? War is an awful business, and it gets old very fast. Especially when the goals of fighting are ill defined. For many of the Russians, this war has been a mystery. For just about all Ukrainians, this war is for their absolute survival.

From the get-go, this war has been a folly. Putin's folly. I don't know if Putin's generals were blowing sunshine at Putin, or if they were out and out lying to him. This very short war, has turned into a very expensive slugfest. So much so, that tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have now assumed room temperature. In fact, some of Russia's most elite troops are counted among the dead. Along with some of Russia's top generals.

Even though the Russian Army has known for some time now, how tough the Ukraine fighters are, this counter-offensive has caught them off guard. Way off guard. By the time the Russian forces knew what hit them, the Ukrainian fighters had retaken almost 500 square miles of occupied land. That was HUGE! How big is the fight in the dog with the Ukrainian fighters? Like Bulldogs or German Shepard's. How big is the fight in the dog with the Russians? Maybe like a Shih Tzu.

Now that the Ukraine has shown the world how ordinary the Russian Army is, that leaves Putin with only two things to fight with. Energy and nukes. It is unlikely Putin would escalate the war using nukes, but he could try and break the back of NATO by using his energy. And speaking of which, the cold months are right around the corner. Is Europe prepared for this? Are we, to help them out? Stay tuned.

How could the Russians have done so poorly in this war? One expert said the Russian were using weapons and strategies which were very effective 10 years ago - but not today. The Ukrainians however, are using many weapons which are state of the art. The SM-2 missiles for example, will take out even the most modern of Russian fighter jets. So much so, many Russian jets dare only to loiter by the border. 

The anti-tank weapons have been extremely effective, and sometimes the skies are thick with drones. Some drones for recon, others to be "hunter/killer" drones. The long range arty which has been supplied to Ukraine, is unmatched by what the Russian Army has. The HIMARS in particular, has been very effective.

Note to Vladimir. Call it a day. Retreat to Russia, and get ready to pay a boatload of war reparations to Ukraine. This was a stupid venture from the start, and it is not getting any better. Try peace next time Mr. Putin. Your standing in the world will end up looking much better - and there will not a price on your head by the Hague.