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Ukraine: Were do we go from here? [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-09-27

As a student of modern warfare I have been watching the events in the Ukraine unfold over the past 2 years and what I take away from it. Russia's military ability was strongly overstated. I had my views that the Russian military was nothing more than window dressing and not the be all, end all military power that the media made it to be. This was evident in the opening days of the war when Russia fell sort of taking the Capital of Kyiv. T he war turned into a grind and the Russian military is just trying to hang on. This is at a cost to the USA spending 5% to 10% of its defense budget to take out over 50% of Russia 's Military that was once considered to be the 2nd most powerful military in the world it is no longer.

Of the support that the US and western nations have provided Ukraine is for the most part all older 2nd hand equipment . This was equipment that we would have been phased out of service as it is or giving it to other nations just to get it off our hands. Let's put this into perspective, The US is giving Ukraine some hand me downs that would have gone to the Goodwill if not for this conflict. For example M-113 and Hummers. Then more modern vehicles like the M1 tanks and M2 infantry fighting vehicles are all older models not the equipment that our front line units are using. Even the F-16 that Ukraine will be getting at some point are all as the result of being phased out due to the F-35 coming into service. You ask what about the ammo? Even ammo has a shelf life and it needs to be used and replaced at some point. With the US now sending 155mm DPICM shells and if they give the MLRS the cluster rounds we are in no risk of running the Ukraine out of ammo any time soon.

Some of you will ask what does the US and allies get from supporting the Ukraine? First we are dismantling the Russia military and putting Putin on notice. If the Putin invasion of the Ukraine was successful he would not have stopped. We know he has a master plan to bring back the Russian Empire and this endangers Europe. Stopping Putin has more than just effecting Russia, China is witnessing that if it attempts to take Taiwan or any other land grab that there will be a cost and there will be strong repercussions. In many ways the war in Ukraine is a denture from Xi trying any foolish land grabs. If the War in Ukraine comes out with any positive effect for Putin then this gives Xi hope that China could take Taiwan and settle with the west on a positive note.

Let's look at this the other way round. What would have happened if Ukraine had fallen in the opening hours of the Russian invasion and there was a Russia Victory parade in Kyiv that year and the west provided limited to no support to Ukraine? Putin's forces would be pressing NATO borders and Xi would have already launched his assault on Taiwan and we would be in a World War. We have seen this in history before in the Last World War.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/27/2195526/-Ukraine-Were-do-we-go-from-here

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