Land Destroyer: Russian Operations in Ukraine: Week 5 Update

March 29, 2022 (The New Atlas) - Russian operations in Ukraine enter week 5. Despite claims Russia is stalled, frustrated, and without a plan, it appears that Russia is doing precisely in Ukraine what it successfully did in Syria from 2015 onward in the systematic taking of population centers.

I also discuss constant accusations by the West regarding “chemical weapons,” as well as a breakdown on how Russia will approach, encircle, and take population centers, just as it recently did to Mariupol.

References:

US Department of Defense - Senior Defense Official Holds a Background Briefing (March 25, 2022):

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2979038/senior-defense-official-holds-a-background-briefing/

TASS - Operation in Ukraine proceeds as planned, first stage goals complete (March 25, 2022):

https://tass.com/politics/1427617

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - Russia Says 1,351 Of Its Soldiers Have Died In Ukraine, Well Below Western Estimates:

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-death-toll-1351/31770672.html#:~:text=RL's%20Russian%20Service-,Russia%20Says%201%2C351%20Of%20Its%20Soldiers%20Have%20Died%20In%20Ukraine,been%20killed%20in%20the%20conflict.

Wall Street Journal - NATO: Up to 40,000 Russian Troops Killed, Wounded, Taken Prisoner or Missing in Ukraine:

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-03-23/card/russia-lost-up-to-40-000-troops-in-ukraine-nato-estimates-xyZjWxinMDHzdeRZvAeD

Combating Terrorism Center at West Point - Russia’s Battlefield Success in Syria: Will It Be a Pyrrhic Victory? (2019):

https://ctc.usma.edu/russias-battlefield-success-syria-will-pyrrhic-victory/

The Harvard Gazette - Russia’s remaining weapons are horrific and confounding: