Before ‘Paper Bear‘ Putin declared “victory in eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk,” this is what Igor Girkin said on his Telegram channel: “Russian forces had paid too high a price for a limited gain…Girkin noted that the Ukrainian defense of Lysychansk was deliberately designed to inflict maximum damage on Russian troops and burn through Russian manpower and equipment.”

The same Ukrainian defensive plan – ‘inflict maximum damage on Russian troops and burn through Russian manpower and equipment‘ – was used in Severodonetsk also. Similar defensive plan was also used in Mariupol. Think – “Rope-a-dope.”

Muhammad Ali called such defensive tactics – Rope-a-dope. The “dope” in Muhammad Ali’s case was George Foreman. The “dope” in the Severodonetsk & Lysychansk cases was ‘Paper Bear‘ Putin.

‘Norman Mailer described the advantage of Ali’s rope-a-dope this way‘:

Standing on one’s feet it is painful to absorb a heavy body punch even when blocked with one’s arm. The torso, the legs, and the spine take the shock. Leaning on the ropes, however, Ali can pass it along; the rope will receive the strain.

‘Paper Bear‘ Putin has been burning through “Russian manpower and equipment” for a tad over 4-months now…with devastating losses. More Russian Troops have been lost during these 4-months+ than the entire losses in their 10-year Afghanistan War.

Assessment, July 4:

Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated the Russian seizure of Lysychansk and the Luhansk Oblast border and appeared to direct the Russian military to conduct an operational pause…Putin and Shoigu presented the capture of Lysychansk and Luhansk Oblast as a major victory for Russian forces in Ukraine. Putin also stated that the Russian units that participated in the battle for Lysychansk should rest to increase their combat capabilities…It is not clear, however, that the Russian military will accept the risks of a long enough operational pause to allow these likely exhausted forces to regain their strength.

Former Russian military commander Igor Girkin, an ardent Russian nationalist who commanded militants during the 2014 war in Donbas, posted a scathing critique of the Kremlin’s handling of the war on his Telegram channel and questioned the significance of the seizure of Lysychansk. He suggested that Russian forces had paid too high a price for a limited gain…Girkin noted that the Ukrainian defense of Lysychansk was deliberately designed to inflict maximum damage on Russian troops and burn through Russian manpower and equipment. He strongly suggested that accepting battle on the Ukrainians‘ terms was a significant misstep by the Russian leadership.

Girkin’s critique is a noteworthy example of the way Russian milbloggers and military enthusiasts have become disillusioned with the Kremlin’s handling and execution of operations in Ukraine, particularly after the dramatic failed river crossing attempt at Bilohorivka in early May…Girkin’s assessment of Russian military failures notably aligns with much of ISW’s (and other Western agencies’ and experts’) analysis, suggesting that he and some other milbloggers continue to make and publish assessments of the situation and forecasts independent of the Kremlin line.

Will also be posting this to my Big Brother Report blog…

Big Brother is WATCHING YOU – ‘There were five forms of governance that migrated from theory to reality in the 20th Century: Socialism, Communism, Fascism, Nazism and Progressivism. The common denominator among them was unprecedented control and regulation by the State over human activity. It is delusional to think that the Totalitarian impulse expired with the 20th Century.’ – E. Nuff Said

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