Winston Churchill had said that “the devil is hidden in the details” and by liberating most of Kherson the Russian forces revealed many details of their situation, showing the future of this illegal invasion.
Most of the retreating Russian forces left their positions with characteristic indiscipline. Armed long-range rocket launchers were found overturned on the side of a ring road on the outskirts of Kherson. Complete S-300 system, a fully functional attack helicopter. Ammunition warehouses with hundreds of mortars and thousands of materials. Motor vehicles and chariots, uniforms and other clothing, identity cards and other insignia, recently used food, and Russian flags. Looted houses in a tragic state as well as all kinds of sofa beds and chairs, computers, and televisions of all sizes in checkpoints, warehouses, and makeshift facilities used by the invaders. The complete lack of discipline in communications is demonstrated by the fact that Ukrainian counter-intelligence apparently easily intercepted telephone communications indicating that the orders the soldiers are receiving are misunderstood and that something big is waiting to happen. Telephone communications on sensitive matters of subsistence, equipment, payroll measures, and the discomfort of petty commanders for the highest hierarchy.
Russia’s special forces are tired.
Returning civilians are poorly equipped and trained, sent to the front as easy fodder for the Ukrainian “cannons” and even as bait for Wagner’s mercenaries. If it takes 40 days of basic training and just a decent piece of equipment to fight a formidable opponent with a good chance of survival, how many weeks and what equipment does a special forces soldier need to get in behind enemy lines and conduct operations beyond? from enemy lines. from basic human limits? Russian special forces are tired with no morale and problematized as to the objective. Already several have been arrested in civilian clothes trying to escape from their Ukrainian hunters who were trained and will be trained with the appropriate equipment even for knives in France, Germany, UK etc.
Much of the above could have been avoided if there were properly trained non-commissioned officers with a sense and Russia is suffering from “sharks” Drill Sergeants. A non-commissioned officer who should be checking who has a mobile phone and who is unwittingly diffing information about muster points and details of equipment and time constraints. A non-commissioned officer who had arranged and would keep a sufficient number of explosives to blow up any useful military material and not fall into the hands of the enemy. He would have made sure to leave no traces behind and of course no identifying evidence of classified and other information about this group and his platoon. A properly trained non-commissioned officer would have made sure that his men had higher morale and did not call their parents in tears cursing the military leadership and the president of their country himself. Ukrainian Defense Forces as well the Political leaders along with the Ukrainian population and the support of the West; will keep fighting for the liberation of the rest of the areas during the winter and they will not accept any kind of ceasefire.
Russia will lose this war that she started, not only because what she did was unjust and will be punished by the unwritten and written laws of war, but because of the gap between the top political and military leadership and the base of society and the military. it’s also cracked for something even bigger. Russia will lose this war because Ukraine is better at all of the above and is right on their side. Winston Churchill had said in 1940 that “the Greeks fought like heroes” he would say the same today if he lived for the Ukrainian soldiers and the Ukrainian people.