This sounds like a massive unstoppable force, but perspective is important.
On the first day of the Desert Storm ground campaign (the advance from Saudi Arabia into Kuwait, not the one from Kuwait into Iraq), coalition forces were split into five groups for the advance into Kuwait. The largest of these groups rolled in with 1500 tanks, 1400 APCs, 250 helicopters and 150,000 troops (among other units/assets). That is just one of the five groups (the US/British one) and they rolled in after a sustained aerial/artillery/MLRS bombardment involving more aircraft/artillery/MLRS than Russia has in it's total arsenal.
For added perspective Iraq had less anti tank weapons, less precision artillery and less air support in occupied Kuwait than Ukraine has at it's disposal, and the coalition still felt it needed to commit all that and more (there were four other other well armed groups remember).
The news outlets and bloggers who think that the pitiful numbers Russia has amassed for this are going to easily overwhelm Ukraine's defences are the same deluded types who also think Germany ever had greater than zero chance of invading the UK. Not to say this offensive will simply run into the defences like a cheese grater, there will probably be gains, but it will mostly consist of Ukraine tactically falling back while they grate that cheese down.
Last edited:
