@Render
Two questions about just how thoroughly Russia has fucked itself:
1. How many years before Russia could rebuild their forces and materiel to the point they could legitimately threaten any other nation with anything outside of nuclear weapons?
2. Could they even defend Moscow from a ground assault at this point?
2: Depending on who is conducting and who is involved in making that assault...
If it was just Ukraine by itself then yes, the Russians could defend Moscow.
Never underestimate the Russian capacity for defending their own territory, or the sheer numbers of Russian partisans that would show up to fight.
@Render
Thanks.
The fantasy scenario I was imagining didn't have Ukraine taking on Moscow solo, but with some limited NATO assistance. For example, Poland rolling in with their M1A2 battalions.
@Render
I was just thinking that Putin has really left his country poorly defended. Nukes don't really count as defensive weapons.
@voltronic Two US Army Corps and two NATO corps could do it. But it would take both of those NATO Corps to hold the MSR and other supply routes/depots along the way.
At that point we're practically asking for a Russian nuke strike on that invading army.
Poland alone could take Kaliningrad and all of Belarus in a matter of weeks. But they do not have the logistics capability to go further.
@Render @voltronic As long as one of those Army Corps is the 18th ;-)
@ceerg Tis indeed. The other one is Vth (heavy) Corp.
@Render @voltronic Makes sense tactically. One light, one mechanized.
@ceerg You know I have a plan...
@Render @ceerg @voltronic
Ok, you have to share. If you hadn't said something about it......... but now you have to share. ( Digs out old spiral notebook and puts on readers.)
@Render Roger that. We've spoken about it a time or two. @voltronic
@Render @voltronic yeah, invading Russia is never a solid idea.
@voltronic
1: It took Putin and his people 22yrs to build the army that they've now lost. Even if they successfully withdraw entirely from mainland Ukraine in the next 72hrs, that army is finished. It will take a minimum of another two decades (without sanctions) to build a new one of its size.
...