So, I'm no expert, but I'm quite certain this agreement to allow civilians to evacuate is just a publicity stunt from Putin. He already knows many have chosen to stay and fight; he's trying to put on a show that he's offering an opportunity for them to leave before he wipes them out. He will claim any deaths aren't civilians anymore.
He's doing a really shitty job of "wiping them out" so far, the Russians are taking higher casualties than the Ukrainians are.
@mcfate yes he is, it begs the question about his military's raw ordnance firepower. Is he just choosing not to use everything subnuclear on purpose? Or is he not capable of using it? I don't understand what's going on in his head right now. Or is this a byproduct of years of Hollywood hyping us to think Russia is more than it is as a military superpower? I admit I'm genuinely ignorant here. Something isn't right on his end.
@mcfate absolutely. This is what happens when nobody in the chain of command can say no to their superior, and the superiors don't invest in the needs of their subordinates.
Well, people can always say no. He's not invulnerable, he can't transform into a giant robot.
@lacuda
I'm personally leaning toward the "too much Hollywood".
What I'm seeing is a lot of not-all-that-impressive, poorly-maintained equipment, largely being run by under-trained, under-fed grunts who not only don't want to be there, but were basically dragged there under false pretenses and threats.
Russia's corrupt from top to bottom and back again, and that probably goes double for their military contractors. They've got rations that expired in 2015.