The Russo-Ukrainian War 1

 
 
 

Vocabulary

 

 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, US Army (Retired): “I believe the Russians has a “shock and awe” campaign, that they’d rush in, get down to Kyiv quickly, depose Zelensky, put in their own puppet regime . . . and then let Ukrainians accept that as a fait accompli. And then move on.

What they’ve found out is quite the opposite.”

Despite being outnumbered, Ukrainian forces have so far held up the Russian invasion.

Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt, US Army (Ret): “They are not confronting the Russians in a conventional sense, tank-on-tank, airplane-on-airplane.

They’re interdicting the supply lines. They are checking out, finding out opportunities to use their Javelins to go against the tanks. They are using their Stinger Missiles to go after the helicopters.

This is more partisan warfare: small groups of military and territorial forces picking off the Russian tanks one at a time.

They’ve probably knocked out over a hundred-plus tanks. The Russians have such a large army that they can keep flowing in more and more tanks.

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The problem with the Russians is not their equipment; it’s their tactics. Even though they came from a huge training in Belarus, I didn’t see them maneuvering the way a well-trained army would.

They are certainly not moving anywhere as quickly as they had planned. The reason is twofold.

Number one, they’ve been sloppy. They’ve been ill-disciplined. They’ve lost their supplies. They’ve run out of food.

And then the second reason, of course, is the stiff, tough resistance that has been shown by the Ukrainian forces. All the way from the professional military down to the territorial forces.

Footage from the ground shows the Ukrainian army launching counter attacks on Russian troops.

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Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt, US Army (Ret): “They are moving properly, the way you move to an ambush site. They seemed to be well-disciplined. They seem to be in the correct formations as they move forward.

They obviously got hit by probably a guard unit that was protecting the tanks. And that’s where you can hear the fire coming in from the Russian side. They were talking to their higher headquarters on either their cell-phones or their radios.

Higher headquarter probably told them to withdraw. Withdrawing under fire is a very difficult task. But they seem to do it quite well.

This unit was obviously well-trained. They did it exactly by the book.

Russia was said to control at most about 10% of Ukraine two weeks into the invasion, according to US assessments.

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Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt, US Army (Ret): “The Russian strategy, unfortunately is working well as they shell the cities. You can see the massive destruction taken inside the cities, the bombing of the protective sites, shooting the maternity ward using rockets and artillery, well before using a whole lot of troops are classic Russian tactics.
I spend years and years facing across the border from East German and Russian forces.

I thought their tactics in their books are pretty refined. What I’m seeing are World War Two tactics being used by the Russians. These are not new tactics; these are very, very old tactics.”

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Questions

Gun, Rifle, Pistol. What was Russia’s initial military plan? Has everything gone according to plan?

Machine Gun. Is the Ukrainian Army fighting the Russian army in pitched battles, or waging a guerrilla campaign?

Grenade, Hand Grenade. The Ukrainian forces are fighting the Russian invaders with tanks, fighter jets, cruise missiles and artillery. True or false?

Grenade Launcher, Shoulder Fired Missile, Rocket Launcher. Is the Russian military well-trained, well-led and professional?

Rocket, Missile. The Ukrainian soldiers have panicked and fled to other countries. Is this right or wrong?

Artillery, Mortar. Do Russian soldiers take initiatives on the ground? Do they have a lot of autonomy and leeway, or is there a rigid command structure?

Tank, Armored Vehicle, Troop Carrier. Has the Russian military refined their tactics and improved their fighting techniques?

Supply Truck. Was the brigadier general surprised by the course of the Ukrainian invasion?
 
 
 
Warplane, Jet Fighter, Bomber. I am familiar with many different wars, weapons, tactics and strategies. Yes or no?

Helicopter. Who are some great or famous generals or military leaders? What are some famous or important wars and battles?

Drones. Which nations have had great armies or warriors?

Helmet, Flak Jacket, Bullet-Proof Vest. Is there a lot of glorification of war and fighting and soldiers and fighters?

Camouflage. My friends and I would like to be “soldiers of fortune” or action heroes.

Radio, Antenna. What might happen in the future?

Warship, Destroyer, Frigate. What could or should people, governments and Hollywood do?