After almost three weeks of brutal combat and horrendous military and civilian losses, we can make some early observations about the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces and governments.
What is working? Missiles and artillery for both sides. Russia is hammering away daily to destroy Ukrainian neighborhoods, infrastructure, and legitimate military targets. The intention no doubt is to not only cripple the Ukrainian military, but also the people’s will to resist.
On the other side, it is also clear that U.S. Javelin and Stinger missiles in the hands of Ukrainian troops have taken out a good number of Russian tanks and aircraft (both jets and helicopters). It is obvious that the standard Russian tank (the T-72) is no match for an infantryman armed with a Javelin.
Apparently drones are working well also. The Ukrainans have used armed drones (from Turkey) to destroy Russian missile and artillery batteries.
However, as long as Russia has overwhelming numbers of men and materiel, they can and will dictate “battle space”–whether it is in the air, on land, or on the sea. Right now, they have the offensive flow, and continue to take ground (however slowly) from the Ukrainans.
We now know that MiG and Sukhoi jet fighters (in both Russian and Ukrainian air forces) work well. They are the delivery systems for the missile strikes to ground targets. One video shows a Sukhoi 25 “Frogfoot” (basically a flying tank/jet fighter) taking a hit from a missile, but it keeps flying to deliver it’s payload. The old stuff from the Soviet era does indeed work.
Propaganda works. If you take a look at social media or YouTube you will see propaganda pumping out from both nations (and from NATO)–coming at you hard and fast.
And the courage of the Ukrainian people works. Not only are their infantrymen slugging it out daily against overwhelming odds, but their civilians are showing us that they are made of sterner stuff. Whether they are in air raid bunkers tending the wounded, or bravely protesting Russian troops in occupied towns, they are showing the world that they are not capitulating.