Russian invasion of Ukraine

[YUPPIE]

Say that to their military and their year long, 3-day operation.

despite all the tough sanction talk, even on the military front well into June, Russia is still launching waves of missiles and drones (supplied from Iran) and even took Bahkmut. Keep in mind months ago optimistic propaganda said Russia would soon run out of manpower and missiles.

But they still haven't

[Gabriel]

Russia is very much intentionally targeting civilians, as well as coordinating the mass rape, torture, and genocide elsewhere. You may think why, what, purpose?

The purpose is terror tactics, to demoralize the enemy by illustrating that if they don't surrender, they'll kill babies (which they already have though). Like how drug cartels instill fear in their turf to keep people in line, this is what is ingrained into Russian culture and socieity; a culture that thrives on oppression and violence.

Do you think Nazis tried to exterminate all of the Jews to terrorize the rest? No.

Russia does what it does because it tries to genocide Ukrainians. It just so happens that Russia is so very very bad at everything it does, that even attempted genocide comes across as petty terror tactics.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

despite all the tough sanction talk, even on the military front well into June, Russia is still launching waves of missiles and drones (supplied from Iran) and even took Bahkmut. Keep in mind months ago optimistic propaganda said Russia would soon run out of manpower and missiles.

But they still haven't

The intent of Propaganda is to moralize your side and/or demoralize your enemy.

In Russia, the propaganda has been, for the last 15 months, that Ukraine was going to fall any day now

But it still hasn't

[Dontrike]

Keep in mind months ago optimistic propaganda said Russia would soon run out of manpower and missiles.

But they still haven't

And they have been running out, it's why their "manpower" is essentially untrained teenagers. Believe it or not they still have bodies that can fight/make shit, but their resources are dwindling quickly. It's why they're suggesting the populace work at factories for the war effort or working more, unpaid, hours. They're struggling in a dozen ways and eventually the only tanks they'll have are the ones stationed to defend Putin and nothing more.

[Elegiac]

The intent of Propaganda is to moralize your side and/or demoralize your enemy.

In Russia, the propaganda has been, for the last 15 months, that Ukraine was going to fall any day now

But it still hasn't

Also, let's be clear here: Russia is very much out of missiles, and out of manpower. Which is precisely why they're having to rely on shoddily made Iranian imports and resorting to mercenaries and convict soldiers.

Bakhmut has been massively overhyped, to boot; the win condition for Ukraine was holding it long enough to bleed Russia of manpower and materiel, which they accomplished. What Russia has gained in exchange for all the lives and rubles it poured into it is a practically deserted ruin of no strategic importance, and where Ukraine is able to replenish its materiel via Western aid and is getting even more sophisticated equipment, Russia is having to rely on a choking economy to replace its losses with inferior garbage.

The fact that the tone of discussions has shifted from "how long can Ukraine hold out" to "how long can Russia hold on to Donbas and Crimea" should be telling enough. Let's not forget this gem from March of last year:

Ukraine can last at least two more weeks, if nothing drastic happens, but I expect Kiev to be encircled by that time, but not gone