Russia has reportedly seen tens of thousands of its soldiers killed or injured since it launched the internationally condemned war just over five months ago on February 24. more than 75,000 Moscow forces are estimated to have been killed or wounded since the invasion began. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed such reports as “fake news” on Thursday. Hertling, who previously served as commander of US Army Europe and the Seventh Army, weighed in on what the losses and Moscow’s rapid push to replenish troops mean for its future efforts in Ukraine. Russia is setting itself up for failure in its rush to replenish forces in the war against Ukraine, retired US Army General Mark Hertling said. Above, Russian National Guard officers march during the Victory Day Parade in Red Square on May 9, 2022, in Moscow. Getty Images “As many know, if the reconstitution/regeneration of casualty units is rushed or done incorrectly, it damages morale and combat ability exponentially. This ranks ABOVE dysfunctional logistics in dooming an army to failure,” Hertling argued. “Well, Russia does that too,” he added. As many know, if the reconstitution/regeneration of units that have suffered losses is rushed or not done properly, it damages morale and combat ability exponentially. This ranks ABOVE dysfunctional logistics in dooming an army to failure. So Russia has that going on too. https://t.co/JW9K81Cp6O — Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) July 28, 2022 The retired general made the comment as he shared a post discussing Slotkin’s remarks on CNN. The post explained: “Something that is not often talked about is Russia’s rebuilding process. They are trying to rebuild units with troops that have never worked together, that are completely exhausted and that don’t want to be there in the first place.” In her comments to CNN, Slotkin said: “We have been informed that over 75,000 Russians have either been killed or injured. [in Ukraine], which is huge. … Over 80 percent of their ground forces are bogged down and tired.” To put 75,000 in perspective, fewer than 2,500 US troops have been killed in nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan, and fewer than 21,000 have been wounded. Speaking on MSNBC Thursday morning, retired US Navy Admiral James Stavridis debunked Russia’s battle plans and strategic failures. Stavridis previously served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe. “As it’s gone forward, the Russians have just shown very little appetite or willingness to improve,” Stavridis said. “This is true not only of the botched logistics efforts, but they also continue these blatant war crimes; their battle plans are laughably bad as a general proposition.” Putin and other Kremlin officials reportedly believed they would quickly take control of most of Ukraine and overthrow the government in Kyiv when they launched the invasion. After the full-scale offensive began, Moscow’s forces struggled to make significant gains and failed in the initial phase of the war. The Russians then resumed their efforts, focusing on the southeast of the country. Kremlin leaders continue to try to justify the attack on Ukraine with the outlandish claim that the country is run by Nazis. In fact, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish and had family members who died during the Holocaust perpetuated by the Nazi Germans in World War II. When Zelensky was elected with nearly three-quarters of the vote in 2019, Ukraine’s prime minister was also Jewish. Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment. US and NATO allies have provided billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Weapons, intelligence and strategic reinforcements from the West have been credited by many analysts with substantially improving Ukraine’s capabilities against Russia. At the same time, Ukrainians have exceeded the expectations of Western allies – as the nation’s military and ordinary citizens have fought back hard against Moscow’s unprovoked aggression.
