Despite the size of the Russian military, it is failing to take control of Ukraine in a decisive way. This can be attributed to two main factors. The first of these is the fierce resistance that the Ukrainians are showing in defending their homeland. Assisted by their NATO allies they have successfully stalled the Russian invasion.

The second factor to consider are the strategic errors that the Russian Military is making. Some western military analysts are questioning whether it is possible for Russia to recover from the substantial losses that Ukraine has inflicted. According to news reports Russia has already suffered 7,000 casualties, more than double the number that Ukraine has lost.

Here we look at some of most significant Russian military mistakes.

Poor logistics

Resupplying the front line with fuel, ammunition and food is a basic requirement for any army on the move. Yet the Russians are failing to co-ordinate these logistics. There are numerous reports of Russians trucks and tanks running out of fuel and being abandoned.

Maintenance also appears to be a significant problem as most of the vehicles have been operating on the border for the last few months with no maintenance. This has led to Russians trucks breaking down and being towed away by Ukrainian forces.

Military analysts also suggest that Russia may be close to exhausting some of their important munitions. It is estimated that they have already fired around 900 long range missiles. With the crippling sanctions being imposed on Russia these will be difficult to replace.

Low morale

With such high numbers of Russian troops already wounded and dead it is not surprising that morale is running low. These losses extend beyond human lives as a large amount of equipment has also been destroyed by the Ukrainians.

According to various sources this includes 230 Russian tanks that have been disabled or abandoned. Ukrainian forces have also shot down 39 military aircraft and 40 helicopters.

Another major issue for the Russian troops is the length of time they have been deployed in preparation for the invasion. Most of them spent several months in harsh winter conditions waiting for the conflict to begin.

Overconfident leadership

The biggest miscalculation by Russian military leaders was to underestimate the Ukrainian resistance. They assumed that they could easily occupy Ukraine with their superior numbers of armed forces.

Russia spends $60 billion annually on defense, in contrast to Ukraine’s $4 billion. But unlike the wins that the apuestas deportivas Chile offers, these figures are misleading. What is more important is the motivation of the soldiers doing the actual fighting.

NATO reports suggest that many of the Russian troops were unaware that they would be invading Ukraine and instead believed they were simply doing a military exercise. They now find themselves experiencing heavy losses and facing a shortage of critical supplies.

Conclusion

Russia has failed to accomplish the quick victory they were hoping to achieve. This has stopped their momentum and given the Ukrainian forces hope that they can resist the invasion. Hopefully the combination of international sanctions and the fierce Ukrainian opposition will soon bring this humanitarian crisis to an end.