BQ78 said:
So how do you see this ending? With the Russian military destroyed and/or Ukraine ground into a fine dust? I just find the whole thing tragic at this point.
There's no telling, but I think both. If some of the reports from eastern Ukraine are true, the Russians are hitting the bottom of the barrel and can't mount effective operations. However, the Ukrainians have likely experienced heavy losses as well. Still, they'll try to push the Russians out of the east and may be successful with Western standoff weapons.
The Russians are going to waste men and materials until they're all dead or they can take the entire country, so it comes down to who will hit a breaking point first. I would like to think it's the Russians and their forces on the east finally say, "**** it, this isn't worth dying for," and give up en masse or the Russian economy finally implodes and Russian civilians and military decide the whole thing is a ****show that isn't worth it, but who knows how long that could take.
On the other hand, the Ukrainians are almost at a point where they have nothing to lose. Russia will destroy Ukrainian culture and wipe them off the face of the earth if they can, and the Ukrainians know this, so they might as well go big and take as many Russians with them as they can.
It is tragic, but it is what it is at this point.
