As with everything, it depends on what you mean by the term. Battalion Tactical Grouping just means a combined arms (tank, infantry, engineers, etc.) force of around 500-600. That is unexceptional. Combined arms is fairly settled doctrine.
IIRC, you and I had differing opinions on whether or not Putin would attack, with my saying he would. Maybe I understood Putin a little better...
Here is what happens. If you form a BTG out of a brigade, you cannibalize the other two battalions of that brigade (in the sense of moving all the kontrakniki to the BTG, and leave the other two manned by conscripts, moving all the modern kit to the BTG and move the "hangar queens," habitually unserviceable vehicles in the other two battalions o the brigade).Moscow Resurrects Battalion Tactical Groups
At the heart of the reform of Russia’s Armed Forces, launched in October 2008, was the aim to create “permanent readiness” brigades, principally to facilitate rapid deployment and enhance combat capability and combat readiness. It is now a source of furrowed brows among the country’s top brass...jamestown.org
I just thought he was smarter than this. I really thought Gerasimov and Shoigu would talk him out of this.IIRC, you and I had differing opinions on whether or not Putin would attack, with my saying he would. Maybe I understood Putin a little better...
Personally, I think Putin was being regularly and habitually lied to about the state of readiness. I've seen estimates of up to 50% of the funding put into "modernization" of their armed forces being siphoned off into oligarch's pockets...
In the beginning, I agreed that it was a typical Putin-styled and sized bluff. However, as he began to appear more and more ill and isolated, I began to think that we were looking at a bucket-list, legacy, end of life situation and his thinking was distorted. (And based on extremely faulty data.)
Except for the fact that it prevented my posting the link on TF, I really didn't have a problem with the language.
Shelby, there appear to be two - one on 3/15 and one on 3/25. Which were you referring to?
The one dated March 15. I haven't seen the one dated 3/25, but I'm sure it's equally informative.
Man, that's a powerful video - @Tidewater has been telling us for a long time that Russia is screwed demographically but I didn't know it was looming like this. They're done.
There is one oblast that has more than replacement growth (2.1 children per woman): Buryatia, in central Asia.
If you take 50% of the Russian military budget, now your talking the military budget of Italy.
The writer had some figures to back up his opinion. It was not off the top of his head. In the end, the RFA turned out to be like western cowboy towns' false store fronts...
Actually, he ascended in the 17th but reigned into the 18th. The last time Russia tried to take on Finland, it came out with a bloody nose. It's very close to a bloody nose in Ukraine, if we can arm Ukraine quickly enough. If I weren't convinced before that he's lost it, I'm sure now. That's definitely steroid-fueled grandiose thinking...Putin and Peter the Great: Russian leader likens himself to 18th Century tsar
With a nod to history, Putin now feels bold enough to admit that his operation is an occupation.www.bbc.com
