https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-6-2026/

 

While some might say reading this that Putin is delusional and living in an alternative world, he’s crazy like a fox. Remember, one of his long-term war aims is destroying NATO. Ukraine is merely a steppingstone to doing that.

 

Right now, he has nothing to gain by agreeing to a peace treaty of any kind that doesn’t give him control of Ukraine. Anything short of that will lead to his supporters questioning why did Russia invade in the first place.

 

Second, he sees an opportunity to link the Iran conflict to his war with Ukraine and put more pressure on the U.S. His read of Epic Fury is that Russia can survive that sort of onslaught and the U.S. doesn’t have enough weapons to conduct that kind of campaign against Russia. While the country could survive, I don’t think the Red Army and Air Force will. Any involvement of NATO in the Ukraine War will lead to an air campaign that isolate Red Army units so they can be destroyed piecemeal. If the Red Air Force tries to intercede, it will face an adversary against which it cannot compete, given the number of F-35s in NATO inventories.   

 

Bottom line is that Putin is a wounded, cornered animal. On one side he is fighting a war he cannot win. On another, he has an economy that has serious financial problems and his source of money is shrinking. Another limit is manpower. Russia is running our of military age males.  And last, Ukraine’s drone war against the Russian Army’s logistics infrastructure and Russian oil is limiting the Red Army’s ability to sustain itself in the field, maneuver and ultimately fight.

 

Unlike Hitler, Putin does not believe he will go down in a blaze of glory. He thinks he can win and Russia can again be the third dominant world power. Hence his positions.

 

Marc Liebman

https://www.marcliebman.com

https://www.facebook.com/marcliebmanauthor/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_sDoFQM5wupNaCeGIvKL1g

 

Author of:

Cherubs 2                                                        Raider of the Scottish Coast                

Big Mother 40                                                 Carronade

Render Harmless                                         Death of a Lady

Forgotten                                                         Last Battles

Inner Look                                                       For a Few Francs

Moscow Airlift                                              Predators

The Simushir Island Incident                Fight We Shall

Flight of the Pawnee                                 Prices of Opportunity

Failure to Fire                                                 Insidious Dragon

The Red Star of Death

 

Member of:

The Author’s Guild                                    Military Writers Society of America

Association of Texas Authors              North American Snowsport Journalists Association

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