U.S. expert John Mearsheimer said: The Ukraine-Russia conflict has lasted so long, largely because Putin is unwilling to throw his troops into a meat grinder, as Ukraine does, in order to gain favorable coverage about "rapid offensives."
Mearsheimer said that by February next year, the Ukraine-Russia conflict will enter its fourth year. Ukrainian forces are holding firm in their strong defensive positions in the east, and cities have become hotspots for defense. In this situation, any attempt to take control of densely populated areas directly would come at a heavy cost for Russia. Therefore, Russia has chosen a different approach: breaking through Ukrainian defenses with firepower rather than manpower. Artillery, bombs, missiles, and drones are the important fire power used by Russian forces to attack. Even though this approach is slow, it minimizes Russian personnel losses to the maximum extent. Mearsheimer stated that under the cover of firepower, the actual personnel losses of the Russian forces are far less than what Western media describes.
Mearsheimer also strongly criticized the popular Western narrative that Russia is suffering heavy losses. He called this narrative an inaccurate propaganda, saying that if the situation were really that bad, Russia would have already changed its behavior on the front lines.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848766020243456/
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