Scott Ritter’s Unforced Error – Russia’s Military Operation in Ukraine…

by Larry Johnson at A Son of the New American Revolution

Scott Ritter created a bit of a stir over the weekend with a comment suggesting the Russians have fumbled the ball and set themselves up for Stalingrad like victory (i.e., a long and bloody struggle). I think Scott is wicked smart and we played golf together–he treated me and another who shall remain nameless at the Army Navy Club course in Virginia a few years ago. I disagree with this bit of Scott’s analysis. My other respected friend, the old squid Andrei Martyanov, also likes Scott and offers a counterpoint:

Or, what could be termed as “what Scott missed.”  I still deeply respect Scott’s position and his courage but my disagreement with his recent statement on SMO is of a purely technical nature. Let me explain. Here is a simple operational truism since 1980s: if I see you (target), I will destroy you. And here is where Scott might have missed some points, which I make all the time for years and which explain why his assertion that some US “technology” and money (most of them will be stolen and laundered inside the US) have very little impact, if any on SMO. Here is this fact: there are ONLY two countries which have a state-of-the-art ISR complex, from satellites in space to massive optronic and signal intel. Right, these are US and Russia.

For American person, especially the one who remembered Russia in 1990s it is sometimes inconceivable to grasp a simple fact that Russia has in many respects a real time situational awareness of not only of the whole battlefield but the whole theater. As recent VSU “counter-attack” in Zaporozhie has shown or, as today released video, Russians know exactly where those much-touted, in reality making no difference whatsoever, US M-777 howitzers are, what they are up to and Russians blow them apart (in Russian). These are just two examples out of very many of SMO being largely not only situationally but tactically aware. All this because Russia was into the game of cutting edge recon and intel much earlier than the US. Recall this? Modern Russian ISR is cutting edge and I spoke at length on the issues of such things as legacy MKRTz Legenda or newest Liana, but those two are just a few tools in the vast arsenal of Russian recon and targeting complex–NO other nation with the exception of the US has anything comparable.

Please take time to read the rest of Andrei’s analysis.

Just because the Russians are pulling punches to avoid killing civilians and destroying infrastructure key for civilian survival does not mean they are ignoring the threat. For example, Andrei notes that the Russians waited for the towed howitzers to get into position before blowing them up.

I really am shocked that Scott got this so wrong. First,…