Ukraine Is Proof That Putin and His Generals Are Incompetent

Vladimir Putin’s expected three-day war is nearing its fourth month. In 1967 Israel defeated the combined forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in just six days. An estimated 20,000 Arabian troops were killed and the young nation of Israel established itself as a new world power. Putin’s huge army has failed to take control of Ukraine in an invasion that is nearing an unexpected conflict of nearly four months. What does this say about the “great bear” as a world power?

It seems apparent that without its nuclear capability, Russia’s military is weak. Its generals are incompetent, and its soldiers are poorly trained.

To understand this failure, we must look back to the ten years between 1979 and 1989 when Russia invaded Afghanistan. The Russian military was defeated by the Taliban, led by Saudi national Osama bin Laden for nearly 10 years. It was apparent then as it is today that world leaders have over-estimated the strength of Russia’s military prowess.

The big question remains. Will Putin’s army defeat the forces of Ukraine, and if they do, how will they succeed in occupying the defiant people of a democratic nation? Putin may have made a colossal and fatal error in judgment.

If we look back at WWII the outcome of the greatest conflict in history could have been very different. A combination of luck and the arrogance of Adolf Hitler resulted in defeat for the Axis powers. The forces of Nazi Germany were thinly spread in the occupation of conquered nations and on June 6, 1944, combined forces of the West executed an invasion on the beaches of France which resulted in the defeat of Nazi Germany. Putin is gambling on a defeat of the military of Ukraine to reunite the Soviet Union. If he loses this war, he will be forced to admit that he is a weakened dictator who can no longer lead his nation in a position of absolute power.

Putin placed most of his ambitions on the election of Donald Trump in 2016. He placed his puppet in a position of power, power to destroy the United States from within. However, Putin underestimated the depth of Trump’s malignant narcissism. He continues to travel around the country desperately in need of adulation he never received as a child. Putin overestimated his tool’s competence. Trump caused irreparable damage to our nation which was slowly moving forward and returned America to its dark days of the 1950s. However, he failed to inspire the majority of Americans to accept his dark and dismal vision of our country. His openly white supremacist views and ambitions would never succeed in a nation that celebrates its diversity.

This leaves Putin engaged in a war he cannot win, even if he conquers Ukraine. He has lost the support of the world. Putin is an aging man who is attempting to live the dreams of his youth. As a member of the KGB in 1980, the destruction of the United States became an obsession. He believed he succeeded when his interference in our 2016 election gave Trump a victory in the Electoral College. However, he overestimated Trump. He failed to realize the weaknesses of the obese old man who had become the figurative leader of the free world.

He did divide our nation’s people, but not all of us as proven by the historic 2020 election. Trump failed to alienate America’s allies and weaken NATO. By invading Ukraine, Putin strengthened the alliance and isolated Russia from the rest of the world.

I have no expectations for when or if the fighting will end in Ukraine, and, apparently, neither does Putin. He is trapped in an enigma he created for himself.

Tyrants eventually defeat themselves. Their egos are larger than their abilities. Both Putin and his puppet, Donald Trump, prove this allegation. Both men believed they were more powerful than the reality we know today. They have proven themselves to be old, white men, whose self-esteem exceeds reality.

Op-ed by James Turnage

My nine novels are available on Amazon’s Kindle

Sources:

Daily Kos: Ukraine update: Don’t believe everything you hear; and a ‘state of the war’ analysis
Daily Kos: Ukraine Invasion Day 110: Like the Lehman Trilogy with slavery and extra steps…

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