Great to hear you, Phillips, and Mykola on your podcasts. With Mykola being so connected in Ukraine and having so much integrity and credibility it makes the podcasts a must-listen.
Thank you for another highly interesting and informative podcast - much appreciated, as always! I am wondering, with the recent increase of "Russian casualties," whether some of this could actually be due to the NK contingent. Could the Russians be putting them in front with insufficient training simply as cannon fodder and to take a bit of pressure off their own troops? And will we find out in a timely way if NK sends even more soldiers? The huge looming question mark of course is what Trump will do re Ukraine on January 20. And how the Europeans will respond in regard to their support for Ukraine. The political situation in both France and Germany is in serious flux, and what the outcome will be is unclear. 2024 closes with a high number of uncertainties, with no one more anxious about it all than the Ukrainians themselves. It seems to me that if only a strong level of Western support for Ukraine can be maintained well into 2025, the Russian war effort may begin to collapse. Well, one can only hope.
Interesting--it seems a case of Russia trying to take as much territory as possible before Trump becomes president. They are just sacrificing soldiers in their tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands)
So far the North Koreans seem to be replacing Russians in rear areas. Mostly. Pity the poor vatniks who thought they had safe cushy rear echelon jobs but now have to dodge Ukrainian mines, drones, and artillery. I guess it's also a bad look to have North Koreans liberate Russian territory. Makes me weep for those poor Chechen 'super soldiers' who beforehand only ever appeared to hide from the real fighting.
It is impossible to prove right now, but this narrative of ‘Russia advancing inexorably on all fronts’ feels like a textbook example of reflexive control. This is an information warfare term developed by the Russian mathematical psychologist Vladimir Lefebvre to describe methods of controlling an opponents decision making in ways that disadvantage them. If Star Wars’ The Force was game theory then reflexive control would be its Dark Side.
It may be many decades before we know for sure, right or wrong. But it sure stinks like a rotting fish.
Great to hear you, Phillips, and Mykola on your podcasts. With Mykola being so connected in Ukraine and having so much integrity and credibility it makes the podcasts a must-listen.
Appreciate that Don--Mykola is tremendous
The patience the Ukrainians show in face of the support by the ‘Coalition of Chamberlains’ is exemplary. Slava Ukraini.
This war has taken a terrible toll on them--they deserve better support
Thank you for another highly interesting and informative podcast - much appreciated, as always! I am wondering, with the recent increase of "Russian casualties," whether some of this could actually be due to the NK contingent. Could the Russians be putting them in front with insufficient training simply as cannon fodder and to take a bit of pressure off their own troops? And will we find out in a timely way if NK sends even more soldiers? The huge looming question mark of course is what Trump will do re Ukraine on January 20. And how the Europeans will respond in regard to their support for Ukraine. The political situation in both France and Germany is in serious flux, and what the outcome will be is unclear. 2024 closes with a high number of uncertainties, with no one more anxious about it all than the Ukrainians themselves. It seems to me that if only a strong level of Western support for Ukraine can be maintained well into 2025, the Russian war effort may begin to collapse. Well, one can only hope.
Interesting--it seems a case of Russia trying to take as much territory as possible before Trump becomes president. They are just sacrificing soldiers in their tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands)
So far the North Koreans seem to be replacing Russians in rear areas. Mostly. Pity the poor vatniks who thought they had safe cushy rear echelon jobs but now have to dodge Ukrainian mines, drones, and artillery. I guess it's also a bad look to have North Koreans liberate Russian territory. Makes me weep for those poor Chechen 'super soldiers' who beforehand only ever appeared to hide from the real fighting.
It is impossible to prove right now, but this narrative of ‘Russia advancing inexorably on all fronts’ feels like a textbook example of reflexive control. This is an information warfare term developed by the Russian mathematical psychologist Vladimir Lefebvre to describe methods of controlling an opponents decision making in ways that disadvantage them. If Star Wars’ The Force was game theory then reflexive control would be its Dark Side.
It may be many decades before we know for sure, right or wrong. But it sure stinks like a rotting fish.
Excellent episode btw.