Over the course of the nearly three years since Russian invaded Ukraine, foreign policy experts in both Europe and the United States seem to have become increasingly detached from reality. Many seem to have abandoned their role as analysts and instead become cheerleaders. Instead of realistically assessing the situation in Ukraine and asking difficult questions about Western strategy, they have simply kept demanding that we send Ukraine more and more advanced weapons in order to defeat Putin. Even now, with Donald Trump re-elected as US president, most continue to ignore reality.
Throughout the last year, the military situation has worsened for Ukraine as Russia has been gradually but inexorably gaining ground. In August, Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russian territory near Kursk. But this has not stopped Russian forces advancing in the Donbas. During the last month or so, their advance seems to have accelerated and there are now even fears that Ukrainian forces may completely collapse. Ukrainian soldiers are now deserting in large numbers – and, although the experts focus on weapons systems, what Ukraine has always really been short of is men.
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