larry johnson points out errors in other analysts opinions of the ukie war;

George Friedman, who writes at Geopolitical Futures has an undeserved reputation as a good analyst… He is not. His latest piece — Russia’s New War of Attrition — reveals a profound ignorance about Russia’s strategic goals and tactical operations. The very title of Friedman’s article shows that he is terribly misinformed… Russia has been executing a successful war of attrition since 2023.

He begins his piece with a false strawman:

The initial invasion in 2022 consisted of several separate and relatively narrow thrusts designed to achieve a rapid victory. One was meant to seize the capital of Kyiv, while the others were meant to penetrate central Ukraine. The strategy was designed to shatter and sever Ukrainian forces and, ultimately, occupy the country.

This is the Western narrative, but it is wrong. Russia’s initial objective with the launch of the Special Military Operation (SMO) was to create military pressure to compel Ukraine to negotiate. Russia’s initial force involved an estimated 125,000 soldiers going up against more than 300,000 Ukrainians. At no time did Russia field a force capable of shattering and serving Ukrainian forces in order to occupy the country. Instead, Russia achieved its objective of bringing Ukraine to the table to negotiate an end to the SMO… Negotiations started in March and a tentative agreement to end the conflict was reached in late March............more..........