(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley Calls Putin DEFEATED "Strategically, Operationally, And Tactically" [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-14 At a press conference in Brussels, General Milley said Putin “thought he could defeat Ukraine quickly, fracture the NATO alliance, and act with impunity. He was wrong.” The Daily Mail Russia has already 'lost' the war in Ukraine as the one-year anniversary of its brutal invasion approaches, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley said in Brussels Tuesday. Milley spoke amid warnings of a renewed Russian offensive, with allies seeking to rush modern weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian forces – who have been battling Russian forces who have been slowly gaining ground around Bakhmut in the eastern Donbas region. 'Russia is now a global pariah and the world remains inspired by Ukrainian bravery and resilience. In short, Russia has lost — they've lost strategically, operationally, and tactically,' said Milley. 'Ukraine remains free, they remain independent. NATO and this coalition has never been stronger,' he said. The U.S. and NATO allies have rushed billions in military aide to Ukraine, and long-neutral Finland applied for NATO membership following Russia's invasion of its neighbor. Russia has already lost ten times as many men in Ukraine as they lost in the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan War... x 🔴🇺🇦 United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley stated that Vladimir Putin thought he could "act with impunity" when he led the invasion of #Ukraine, then emphasised that the Russian leader "was wrong". "Russia has lost." ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/BmZjyZ0OsW — FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) February 14, 2023 Department of Defense "The world remains inspired by Ukrainian bravery and resilience," he (Milley) continued. "In short, Russia has lost. They've lost strategically, operationally and tactically, and they are paying an enormous price on the battlefield. But until Putin ends his war of choice, the international community will continue to support Ukraine with the equipment and capabilities it needs to defend itself." The contact group is critical to the effort. Of the countries that gathered for the meeting, "11 countries have pledged tanks for Ukraine, 22 have pledged infantry fighting vehicles, 16 pledged artillery and munitions, and nine more pledged air defense artillery," Milley said. "The group is focused on delivering the capabilities committed and efficiently providing the training, the spare parts, the sustainment and logistics necessary for the full employment of these systems." Milley said the war is extremely dynamic. Even as Ukraine is fighting for its survival, the nation is training and evolving for future operations. "Ukraine will integrate recent commitments of armored vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, and tanks with fires to achieve the effect of synchronized ground maneuver," the chairman said. "While Russia has waged this war for far too long, they will not outlast the Ukrainian people, nor the group of allies and partners that met today." Business Insider Milley's comments echoed an assessment from Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the United Kingdom's chief of defense staff, who in December said "Russia is losing" and the "free world is winning." When Russia invaded Ukraine last February, it was widely expected to conquer Kyiv in a matter of days. But Russian forces failed in that objective as Ukrainian troops put up a far stiffer resistance than expected. With the help of Western-supplied weapons, Ukraine has continued to defy expectations in this war. (snip) Putin illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions in September, claiming them as part of Russia, despite the fact that Russian forces did not fully occupy these regions. A Ukrainian counteroffensive pushed Russian forces into retreat in parts of these territories — including Kherson, the first major city Russia occupied after the invasion. The war is raging on, and Russia, which mobilized hundreds of thousands of additional troops, has seemingly begun a new offensive in the east with the goal of swallowing the Donbas region — comprised of Donetsk and Luhansk, two of the regions Putin illegally annexed. Russian gains have been limited though. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/14/2153048/-Joint-Chiefs-General-Mark-Milley-Calls-Putin-DEFEATED-Strategically-Operationally-And-Tactically Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/