Retired general says Russian forces haven’t advanced since World War I

CNN military analyst Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.) responds to the Russian bridge explosion in Crimea and what he learned about how Russians fought wars while he was serving. #CNN #News

55 comments

  1. The Kerch bridge, wasnโ€™t an explosion, that was a special bridge dismantling operation! ๐Ÿ‘

  2. You can’t ever underestimate someone who is fighting for their love, their land, homes and freedoms. Stay Strong Ukraine.๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธโ™ฅ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆโ˜ฎ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’›

    1. @Paul Sacco and it doesn’t really explain my likening of the EU to what you said Russia would like to do. The EU are already doing it! You’re mad because you THINK putin wants to do the same! ๐Ÿคฃ

    2. And I bet you’re pro EU right! Hypocrisy at its best. Only the countries you like can control others at their own will. I completely get it.

    1. @Bryan You support a political party based on bullying and violence. I agree with the others here about you.

  3. I think the money-quote here is that you can train a man to shoot a rifle rather quickly, but for a team of soldiers to fight effectively, you need to build trust, confidence in their comrades and an ability to function as a team.

    Russia could be mobilizing ten thousand world-class marksmen, but if they can’t work as a team and no one trusts the other person, they will be nowhere near their most effective on the battlefield. Maybe they’ll be so pissed off at one another, they end up sabotaging other units or stealing supplies.

    Given that we’ve had reports of old soldiers trying to mug new recruits for food and valuables, we know there’s not going to be any comradery in Putin’s “Volkssturm”.

    1. @Kyle Chetram lol Ukrainians don’t need their help but im sure they are happy abou it.

      After some Russian soldiers abandoned their missiles a Ukrainian army general was quoted as saying, “The Russians are very kind but we will make sure we return their missiles back to them.”

  4. Brilliant analysis, indeed. Gen. Clark nails it in this interview and shows, once again, why he was the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. Great interview. Thank you.

  5. As soon as this happened I commented that there would be a postal stamp coming out. Not sure if that’s happening but there are people taking photos in front of a burning bridge pic stylized to look like a stamp (0:12). You have to love Ukrainian humor and their fierce pride in their country – wish more Americans would do that ๐ŸŒ‰๐Ÿ–

    1. the stamp and a commemorative envelope were announced within hours. Nice looking stamp and next level trolling by Ukrainpost

  6. General is smart. It’s hard to understand why Russian forces were sent into Ukraine like they were. When Americans went into Iraq, the Air Force provided air cover. Their wasn’t so much as a snail within 200 miles of American troops who came out of Kuwait during the long trek into Baghdad Iraq.

  7. As an U.S. Army NCO….I always trained my solders to come home standing up…rather than lying down. Gen. Clark is absolutely right as training is the key. Western forces will always train their soldiers to survive on the battlefield, but Russia does not. And they have a history of that, completely relying on numbers rather than tactics.

    1. @Pope Benedict XVI “you have also lost all your wars since WW2 (except perhaps Grenada)”
      How is Orc? Did you read in your Russian fake history book?
      We went to Afghanistan and the Taliban fled to Pakistan. We turned the country over to the Afghan military and the Taliban came back. America didn’t lose anything.

      “Iraq is now a key partner for the United States in the region as well as a voice of moderation and democracy in the Middle East.” Guess we won that also.

  8. I read Solzhenitsyn’s _August 1914_ some years ago. Watching the early stages of this war, I commented that Russia was making the same mistakes in today that they were making in 1914. I was pretty heavily ripped on, but I had read what doomed the Tsar’s armies in World War 1 and I was watching it unfold in 2022. Russia treats logistics as an afterthought rather than the most important element in war. If you don’t have artillery you can’t shoot. If you don’t have shells for that artillery you still can’t shoot. Tanks need fuel, maintenance, and ammunition. Soldiers need food, uniforms (appropriate to the conditions), and equipment. Russia can’t give that to their mobilization soldiers. Some don’t even have uniforms. Russia remains overly dependent on railroads, and those railroads are creaking with age. Add to that a ridiculously one-direction (top-down) organization, and you have the makings of a royal mess. Stir in a big portion of corruption at all levels and there is no way you will have any kind of a good outcome against an enemy that can fight back.

    1. I’ve been doing research about WWII for a book I’m writing and what I have found most interesting is supply logistics, specifically The Red Ball Express, which was a mad dash convoy of trucks trying to keep Allied units supplied as German troops fled home. My father was in France and became friendly with Black soldiers who drove the trucks. It’s one of the few things he told us kids. He really admired them and even hung out with them even though segregation was the rule. one other men gave my dad his first harmonica so he could play music with them. And one of the things that lost the war for Germany was that they didn’t have trucks and often had to rely on horse drawn wagons for supply.

    2. Good post.
      Long before 1914 Napolean noted that “An army marches on its stomach.” Russia isn’t feeding or caring for its troops basic needs. Intercepted phone calls from Russians in Ukraine have shown many cases of Russian soldiers not receiving the pay they were promised even as they are required to equip themselves. The disconnect between Russia’s army and that nations government is palpable. I see no way for Russia to redeem this situation. I am sure their military professionals see the same. Putin may be willing to see Russia die in a nuclear holocaust, but I hope that his military does not feel the same.

      Then again, “Hope” is not a strategy.

    3. @THOR Well played Thor – just keep telling the dictator what he wants to hear, and who knows? We could see Ukraine recover all its lost territory by Christmas… ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Gen Clark such a sharp man. Being brilliant seems so natural to him haha. So good to hear how much importance he places on the individual soldiers, their characters, their teamwork. We were lucky to have him in action and lucky to have him now.

  10. He is such a pleasure to listen to, definately the best analyst on the Ukraine/Russian war. I feel so angry about the power a small group of people have over nuclear destruction of the planet. Leaders that is, I mean 99.99% of people want peace, and live their lives.

  11. Appreciate these interviews ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘Œ๐ŸผHave learned so much through this โ€˜invasionโ€™โ€ฆ. Come on Ukraine Warriors!! ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ

  12. I served as a frontline British soldier back in the early 80’s, and like so many of us out there who served in the NATO forces, we were led to believe the Russians might be able to kick our asses back then, well that was definitely a blag!!

    Of course, numbers would have been an issue, but quality of troops? No chance…

  13. Biggest respect and salute to General Wesley Clark, for all past and ongoing dedicated service towards peace, through strength.

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