A new U.S. intelligence estimate says that the war in Ukraine has cost Russia close to 90 percent of its prewar combat power. The Kremlin’s reaction: shrug. The new intelligence assessment says 315‚000 Russian personnel have been killed or wounded since the February 2022 invasion‚ from a prewar force of 360‚000. Russia has also lost two-thirds of its 3‚500 tanks. Another study found that in two-months of battle for the town of Avdiivka in the Donbas‚ Russia suffered 13‚000 casualties‚ or 3‚000 for every square mile captured. READ MORE: It’s Joe Biden’s Fault He Can’t Get the Ukraine Funding Reports like this may sound like bad news for Russia. After all‚ those losses are the equivalent of having two D-Days a month for 20 months. It would be like losing the entire U.S. Marine Corps — twice. It is around the same number as all U.S. casualties in World War I. And the losses are piling up about 20 times faster than Soviet casualties in Afghanistan in the 1980s‚ a war Mikhail Gorbachev then called a “bleeding wound.” This is all bad news for Russia. But in the grim calculus of the Ukraine war‚ it is worse news for everyone else‚ because the conflict grinds on regardless. There are several reasons to be concerned: First‚ this report reinforces the fact that Vladimir Putin does not care about casualties. The Kremlin has ample cannon fodder‚ and a much deeper mobilization base than Ukraine. Russia can fight an attrition war that the Ukrainians cannot. And Putin seems to pay no political price for bleeding his own country. Second‚ Russia holds the ground. Ukraine’s eagerly anticipated 2023 offensive fizzled. There have been minor advances here and there‚ but not enough to claim substantive military progress and set the groundwork for larger offensive action. And Russia has also made some small advances‚ rendering the war a virtual stalemate. The ground Russia occupies is the territory it wanted to take — most of the rest of Donetsk and Luhansk that it first invaded by proxy in 2014‚ and the land corridor to annexed Crimea. Yes‚ Putin would like all of Ukraine and believes the country is artificial and has no right to exist‚ but Moscow would surely be satisfied with what it has — for now. Third‚ Ukraine is running out of political support. We are coming up on year two of the war in February. Weakening support is evident in the United States and elsewhere. And this is not because Ukraine’s cause has lost its justice or its strategic importance. But the lack of success is telling‚ and facts on the ground count for more than good intentions.  What this means for the future of the conflict or for U.S. policy is hard to say — but unless something dramatic changes‚ it looks as though Putin is getting away with it. The post Russia Bleeds‚ Putin Shrugs appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

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The century-old story is familiar‚ but still intriguing‚ born of tragedy and catapulted into legend. The ‘unsinkable’ Titanic‚ carrying passengers from all walks of life‚ representing twenty-seven countries. Titanic sailed on its maiden voyage to New York on April 10th‚ 1912. Her passengers were a cross-section of society. There were immigrants. Businesspeople. Military luminaries. The extremely poor. Unfathomably wealthy society families. The elderly and the newborn. Stewards‚ stokers‚ and officers. Most would never arrive in New York. On April 14‚ Titanic hit an iceberg‚ causing fatal structural damage. Within two and a half hours‚ she sank down to the depths of the Atlantic ocean‚ over 12‚000 feet below the surface. As she plunged beneath the waves‚ she claims 1‚517 souls. There were‚ however‚ 706 survivors‚ whose stories did not end that fatal night. From L to R: Charles Lightoller‚ Margaret Brown‚ J. Bruce Ismay‚ and Violet Jessop. Public domain. Post-Titanic Infamy for Some Survivors Some post-Titanic survivor’s stories are already famous. First Office Charles Lightoller‚ survived Titanic but later aided in the dangerous evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II. There’s Margaret Brown (who never used “Molly” as a nickname)‚ who ran for U.S. Senate and became an activist for women’s rights. There is J. Bruce Ismay‚ manager of White Star Line‚ remained vilified for the remainder of his life for ordering the ship to speed through ice floes but escaping in a lifeboat as passengers died. He lived a quiet life in Galway‚ Ireland to escape his notoriety. Finally‚ Violet Jessop‚ a stewardess who survived Titanic and the sinking of her sister ship‚ Britannic. Their fascinating stories have been told and retold in popular culture since 1912. But most survivor’s stories seem to end with the Carpathia’s rescue‚ despite being as intriguing as Lightoller‚ Brown‚ Ismay‚ and Jessop. The post Titanic Survivor’s Stories Are As Dramatic As The Sinking appeared first on History Collection.