Ukraine War Update EXTRA: EU Aid, RUSI Report, & Risky Russky Landing
Table of Contents 📖
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"The tactical competence of the Russian military proved significantly inferior compared with the expectations of many observers based within and outside Ukraine and Russia."
Hello Team!
Jonathan corrects a previous statement about EU aid to Ukraine based on an insightful viewer comment. The comment pointed out that:
- EU institutions are financed by member countries, so a portion of their contributions should be credited to those countries
- France is the second largest contributor to EU aid at 25%, so their total contribution is higher than the UK's when this is factored in
- Some countries like France said aid would go through EU institutions rather than directly
Jonathan acknowledges the comment was "absolutely bloody brilliant" and he should have analysed the data more carefully. The EU's total contribution is likely greater than the US's as a percentage of GDP.
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Risky Russky Landing
Footage is shown of a Russian Su-25 jet making an emergency landing without landing gear. Jonathan is impressed by the pilot's skill in bringing the damaged plane down smoothly given the challenging circumstances.
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Early Days of the Invasion
Previously unseen footage from the second day of the war shows a column of damaged vehicles from an elite Russian Spetsnaz unit near Kyiv. Multiple vehicles are seen burning or destroyed.
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RUSI Report Insights
The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) released a report analyzing the war from February to July 2022. Key insights include:
- Russian forces were unprepared and lacked understanding of their objectives due to the secretive planning by top leadership
- Troops arrived in towns not marked on their outdated maps, leading to surprise engagements with Ukrainian forces
- Short-range fighting favoured the Ukrainian's T-64 tanks which could rapidly fire on the surprised Russians
- Russia could have won early on if the plan was executed properly, but the extreme operational security meant tactical units were caught off guard
- The Russian deception plan worked, achieving a 12:1 force ratio north of Kyiv, but poor tactical execution doomed the operation
- Russian weapons performed well but deficiencies in training and employment meant they failed to meet their potential
Potential New Targets
With the Kerch bridge damaged, Russian logistics now rely on routes through occupied Ukrainian territory. Thierry Schmidlin suggests that in addition to attacking these routes, Ukraine could also strike a key bridge just inside the Russian border which is vital for supplying Russian forces. Though controversial since it's not a purely military target, taking out this bridge would compound the problems caused by the Kerch bridge attack.
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Tank Duel Footage
Video shows a Ukrainian T-64BV tank engaging and destroying a Russian T-72B3 tank with its first shot from a long distance. The Ukrainian tank then advances and destroys another target at closer range. Jonathan is impressed by the shooting but unsure how much is due to computer-assisted aiming.
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Wrap up
Jonathan plugs ways to support the channel and says he will be making a likely controversial video about the Brittney Griner prisoner swap. He invites people to respectfully disagree and "bring receipts" if they take issue with his views. That's all for now, catch you later!
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