Retired US Forces General Feels Russia Underestimating Ukraine Military

A former CIA head and retired general, David Petraeus gave his take on the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. In his words, it appears he shares some similar sentiments made recently and pointed out how the developments are not exactly swaying in the favor of Russia.

Petraeus says that Russia is facing a determined Ukraine military that is capable and innovative. Though it initially seemed that the Vladimir Putin-led invasion appeared daunting, it is not the case.

Like what other analysts shared, Petraeus pointed out how the Russian invasion has exposed several weaknesses.

This includes flawed planning; overly optimistic intelligence projections about how the conflict would play out; underestimation of the Ukrainian forces and people; inadequate maintenance and logistics; unimpressive equipment; a reliance on conscripts and an inability to mount effective cyberwarfare per a report from CNN.

After three weeks, Petraeus gave his take on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He is skeptical that Russia has enough forces to take the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as well as some other major cities. In his view, urban warfare still favors the Ukrainians.

“Very much so. Usually, the rule of thumb for urban warfare is that it requires at least five attackers to every defender. In this case, I'd argue it may be more than that because the Ukrainians are so resourceful,” Petraeus stated.

But despite that, Petraeus warned that Russia still can leave a devastating trail. That includes the destruction of cities, civilian facilities and critical infrastructure, and they will "rubble" urban areas to take control.

The former CIA head added that there remains a plausible resolution to the matter. But through it all, there will be an ugly trail to clean up.

“There are at least those four possibilities. Unfortunately, the one most likely in the near term appears to be the continuation of a bloody quagmire for Russia that is largely indecisive, with some Russian successes and some costly failures -- and greater and greater economic privation, inflation, unemployment and deprivation on the Russian people,” he explained.