Russian Military Weaknesses Are Now Being Revealed

Russia Suffers a Bloody Nose in Georgia
-- American Thinker

TBILISI, GEORGIA Viewed from Georgia, Russia suffered a significant bloody nose in its August invasion. Russia dislodged Georgian soldiers and ethnically cleansed South Ossetia and Abkhazia, setting up puppet regimes in both breakaway regions. But Russian armed forces performed poorly and Moscow sustained economic and political damage.

What I learned in briefings from defense and diplomatic officials -- many of them bright young people in their early 30s -- is being confirmed by reports filtering out of Russia. Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Batu Kutelia told me that 1700 Russian soldiers were killed, as compared with 167 Georgians, and that 17 Russian combat aircraft were shot down, including a TU-22 strategic bomber.

While these numbers cannot be completely confirmed, observers saw the Russian armored armada bogged down in mountain passes, exposing it to accurate long-range rockets. The Russians admitted losing four aircraft, including the bomber; sources in Moscow claimed the count was much higher. The loss of the $200 million TU-22, piloted by a 53-year-old reservist who bailed out and was captured by Georgians, exposes stunning Russian weakness. The TU-22 was being used for reconnaissance. Contemporary armed forces use pilotless drones for reconnaissance to minimize risk to personnel and costly equipment.

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My Comment: Russian military weaknesses are now being revealed.