A New Prowess In The Russian Military?

Military personnel, believed to be Russian servicemen, walk outside the territory of a Ukrainian military unit in the village of Perevalnoye outside Simferopol today. Photo: Reuters

Russia Displays a New Military Prowess in Ukraine’s East -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry has accused Russia of behaving in a “19th-century fashion” because of its annexation of Crimea.

But Western experts who have followed the success of Russian forces in carrying out President Vladimir V. Putin’s policy in Crimea and eastern Ukraine have come to a different conclusion about Russian military strategy. They see a military disparaged for its decline since the fall of the Soviet Union skillfully employing 21st-century tactics that combine cyberwarfare, an energetic information campaign and the use of highly trained special operation troops to seize the initiative from the West.

“It is a significant shift in how Russian ground forces approach a problem,” said James G. Stavridis, the retired admiral and former NATO commander. “They have played their hand of cards with finesse.”

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My Comment: I suspect that we are only seeing what the Russian military wants to see .... a professional and efficient force. But much of the Russian military is still made up of conscripts .... and I suspect that the Russian military modernization program has yet to reach them. But where the Russian leaders want their military to be in the future is now clear .... a modernized and mobile force where special operations are the rule rather than blunt tank/missile/heavy weaponry warfare.