Russia's Hopes of Keeping Crimea, like its Black Sea Fleet, is Sinking

Video Description

Chuck Pfarrer is one of America's most renowned and respected military authors and analysts. Having himself been a former Squadron Leader of SEAL Team 6, explains why the failure of Russia's attempted attack is indicative of larger, systematic problems within the Russian military. Now, having lost an estimated almost 90% of its soldiers who participated in the initial invasion of Ukraine, Russia is on course to lose Crimea. Incredibly, Russia's once famous Black Sea Fleet no longer has a presence in the Black Sea. Even more amazing is that a country without much of a Navy, Ukraine, has managed to eject Russia from where it had been perched for centuries. What will come next? It is safe to say that all eyes are now on Crimea. In this interview with Jason Jay Smart, Chuck Pfarrer explains how the organization of the Russian military so radically differs from that of the US or a NATO countries' military - and why that is a flaw that Moscow will regret as it gets further trapped in the quagmire of its invasion of Ukraine. Russia, time and again, fails to make significant headway in Ukraine as it tries to face down not only Ukrainian soldiers, but its own Russian troops who are becoming increasingly unwilling to become cannon fodder. As the war progresses, Russian morale will only further fall, leading to larger organizational problems within their faltering military. Pfarrer, who has advised numerous US national security agencies and is a leading figure in the analysis of the war in Ukraine, is a new special correspondent for the Kyiv Post. Here, he explains why Russia’s losses so far have been disastrous and why an abysmal summer awaits the Kremlin. Russia fundamentally lacks the soldier-scholar model of officer leadership that would allow for it to process why it is losing and to devise solutions. Instead, Russia will continue to just bleed itself dry. After his service in the US Navy, Pfarrer served public and private sector clients as a military and counter-terrorism contractor and non-proliferation expert. Pfarrer has written extensively on counter-WMD proliferation and gray zone operations. He has written an op-ed for the New York Times and the Knight-Ridder Syndicate and has appeared as a writer and counterterrorism expert on CNN, ABC, MSNBC, Fox, CSPAN, NPR, Voice of America, Al Jazeera, Al Hurra, IPR, and America tonight. Chuck Pfarrer explains to Jason Smart, both of whom are Special Correspondents for Kyiv Post, why Crimea will be coming home to Ukraine and why Russia is not coming back to the Black Sea. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:12 How Russia's military organization fundamentally differs from the US' or any NATO countries' 03:53 Has Russia really lost almost 87% of its troops since the initial full-scale invasion? 06:55 Russia's Black Sea Fleet Has Been Ejected from the Black Sea 10:35 How has Ukraine's use of drones evolved and changed the war's course? 13:55 It is crucial that Ukraine liberates Crimea 17:35 What strategy would allow Ukraine to liberate Crimea? 19:38 End