What I heard from my sources:
1. Russian checkpoits are spread thin, Ukrainian soldiers cross between the checkpoints in small groups then regroup behind and hit with full force.
2. Ukraine went full mobilization and threw 400000 soldiers at 150000 Russian ones.
3. Russia knows they cannot withhold the onslaught so they are saving their furthermost outposts.
4. The kind of blitzkrieg tactics Ukraine uses with no arterial, tanks or aviaton support is very costly. Let's how long they can keep that momentum. The losses have to be colossal.

While I don't think Russia will prevail militarily, they are likely not going to suffer some kind of post-war catastrophe. The West, while united, has taken significant economic damage. Western leaders were and still are too hubristic to have a plan B to Russian imports. They've been winning (against enemies within and against internal dissent) far too easily for far too long, and only remain supreme by virtue of having such weak enemies. I do not feel that Western leadership can be trusted with the future of liberal democratic society.

Remember how mentioned that if Russia was really aiming at full engagement they would be targeting critical infrastructure? Well it looks like they are escalating in light of the Ukrainian success in Kharkiv.

Serious question... I haven't read your posts in a while: Which side do you wish would win?

Don't you think this is something of a vain way to look at world events? Taking sides and wishing for winners, rather than analyzing what we can and can't know and try to figure out what will happen?
We know Russia holds multiple avenues of serious escalation, and Ukraine doesn't. Russia can knock out infrastructure across Ukraine with ease, but they could just carpet bomb population centers with conventional weaponry, let alone use nukes and glass the whole country. So we're still left musing over whether Ukraine is making real gains in a breakout maneuver, or what degree its wartime propaganda and disinformation or whether Russia is capitalizing on their overextension to inflict greater losses, or whether Russia is disorganized and mismanaged and retreating in a rout, or whatever explanation we can put to it- but its all in the shadow of the knowledge that no matter what's going on, Russia still holds a supreme and overwhelming advantage should they choose to exercise it.

Russia was going at it the pragmatic way. No matter how much help Ukraine gets from Europe/US financially, they've got a huge tax defecit as of now. Russia was waiting for them to become bankrupt. They also stopped advancing head first, just defending gains and moving slowly forward. Ukraine had to make a breakthrough attack to change the status quo, for come winter they wouldn't be able to operate as a state. By destroying critical infrastructure in places regained by Ukrainians Russia depletes Ukraine's supplies even faster. Whole Europe needs to mobilize and send every supply we can to make Ukraine survive logistically.

This post was edited by babun1024 on Sep 12 2022 03:15am

To me this is a warning shot, to force Ukraine and the west, mainly Europe to start thinking about a peace deal. They could conceivably destroy the Ukrainian power grid which would make life very difficult in cities. Imagine no water, no electricity, no gas in the winter...You would have millions more of Ukrainians moving to Europe and Europe would now have to somehow heat and light millions of Ukrainian homes.

It should be clear by now that ukranians rather die than signing a treaty where they give up huge parts of their country.
They would only accept full retreatment from all areas russia invaded since 2014

This is nonsense. No, they would not rather die. Vast majority of Ukrainians would gladly accept some territorial concessions in the east, where they never been and have no interest of ever going rather than have their son go to war or be left without electricity/water etc. You take bombastic talk from leaders/talking heads who want to encourage their citizens and armed forces to fight ahead too seriously.

This post was edited by ofthevoid on Sep 12 2022 06:12am

They have shown that on battlefield since the beginning of the war. Analysists went from "this is over in 3 days" to "okay but on longterm they will lose" to "they can never take back frull ukraina" to "okay they just launched a successful counteroffensive, now let's negotiate"
400k soldiers showing everyday that they are willing to fight until death. Now that they gained territory and you say they are supposed to stop and negotiate? They will keep going or die trying.