Ukraine War, 19 January 2025: and the 152nd

by Tom Cooper

Hello everybody!

Full revelation: I would LOVE - finally - finding the time and an opportunity to discuss the IADS’ of Ukraine and Russia, analyse latest developments in air- and electronic warfare, UAVs, strategic campaigns of both sides, etc. I would also love addressing a growing number of your excellent questions that’s ‘piling on my desk’…

‘But’, there’s simply no opportunity to do so. I’m finding no such opportunity for a simple reason that the corrupt gang of ultimate and stubborn incompetents named Zelensky, Syrsky & their Buddies seems to be obsessed with delivering yet more of ‘fantastic’ news about how to mass-murder ‘their own’ troops.

And, when I’m talking about this topic, then one conclusion is unavoidable: the systematic incompetence of the Ukrainian political- and military leadership on the destruction of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (ZSU) is meanwhile reaching such proportions that it can only be described with ‘obsession’, and is actually equal to treachery.

So much so that nobody needs to wonder any more when I say, from Pudding’s point of view, the situation in this war just couldn’t get any better: the condition of the Russian economy doesn’t matter, losses of the Russian armed forces do not matter, inability to manufacture enough new weapons does not matter, strikes and damage by Ukrainian attack UAVs, all the other Russian problems… actually, nothing matters - as long as the idiots in Kyiv are playing straight into the Russian hands through ruining what was left of the ZSU. Indeed, in this regards, I’m going to quote an e-mail from one of readers (and one of major sponsors of our collection for the Shark UAV, about a year ago):

‘For Pudding, this poorly managed Ukraine is a blessing. He has manoeuvred the country exactly where he can beat it.’

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What is making me this mad this morning?

Well, after all the ‘news’ about the catastrophe that befell the ‘French-trained’ 155th Mechanised Brigade, and then announcement how Drapaty and whatever authorities are going to ‘investigate’, and ‘take care about that unit’, I’ve asked: what is with dozens of other units in similar ‘condition’?

Some could not understand this question. Apparently, nobody could imagine there are worse examples (than the 155th): there was the impression that the 155th Mechanised was the ‘only’ case where a newly-established brigade was completely destroyed by the incompetence of superior commanders.

…while, actually, the case of the 155th was just the proverbial ‘tip of an iceberg’.

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OK, then: how about the 152nd Infant… erm… Motorised Infan… erm… Mecha… erm… Jäger Brigade?

Never heard?

Then, please, kindly read the feature with illustrative title: You are a F**ktard, and Your Deputy is a F**ktard and a Jerk, I would piss on Him

The essence of the story is how Syrsky & Buddies bunched together lots of military commissars (erm… is this the 2020s, or are we still in the 1940s?)…. indeed, people formerly in charge of several ‘training centres’ of the ZSU (read: meanwhile, Syrsky & Co are disbanding even the training centres), to command - between others - a battalion of 400 physically unfit for service, plus several dozens of mentally unfit, all ‘bussed in’, and then ‘trained’ them so well, that the majority had no clue how to operate their rifles before the 152nd was broken up and its elements assigned to 15 DIFFERENT UNITS.

…and to make it ‘really cool’: the troops in question ‘still’ and ‘really’ fought - like (quote) lions.

But, under what conditions?

Not one element of the 152nd has ever got enough qualified officers; one of battalion commanders and then its Chief-of-Staff was an idiot excelling only at abusing, offending, humiliating, and physically assaulting his subordinates (before being ‘punished’ by a re-assignment to another unit and promotion in rank); while another of ‘officers’ couldn’t even operate computers (not to talk about commanding a unit in combat: most of people subordinated to him were killed in their first combat mission)…

Overall, as a result of

a) Zelensky’s obsession with establishment of new brigades,

b) Syrsky & Buddie’s ignorance of the fact that all the ZSU brigade-COs that could have - based on negative experiences - meanwhile re-organised their ‘light infantry’, ‘infantry’, ‘jäger’ and/or similar formations into ‘heavy infantry’ battalions (i.e. units including at least as many fire-support-elements as infantry), and

c) after nine months of working up the 152nd - I repeat for emphasis: NINE MONTHS (this is ‘as important’ because these nine months are the same period of time for which Colonel Biletsky clearly stated he could re-train the entire ZSU -

…Ukraine has got no new brigade, but another complete mess.

I beg your pardon, but this is breaking all the records - and promptly discouraging any kind of serious consideration of combat effectiveness of all the other brigades from the ‘150-series’…

What a surprise then, different elements of the 152nd have meanwhile suffered a loss equivalent to a full battalion of troops killed and wounded. And that’s not to talk about deserters, hospitalisations due to the sickness etc.

…nor about the number of defections from that and other units caused precisely by mismanagement of that unit (plus many others).

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When considering this misbehaviour of the Ukrainian political- and military leadership, mind the following: by ruining the ZSU, Zelensky, Syrsky & Buddies are not only driving all of Ukraine against the wall, leaving the country at Pudding’s mercy, but also leaving the fate of the nation in the hands of such like Dumpf, Musk & Co KG GesmbH AG. ‘Thanks’ to them, after three years of this war, Ukraine is standing there with exactly nothing to show - and I repeat for emphasis: NOTHING: the country is overdependent on US support in particular, has lost nearly 20% of its territory, over 100,000 troops killed, most of economy is in ruins, while ‘all’ the financial- and military aid it has received so it can continue fighting, survive, perhaps even ‘win’, can be considered as ‘squandered’ because of systemic incompetence at its top.

…except Zele is convinced he can boast around with how successfully have he and his aides mismanaged the Ukrainian armed forces?

Of course, there is no doubt: the Western aid is too little, and too late (except in regards of bolstering the Ukrainian power-supply-network to a level where the country can survive another winter). However, the way Zele & Co KG are running the country and the ZSU is making sure only one thing: exactly as explained a few days ago, even 10-fold more aid, even 10-fold more arms and ammunition, wouldn’t help. Because the civilian- and military leadership are completely incompetent in command, disorganising and demoralising instead of organising and motivating, and stubbornly refusing to reform: the president is an incompetent, unable to reform the governance; the Glavcom (Syrsky) is an incompetent, unable to reform the armed forces and also a liar (moreover, and as obvious from his mismanagement of both the 152nd and the 155th, he’s also systemically disobeying president’s orders at every opportunity); while the GenStab-U is a bunch of entirely useless incompetents pocketing at every opportunity.

All they can offer in response are promises for ‘investigations’, and explanations like that ‘there’s no time for that’ - no time for reform: not even when their own incompetence and failures are putting the very survival of Ukraine under an ever bigger question mark?

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But, don’t worry: as of November 2024, the 160th, 161st, and the 162nd Mechanised Brigades were all in the process of being established - so that we all can look forward for plentiful of additional, brilliant examples of Zele, Syrsky & Buddies’ brilliance in competence, management, and command…