An important #leadership characteristic demonstrated by @ZelenskyyUa has been his willingness to take personal risk to visit soldiers in the field, and get his own sense of how the war is progressing. 1/11 🧵
2/ These visits have a range of purposes. First, it allows @ZelenskyyUa to get a feel for the morale and capability of his military in the field. You can read reports all day, but there is no substitute for walking the ground with leaders at the tip of the spear.
3/ A second purpose is that it allows him to ask questions. This is an important function of a national political leader in their interaction with military commanders. Even the best staff cannot anticipate all the questions their leaders might have.
4/ A third reason for the field visits by @ZelenskyyUa is to engage with the most junior soldiers in the field, to inspire them, recognise their sacrifice and to reiterate the purpose of their service. Purpose is the most important thing a leader can provide.
5/ Soldiers react differently to their President or Prime Minister when at war or deployed on operations. Visits like this have profound impacts on morale.
6/ Another purpose of these visits is for @ZelenskyyUa to show that he has trust in his Army. He shows he is comfortable in placing his life in the hands of his military - it is an important and strategic trust-building exercise between politicians and military leaders.
7/ Throughout the #Ukraine war, he has set the strategic direction for his nation while allowing the high command to get on with the implementation of national defence. But these visits, and regular briefings, provide all-important feedback in the civ-mil relationship.
8/ Fifth, this is an important way that @ZelenskyyUa differentiates himself from his adversary. It is unlikely that Putin will ever visit the poorly fed and led - but well-armed - Russian troops in #Ukraine.
9/ And, it is an important way for Ukrainian citizens to engage with their President - and see him as a human who is also affected by this war and its impact on the people of #Ukraine.
10/ Finally, these visits draw attention from audiences external to #Ukraine as part of their global influence campaign. In demonstrating that he is not a ‘bunker leader’, @ZelenskyyUa shows us all that he is the leader of a nation worth supporting in the long term. End.
It is 118 days since Russia invaded #Ukraine. Today, an exploration of military operations in southern Ukraine and the Ukrainian resistance. Full piece at @smh 1/20 🧵 smh.com.au/world/europe/p…
2/ Over the past two months, attention on the Ukraine War has generally focussed on the Russian eastern offensive. The Russians have concentrated much of their combat power in eastern Ukraine.
3/ But there is another front in this war that is important: the south. Because of its long-term economic implications for the state of Ukraine, the war in the south may prove even more decisive than the military operations in the Donbas.
It is now 115 days since Russia invaded #Ukraine. Today, an examination of how the war has re-emphasised industrial capacity to sustain military operations in the 21st century. 1/25 🧵
2/ This week, an article by Alex Vershinin at @RUSI_org explored the consumption rates of ammunition in the Russo-Ukraine War and how industry capacity to manufacture the large quantities of ammunition needed for modern war is limited.
It is 112 days since the Russian invasion of #Ukraine. Today, an examination of the Battle of the Luhansk Pocket, and the political, operational and tactical considerations involved. 1/22 🧵
2/ The Russian eastern offensive in Ukraine is making slow but measurable progress in the east (Severodonetsk area), in the north (Lyman area) and south (Popasna area). Operationally, these tactical advances have created a ‘pocket’ occupied by Ukrainian defenders.
3/ Historically, there are useful examples of military behaviour in these circumstances, including the Falaise Pocket and Colmar Pocket in WW2. iwm.org.uk/collections/it…
It is nearly four months since the beginning of the Russian invasion of #Ukraine. Today, an examination of how Ukraine can maintain Western attention so that it can continue to get the #military, humanitarian and economic aid it needs. 1/15 smh.com.au/world/europe/u…
2/ The Ukrainian President has mastered communicating with a global audience over the past three and a half months. But it is an audience that has a short attention span.
3/ Western support is critical to the Ukrainian effort to defend its territory, and for its counter offensives to regain those parts of the country seized by the Russian military. (Image: cnn.com)
We are now at the 106 day mark since Russia began its invasion of #Ukraine. Today, an examination of the options for Russia when, or if, it captures #Severodonetsk and the remainder of the Luhansk region. 1/22
2/ The past month has seen the Russian military consolidate its forces into fewer fronts, and concentrate much of its offensive power in the east. At the same time, it has continued strategic operations to strike targets across Ukraine.
3/ This approach has delivered more tactical success, relative to its initial assaults on Kyiv and Kharkiv in their initial phases of the invasion. Their battlefield success has been particularly obvious with their gains in Luhansk.
We are now past the 100 day mark since Russian began its invasion of #Ukraine. Today, an examination why strategic patience is needed in our support for Ukraine to defeat the Russian invasion. 1/24
2/ Populations in democracies can be fickle. Opinions change often and attention spans can be short. But this is part of the to and fro, and open expression of views, that is so essential in democratic systems.
3/ One quality that is sometimes observed as lacking in democratic societies is patience. We have become used to rapid Amazon deliveries, 24/7 news cycles, and shorter, faster versions of old sports. This is hardly a new phenomenon.