Thread by @andrewsweiss

1/x So many memorable passages in this remarkably candid interview with General Valery Zaluzhny, head of Ukraine’s armed forces.

Take time to read the whole thing. Here's couple of highlights.

@TheEconomist @shashj

2/x Uncannily, Gen. Zaluzhny echoes a senior US military officer: "We are talking about the scale of WW1 [in which the British Army fired a million shells...I was told, “We will lose Europe. We will have nothing to live on if you fire that many shells.” defense.gov/News/Transcrip…

3/x Zaluzhny says the brutal Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy grid and critical infrastructure are working and could have a major impact on his soldiers' will to fight.

4/x According to Zaluzhy, the advantage provided by US-provided HIMARS systems has diminished as the Russians have adapted and sought to move their forces out of range.

5/x Ukraine's strategic objectives per Zaluzhny: to prevent any loss of add'l territory and to replenish/rebuild 🇺🇦 forces for an expected round of fighting early in 2023 that will be as pivotal as the 1st phase of the Russian invasion.

He admits his thinking may be unpopular.

6/x Zaluzhny defines effective leadership via a Gogol literary reference & why 🇺🇦 has performed so well vs a Russian adversary force led by Gen. Surovikin. ("You look at him & understand that either you complete the task or you’re f-ed. We had long realized this does not work.")

7/7 Finally, Zaluzhny is not scornful of the Russian military call-up. He says Putin's autumn mobilization "has worked" and that the Russians are re-grouping ahead of a bigger push in 2023.

It's a warning we should all heed.

Kudos @TheEconomist @shashj
economist.com/zaluzhny-trans…