Stan R. Mitchell's Blog, page 14

Podcast Episode 7-13-23. Seven big stories involving Ukraine that you have to know about...

Hey guys!

Welcome to The View from the Front. My name is Stan and this is the July 13th edition. 

Today, we are talking about seven big stories involving Ukraine that you have to know about…

Of the seven, you probably haven't heard half of them. We’ll also have a:

Segment on bipartisanship/America working/good news.

And a segment in which we highlight a U.S. military unit that’s serving (or has served) somewhere in the world.

And of course, we’ll cover some motivation and wisdom at the end.

Timestamps:

Timestamp: 2:35. Seven big stories involving Ukraine that you have to know about....

Timestamp: 27:13. Segment on bipartisanship/America working/good news.

Timestamp: 32:45. Highlighting the service of our men and women in the armed forces. This week, I honor Centcom.

Timestamp: 42:13. The motivation and wisdom section.

If you just happened to stumble by, let me say a quick word about what we’re doing here.

Subscribe now

For those who don’t know, my name is Stan R. Mitchell, and I’m a prior Marine and journalist.

Every week, I primarily do three things with my podcast:

Cover emerging hotspots and foreign policy news that you absolutely should know. (Why I focus on foreign policy...)

Work to unite our country and remind us of how lucky we are to live in America. (My thoughts on the division in this country...)

And finally, I always share plenty of motivation and wisdom at the end of each episode.

Take a listen to the podcast. I really hope you get something out of it.

Three visuals mentioned in the pod:

That’s it for this edition.

As a reminder, please be kind and try your best to love your fellow Americans.

So many men and women have sacrificed, fought, and died to keep this country together the past 240-plus years. Please work daily to unite our country again. The vast majority of Americans are decent, loving, great people.

Also, please try to be a better person each and every day. Try to be kinder on social media and how you interact with others with whom you disagree.

Please join me again in our next episode, and please stay safe until then.

And with that, I’m out.

Subscribe now

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

Don’t forget: You can comment anytime, and I’ll answer quickly! You can also reach out privately at: authorstanrmitchell@yahoo.com. (You can say “hi,” vent, or send news tips! I love all three of those things!)

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.

Podcast Episode 7-6-23. The slow Ukrainian counteroffensive, and three reasons that's a good thing

Hey guys,

Welcome to the View from the Front podcast. If you just happened to stumble by, let me say a quick word about what we’re doing here.

Subscribe now

For those who don’t know, my name is Stan R. Mitchell, and I’m a prior Marine and journalist.

Every week, I primarily do three things with my podcast:

Cover emerging hotspots and foreign policy news that you absolutely should know. (Why I focus on foreign policy...)

Work to unite our country and remind us of how lucky we are to live in America. (My thoughts on the division in this country...)

And finally, I always share plenty of motivation and wisdom at the end of each episode.

The slow Ukrainian counteroffensive, and three reasons that's a good thing.

In my podcast above, I talk about this subject. Below are merely the source notes. You should really listen to the podcast. It’s short, fast-moving, and enlightening.

Ukraine’s costly counteroffensive must produce results before NATO summit – Zelenskyy

"We must show results before the (NATO) summit (on July 11-12), but every meter comes at a cost of lives," said Zelenskyy.The president revealed that the plans for Ukraine's counteroffensive have been slowed down in recent months due to heavy rains. He called on partners to continue supporting Ukraine with weapons. Zelenskyy noted that during the autumn 2022 counteroffensive, "with respect to our allies," the supply of artillery was “too late.”"We had to stop because we couldn't advance; advancing would have meant losing more people, and we didn't have artillery," he emphasized, reiterating that Ukraine values the lives of its troops above all.Earlier on June 30, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi said he is “irked” when people complain about the counteroffensive being “slower than expected,” reminding that "every meter liberated by Ukrainian forces is paid for with blood."

Don’t second-guess the Ukrainian counteroffensive. It’s just starting.

The Ukrainian counteroffensive is less than a month old and already the murmurs of defeatism are starting, with unnamed “Western officials” telling CNN that it is “not meeting expectations on any front.” Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky concedes that the counteroffensive is going “slower than desired.”In truth, the plodding pace of the advance should not be a surprise or a cause for serious concern, yet.Very few offensives advance as swiftly as Operation Desert Storm — and that was only possible because of the massive technological advantage that the United States and its allies enjoyed over Iraq. Before the ground war even began in 1991, allied forces spent more than five weeks pummeling Iraqi forces with everything from Tomahawk cruise missiles to B-52 bombers. Then, after the unrelenting attacks from the air, allied ground forces were able to stage a giant “left hook” through the sands of Saudi Arabia to go around the fortified Iraqi positions in Kuwait.

A slow Ukrainian counteroffensive can’t prompt a Western retreat

Nearly 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory remains occupied by Russian troops, who had months to dig multiple tiers of deep trenches and prepare other defensive obstacles along the length of a 600-mile front line. That frontier is now among the world’s most heavily mined strips of land — more than 75,000 square miles of Ukrainian territory has been seeded with explosives, according to Mr. Zelensky — and is also stitched with antitank obstacles, made of reinforced concrete, known as dragon’s teeth.What’s more, there are thought to be several hundred thousand Russian soldiers in Ukraine, considerably more than Ukraine can muster. Kyiv’s forces lack the 3-to-1 numerical advantage generally thought needed for attacking soldiers to overcome dug-in defenders such as Russia’s.Yet hand-wringing over Ukraine’s stuttering advance, which began in early June, is premature. It ignores not just the gains that have been made — more than 100 square miles of territory liberated, according to the British Defense Ministry — but also the fact that the real fight has not begun. When it does, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told the Financial Times, “everyone will see everything.”

America, and our beautiful experiment in democracy as a republic, is actually working.

Every week, I like to do a segment on bipartisanship or America working or some good news. This week, I want to focus on….

The incredible and speedy rebuild of the I-95 bridge

Again, please listen to the podcast for my thoughts on this.

Military unit of the week:

Every week, I like to highlight some unit from one of the branches. This week, I’m highlighting the USS McFaul, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. Please listen to the news about the unit in the podcast. What follows are simply the source notes.

The USS McFaul was critical in preventing the seizure of two commerical oil takers on July 5th.

You can see video and photos of the event below.

U.S. Prevents Iran from Seizing Two Merchant Tankers in Gulf of Oman

Thank you to all the men and women serving around the globe, who are helping to keep us safe.

Motivation and Wisdom:

Let’s end this edition with plenty of motivation and wisdom. (Honestly, you should listen to this part, as well, but I’ll throw the text in on the off-chance that you can’t. 🤣)

Guys, you need to hear this. At least one of you out there needs to hear this.

Life is passing you by. You only get one shot at life, and you’re letting it slip through your fingers, day by day. Life has beaten you down, kicked you in the face, ignored you, punished you, rained on you, assailed you with illnesses and injuries, burdened you with debts and levels of despair that I know are breaking your spirit.

But you have to get up? Do you hear me? You have to get up.

You’re going to get up, get up now, and start fighting back. Do not let despair win. Get up and take a step to confront those things facing you now.

Do it now.

And let these following items lift your spirit and take you to a higher level. You can do this.

You’re meant to do this.

And you have to do this. For yourself. For your family. For your creator.

With all of that being said, I truly hope these help pick up your spirits, revive your hopes, and make you a better person.

You know, I once read, if you don’t think you’re powerful, think of your most important relationship with that person who’s depending on you.

Maybe it’s a son or daughter. Maybe it’s a parent you’re caring for. Maybe it’s your spouse.

If you don’t think you’re important, if you think you don’t matter, imagine if suddenly you went away.

Who would care for that person? Who would check on them, love them, care for them, help them?

We are all way more powerful and important than we think, and the work we are doing — even that work we forget about and sometimes complain about — it’s important.

You can have an impact. You ARE having an impact, and now that you’re paying attention, let’s share a few more items to help feed you and make you stronger!

Lindsay Buroker @GoblinWriterIt’s hard not to have any expectations when you publish your first book (or 20th), but the more certain you are that it’s going to be a life-changing success, the more you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. 1/118:15 PM ∙ May 26, 2022159Likes29RetweetsSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_"Let your dreams be bigger than your fears and your actions be louder than your words."9:50 AM ∙ Jun 10, 2022257Likes86RetweetsLife Quotes @RTLifeQuotesFor a man to achieve all that is demanded of him he must regard himself as greater than he is. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe6:01 PM ∙ Jun 9, 202249Likes12RetweetsMotivational Quotes @motivation_qotThe future depends on what you do today.10:02 AM ∙ Jun 8, 202289Likes22RetweetsLife Quotes @RTLifeQuotesLife's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can. — Vince Lombardi2:01 AM ∙ Jun 9, 2022134Likes37RetweetsMotivational Quotes @motivation_qotTrain your mind to be stronger than your feelings.4:12 AM ∙ Jun 8, 20226,194Likes1,575RetweetsSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_Say goodbye to the past. It is time to move on and be happy. Amazing things are on their way.4:10 PM ∙ Jun 8, 2022841Likes201Retweets

'Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ' Psalms 51:10

'Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. '

Philippians 4:8

That’s it for this edition.

As a reminder, please be kind and try your best to love your fellow Americans.

So many men and women have sacrificed, fought, and died to keep this country together the past 240-plus years. Please work daily to unite our country again. The vast majority of Americans are decent, loving, great people.

Also, please try to be a better person each and every day. Try to be kinder on social media and how you interact with others with whom you disagree.

Please join me again in our next episode, and please stay safe until then.

And with that, I’m out.

Subscribe now

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

Don’t forget: You can comment anytime, and I’ll answer quickly! You can also reach out privately at: authorstanrmitchell@yahoo.com. (You can say “hi,” vent, or send news tips! I love all three of those things!)

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.

Podcast Episode 6-29-23

Hey guys,

Welcome to the View from the Front podcast. If you just happened to stumble by, let me say a quick word about what we’re doing here.

Subscribe now

For those who don’t know, my name is Stan R. Mitchell, and I’m a prior Marine and journalist.

Every week, I primarily do three things with my podcast:

Cover emerging hotspots and foreign policy news that you absolutely should know. (Why I focus on foreign policy...)

Work to unite our country and remind us of how lucky we are to live in America. (My thoughts on the division in this country...)

And finally, I always share plenty of motivation and wisdom at the end of each episode.

This week, the entire show is on the podcast, for reasons I explain in that podcast. lol.

But I’ll share the motivation and wisdom links below.

Motivation and Wisdom:

Let’s end this edition with plenty of motivation and wisdom.

Guys, you need to hear this. At least one of you out there needs to hear this.

Life is passing you by. You only get one shot at life, and you’re letting it slip through your fingers, day by day. Life has beaten you down, kicked you in the face, ignored you, punished you, rained on you, assailed you with illnesses and injuries, burdened you with debts and levels of despair that I know are breaking your spirit.

But you have to get up? Do you hear me? You have to get up.

You’re going to get up, get up now, and start fighting back. Do not let despair win. Get up and take a step to confront those things facing you now.

Do it now.

And let these following items lift your spirit and take you to a higher level. You can do this.

You’re meant to do this.

And you have to do this. For yourself. For your family. For your creator.

With all of that being said, I truly hope these help pick up your spirits, revive your hopes, and make you a better person.

Motivational Quotes @motivation_qot"Believing in yourself is the first secret of success."10:00 AM ∙ Jun 3, 2022161Likes38RetweetsLife Quotes @RTLifeQuotesBefore success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do. — Napoleon Hill10:01 AM ∙ Jun 2, 202268Likes14RetweetsSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_"Be savage, Not average"10:15 PM ∙ Jun 1, 20221,161Likes234RetweetsInspirational Quotes @TheQuoteBoook_Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.9:41 PM ∙ Jun 2, 20222,262Likes554RetweetsMotivational Quotes @motivation_qot"Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when you’re done."4:00 AM ∙ Jun 3, 202269Likes23RetweetsLife Quotes @RTLifeQuotesA dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. — Colin Powell6:01 AM ∙ Jun 2, 2022142Likes33RetweetsInspirational Quotes @TheQuoteBoook_Forget all the reasons it won’t work and believe the one reason that it will.8:28 PM ∙ Jun 2, 20224,887Likes1,119RetweetsMotivational Quotes @motivation_qotThe calmer you are, the clearer you think.4:11 PM ∙ Jun 2, 20228,297Likes1,968RetweetsLife Quotes @RTLifeQuotesFriendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words. – George Eliot10:01 AM ∙ Jun 1, 2022103Likes15RetweetsInspirational Quotes @TheQuoteBoook_Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.3:32 PM ∙ Jun 1, 20221,216Likes219RetweetsInspirational Quotes @TheQuoteBoook_Just follow your joy. Always. I think that if you do that, life will take you on the course that it’s meant to take you.4:00 PM ∙ May 29, 2022609Likes154RetweetsMotivational Quotes @motivation_qot"Success doesn’t just find you. You have to go out and get it."10:00 AM ∙ Jun 7, 202236Likes10RetweetsSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_It's never too late- to change yourself- to be better- to become what you might have been2:15 AM ∙ Jun 7, 2022691Likes186RetweetsSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_Stop thinking. Start doing. Do what you have to do. Start. Now.4:10 PM ∙ Jun 6, 2022771Likes165RetweetsLife Quotes @RTLifeQuotesBe kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. – Plato6:01 PM ∙ Jun 6, 202296Likes24RetweetsSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_"Focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase."11:30 AM ∙ Jun 6, 20222,332Likes592RetweetsMotivational Quotes @motivation_qot"Win in silence. Let them think you're losing."4:07 PM ∙ Jun 6, 202291Likes17RetweetsSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_It only takes one person to change your life: YOU11:35 AM ∙ Jun 5, 20221,691Likes350RetweetsLife Quotes @RTLifeQuotesBe like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there. – Josh Billings2:01 PM ∙ Jun 5, 2022236Likes41RetweetsMotivational Quotes @motivation_qotPsychology says, sometimes you have to stay busy so you don’t have time to feel.4:44 AM ∙ Jun 7, 202232Likes7Retweets

That’s it for this edition.

As a reminder, please be kind and try your best to love your fellow Americans.

So many men and women have sacrificed, fought, and died to keep this country together the past 240-plus years. Please work daily to unite our country again. The vast majority of Americans are decent, loving, great people.

Also, please try to be a better person each and every day. Try to be kinder on social media and how you interact with others with whom you disagree.

Please join me again in our next episode, and please stay safe until then.

And with that, I’m out.

Subscribe now

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

Don’t forget: You can comment anytime, and I’ll answer quickly! You can also reach out privately at: authorstanrmitchell@yahoo.com. (You can say “hi,” vent, or send news tips! I love all three of those things!)

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.

Russian coup update, Edition 3. The fallout.

Hello, my friends!

I wanted to send you the latest news about the Russian coup happening.

As a reminder, I will likely send out additional updates each day. Maybe even twice a day if there are major breakthroughs or big news.

I will make all of these FREE, so please feel free to share.

Also, if you can you support the show by becoming a paid subscriber, that will allow me to devote more time and resources to what I’m trying to do here.

You can sign up for free or as a paid subscriber at the blue button/link below.

Subscribe now

You can also now sign up at Patreon or send a tip through Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell).

Thanks!

Russia coup update:

It’s been almost twenty-four hours since Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of the private military company called Wagner, turned his forces around and abandoned his efforts to take Moscow.

Since that time, we’ve learned several things, so let’s just jump into it.

First, what really happened?

More facts have emerged on why Prigozhin stopped. Here’s the latest reporting from The Washington Post:

“They wanted to disband Wagner,” Prigozhin said in an audio message confirming his agreement to turn back the convoy. “We set out on June 23 on a ‘March of Justice.’ In a day, we marched just short of 200 kilometers [124 miles] away from Moscow. During this time, we have not shed a single drop of the blood of our fighters.”

But he acknowledged that if Wagner continued, it would lose fighters.

“Now is the moment when blood can be shed,” Prigozhin said. “Realizing all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be shed, we are turning our columns around and leaving in the opposite direction of our field camps, according to the plan,” he said, in an apparent reference to the agreement brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

As David Ignatius wrote in his Washington Post opinion piece: Putin and Prigozhin played a game of chicken — and both swerved in the end.

That’s what believes, and I think he’s right. Here’s how he framed it:

President Vladimir Putin looked into the abyss Saturday and blinked. After vowing revenge for what he called an “armed mutiny,” he settled for a compromise.

The speed with which Putin backed down suggests that his sense of vulnerability might be higher even than analysts believed. Putin might have saved his regime Saturday, but this day will be remembered as part of the unraveling of Russia as a great power — which will be Putin’s true legacy.

Putin’s deal with renegade militia leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin is likely to be a momentary truce, at best. The bombastic rebel will head for Belarus, in a deal brokered by his pal President Alexander Lukashenko, in exchange for Putin dropping charges against him and his mutinous soldiers, according to Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov.

Secondly, Putin (and Russia) is living on borrowed time now.

As Max Boot writes, Putin finally learned the lesson all tyrants learn.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is learning what so many tyrants have learned before him: When you unleash the dogs of war, they can come back to bite you. When the Russian strongman sent his troops marching to take Kyiv, he never imagined that 16 months later, mutinous Wagner mercenary group troops would march on Moscow.

But then Napoleon never imagined that invading Russia would lead to his exile and the restoration of monarchy in France. Hitler never imagined that invading Poland would lead to his suicide and the partition of Germany. Saddam Hussein never imagined that invading Kuwait would lead, eventually, to the overthrow of his regime and his death.

War is inherently an unpredictable and risky business, whose consequences can never be foreseen with clarity — and seldom managed with success. A dictator’s illusion of control can all too often collapse in the cauldron of combat — especially if the war turns into a prolonged, bloody conflict of attrition as has occurred in Ukraine.

Without question, experts agree that Putin is weaker.

An article in NPR makes this case. NPR interviewed three experts who claim this severely weakened Putin — perhaps fatally. 

Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, says despite the apparent end of the mutiny, the Russian leader will undoubtedly be weakened by the strong challenge to his authority.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul says there's "no doubt" that Prigozhin's mutiny weakens Putin and "raises doubts about his ability to continue to govern Russia in an effective way."

…

Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the Rand Corp, cautions that at the moment, little is known, but "one thing we know for certain is that Putin's authority is irreparably damaged."

"It's sort of like a Wizard of Oz moment, where it turns out that the people who have the guns are not willing to use them to prop up your authority," he says.

Some closing thoughts from others.

The View from the Front by Stan R. Mitchell is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written 11 of them, including: a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.

Russian coup update, Edition 2.

Hello, my friends!

I wanted to send you the latest news about the Russian coup happening.

As a reminder, I will likely send out additional updates each day. Maybe even twice a day if there are major breakthroughs or big news.

I will make all of these FREE, so please feel free to share.

Also, if you can you support the show by becoming a paid subscriber, that will allow me to devote more time and resources to what I’m trying to do here.

You can sign up for free or as a paid subscriber at the blue button/link below.

Subscribe now

You can also now sign up at Patreon or send a tip through Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell).

Thanks!

Russia coup update:

And just like that, the coup appears over.

If you missed the earlier post today, you MUST read it first: Russian coup update, Edition 1.

There’s still a lot not known, but I’ve seen enough to feel certain that the coup — and drive to Moscow — by Yevgeniy Prigozhin and the private military company called Wagner is over.

I’ll share some some early analysis about what happened — and what it means —below this article.

Proof it’s over:

From the AP: Wagner chief says he ordered his Russian mercenaries to halt march on Moscow and return to Ukraine

A rebellious mercenary commander said Saturday he ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, appearing to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power.

Moscow had braced for the arrival of forces from the Wagner Group, a private army led by Yevgeny Prigozhin that has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine, by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the city’s southern edge. Red Square was shut down, and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads.

But Prigozhin announced that while his men were just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid “shedding Russian blood.”

Why he stopped: What it means:

A ) Putin is weaker.

B ) A lot of Russians learned some hard (and maybe new) truths about the war in Ukraine.

C ) There were some small protests a year ago against Putin. I’m betting many in Russia are feeling emboldened now.

D ) But not everyone sees this as a political issue.

E ) Belarus apparently played a hand in the deal.

Now that it’s over, questions include: And we’re probably back to a challenging fight for Ukraine, but make no mistake: this was great for Ukraine.

It also probably didn’t help Russian morale on the frontlines. I’m not sure many wanted to die for Russia before this, but this entire fiasco hasn’t helped.

I’ll continue to share more as details of the deal are announced.

The View from the Front by Stan R. Mitchell is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Enjoy what you’re reading but don’t want to subscribe? Send me a small tip on Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell). The more tips I get, the more I produce. 🤣

P.P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written 11 of them, including: a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.

Russian coup update, Edition 1.

Hello, my friends!

I wanted to send you the latest news about the Russian coup happening.

As a reminder, I will likely send out additional updates each day. Maybe even twice a day if there are major breakthroughs or big news.

I will make all of these FREE, so please feel free to share.

Also, if you can you support the show by becoming a paid subscriber, that will allow me to devote more time and resources to what I’m trying to do here.

You can sign up for free or as a paid subscriber at the blue button/link below.

Subscribe now

You can also now sign up at Patreon or send a tip through Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell).

Thanks!

Russia coup update:

Absolutely stunning and massive news broke last night in Russia and I spent much of the night getting my arms around it.

Long-time readers of The View from the Front will be very familiar with the name Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who’s the head of the private military company called Wagner. We’ve been talking about him and his company for months as Wagner mercenaries (and recently-released prisoners) hurled themselves into the fighting in Bakhmut.

Wagner has easily been the premier fighting force inside Ukraine and the hot-headed, loudmouth Prigozhin has been a name that’s grown larger and larger as the fighting intensified.

If you’re just catching up on Prigozhin, here’s what you need to know. The AP had a nice article on him:

Prigozhin was convicted of robbery and assault in 1981, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Following his release, he opened a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the 1990s. It was in this capacity that he got to know now-President Vladimir Putin, then the city’s deputy mayor.

Prigozhin used that connection to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts that earned him the nickname “Putin’s chef.” He later expanded into other areas, including media and an infamous internet “troll factory” that led to his indictment in the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

In January, Prigozhin acknowledged founding, leading and financing the shadowy Wagner company.

Wagner fighters have operated in as many as 30 countries, including Syria, Libya, and Ukraine.

Perhaps as many as 50,000 deployed to Ukraine, the majority of them recruited from inside Russian prisons.

Prigozhin has spent a LOT of time on the front lines and videoing himself planning, complaining, and leading. He’s made himself a “legend” inside Russia, mostly by criticizing other Russian generals and leaders.

He was a close ally of Putin, but he’s been increasingly nudging up to criticizing Putin himself.

Initial complaints were about ammo shortages and the direction of the war, but as time passed, he began talking about “Grandfather” — essentially talking about Putin but in a deniable way.

Analysts predicted that eventually Putin would take out Prigozhin (no powerful dictator can have someone criticizing him). But Prigozhin was so successful inside Ukraine that Putin delayed making his arrest (or outright killing him).

That delay proved too long…

Yesterday, Russia issued an arrest warrant.

Prigozhin had other plans. Wagner forces advanced into the Southern Military District headquarters inside Russia. (Videos below.)

This was mostly unguarded and Wagner seized it without a shot.

Putin has attempted to deploy forces to hit Wagner, but there’s been no contact between these forces yet. (Video below.)

Instead, Wagner is already pushing north toward Moscow.

They are four hours away.

And Moscow is preparing with limited forces to stop them.

And there are strong rumors that Putin has already fled. (He’s avoided TV or being seen since this crisis emerged.)

I will try to update you again soon once things become clearer. Probably later today.

The View from the Front by Stan R. Mitchell is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Enjoy what you’re reading but don’t want to subscribe? Send me a small tip on Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell). The more tips I get, the more I produce. 🤣

P.P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written 11 of them, including: a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.

Ukraine counteroffensive, Edition 9. Russian supplies cut and a bi-partisan Senate resolution that you need to know about.

Hello, my friends!

I wanted to send you the latest news about the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

As a reminder, I will likely send out additional updates each day. Maybe even twice a day if there are major breakthroughs or big news.

I will make all of these FREE, so please feel free to share.

Also, if you can you support the show by becoming a paid subscriber, that will allow me to devote more time and resources to what I’m trying to do here.

You can sign up for free or as a paid subscriber at the blue button/link below.

Subscribe now

You can also now sign up at Patreon or send a tip through Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell).

Thanks!

Russia and Ukraine news:

I’m still on vacation this week, but two big pieces of news broke today that I wanted to share.

First, Ukraine scored a massive deep-strike attack that will seriously impair Russian forces for weeks — or months — to come.

Here are those images from that tweet.

Knocking out that bridge (or even seriously damaging it so that rail and heavy trucks can’t use it) will starve the Russian troops north of it.

See below:

One other route exists, but…

Here’s an image of Armyansk — as a reminder, Ukrainian troops are just north of that blue line in the upper left corner, which is the Dnipro River. (They are just above where the small, blue triangle is in the upper left corner.)

More imagery on the route the Russians will now have to take with supplies (and the big issue with that plan, besides MUCH longer transit time).

But in the west, Russia continues to dig in better.

There’s some talk of a possible Ukrainian breakthrough, but that won’t be confirmed for at least another day or two.

One other big thing you need to know about.

There’s been a pretty important resolution created in the U.S. Senate today. It’s bi-partisan and I have no idea of it’s chances of success — no major news outlets had reporting on it as of 10:45 p.m. Eastern time — but you can watch video of it below.

Here’s the short of what it does:

That’s it from now. More soon as news break. Make sure you sign up! Even if it’s just for free!

The View from the Front by Stan R. Mitchell is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Enjoy what you’re reading but don’t want to subscribe? Send me a small tip on Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell). The more tips I get, the more I produce. 🤣

P.P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.

Ukraine counteroffensive, Edition 8. Are things going well?

Hello, my friends!

I wanted to send you the latest news about the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

As a reminder, I will likely send out additional updates each day. Maybe even twice a day if there are major breakthroughs or big news.

I will make all of these FREE, so please feel free to share.

Also, if you can you support the show by becoming a paid subscriber, that will allow me to devote more time and resources to what I’m trying to do here.

You can sign up for free or as a paid subscriber at the blue button/link below.

Subscribe now

You can also now sign up at Patreon or send a tip through Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell).

Thanks!

Russia and Ukraine news:

I’m not going to lie. This article today has been a little hard to write.

That’s because as someone who’s been a huge cheerleader for Ukraine (and the fight for freedom against foreign invaders), things are looking pretty rough for the good guys. (And yes, the Ukrainians are the good guys.)

I could sugarcoat things and show impressive attacking videos like the one below.

But I’d prefer to simply be dead honest with what I see. And what I see is a little concerning.

There are tons of stories, such as this one from The Associated Post.

Both sides suffer heavy casualties as Ukraine strikes back against Russia, UK assessment says

Russia and Ukraine are suffering high numbers of military casualties as Ukraine fights to dislodge the Kremlin’s forces from occupied areas in the early stages of its counteroffensive, British officials said Sunday.

Russian losses are probably at their highest level since the peak of the battle for Bakhmut in March, U.K. military officials said in their regular assessment.

According to British intelligence, the most intense fighting has centered on the southeastern Zaporizhzhia province, around Bakhmut and further west in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province. While the update reported that Ukraine was on the offensive in these areas and had “made small advances,” it said that Russian forces were conducting “relatively effective defensive operations” in Ukraine’s south.

The Washington Post is carrying similar reporting.

Situation in east is ‘difficult,’ says Ukraine’s deputy defense minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised his troops for waging tough counteroffensive battles in several regions during what he described in his nightly address as a “very important week.” Ukrainian forces continued to make limited gains in at least four sectors, the Institute for the Study of War think tank said in an analysis. Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said the situation in eastern Ukraine is “difficult,” with Russia conducting “hot battles” in the region.

…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the war in Ukraine “will take a long time” and the world should be prepared. Scholz said Germany is adapting its policies for a long-term conflict and will “support Ukraine as long as it is necessary.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking with Scholz in Berlin, said that if Ukraine’s counteroffensive is successful, it will be in a stronger position in any eventual negotiations to end the conflict.

INCREDIBLY, Russia is actually on the offensive on part of the battlefield. From the same article:

Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said the situation in eastern Ukraine is “difficult.” She said on Telegram that Russia is continuing an active offensive in the directions of Lyman and Kupiansk — with intense shelling and “hot battles,” she added — in what she said was part of Russia’s plans to reach the borders of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Two major items are making this incredibly difficult.

Part of the issue is re-positioned attack helicopters. And part of the issue is Russia has been preparing for this attack for a long time.

Russia aims to defeat counteroffensive with mines, artillery, and aviation

As Ukraine readied its counteroffensive by gathering Western weapons and sending its troops for NATO training, Russia spent at least seven months preparing for this potentially definitive stage of the war — by readying reserves, artillery and aviation support, stockpiling ammunition and fuel, and procuring more drones.

Russian forces also burrowed into the territory they occupy in southeast Ukraine, digging lines of trenches and erecting fortifications along the entire 900-mile-long front line, from Zaporizhzhia to Russia’s Belgorod region.

The massive network of defenses has weaknesses, according to military experts who described Russia’s preparations, but it is already slowing offensive operations and creating bottlenecks for the Ukrainian army, forcing it to try to break through on narrow paths, which allows Russia to regroup and aim more precisely.

“They’ve had months to create a defensive plan, they’ve dug in and used the terrain, they’ve been sitting there for six months laying little traps and mines,” said Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at Rand Corp. “They feel as confident as they are probably going to feel that they understand their defensive lines.”

So absolute best case, things are difficult for Ukraine.

Things are so challenging, in fact, that… Ukraine is holding up their major attacks for now.

Ukrainian forces may be temporarily pausing counteroffensive operations to reevaluate their tactics for future operations. Head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center Colonel Margo Grosberg stated on June 16 that he assesses "we won't see an offensive over the next seven days.” The Wall Street Journal similarly reported on June 17 that Ukrainian forces “have mostly paused their advances in recent days” as Ukrainian command reexamines tactics. These reports are consistent with ISW’s recent observations of the scale and approach of localized Ukrainian counterattacks in southern and eastern Ukraine. ISW has previously noted that Ukraine has not yet committed the majority of its available forces to counteroffensive operations and has not yet launched its main effort. Operational pauses are a common feature of major offensive undertakings, and this pause does not signify the end of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Now, if you look even a little bit online, you’ll seee some critics and pro-Russian accounts saying the Russians are winning, the counteroffensive is a flop, and this is a complete disaster for Ukraine and all its Western cheerleaders.

Russia literally maintains a 10-to-1 artillery advantage, which coupled with the attack helicopters, makes this a crushing challenge.

Plus, the Russian conscripts haven’t broken and there are intimidaing “barrier forces” of Russians — mostly pro-Russian Chechen units — who execute any Russian consripts who flee.

But I asked another serious Ukraine watcher his thoughts on the matter, and I’ll paste them below, but they come from this thread.

The account is called Ukraine News and it’s a great account to follow if you’re on Post.News.

Here is how Ukraine News sees it — and he generiously said I could quote his entire reply:

First off, I'm aware I'm not an expert, but I have my opinions like everyone else, so I'll try to sort them out.

Since December 2022 and until 11 days ago, I was expecting the counteroffensive to begin with massive attacks against the Russian rear (checked), targeted sabotage/shelling of Russian logistics in Zaporizhia, Kherson and Crimea (checked), probing along the Zaporizhia front (checked) and then... a massive crossing of the Dnipro around the area of Hola Prystan, in order to swiftly liberate all Kherson region that lies west of the Crimean canal, reach the 'neck' of the Crimean Peninsula and open a new front towards Melitopol from the west.

Of course, Russia blowing up the Kakhovka dam forced Ukraine to change plans. Whether Kherson was or not the main plan (which is just my personal opinion), I still believe Zaporizhia will not be the main axis of the counteroffensive, so we shouldn't pay too much attention to how much territory or how many settlements are liberated there. Ukraine is probing Russian defenses, forcing them to spend reserves, exposing exactly what they have and where, and trying to provoke Russia to leave another part of the front unprotected (quite like Kharkiv last year). If Ukraine sees the chance for a breakthrough in Zaporizhia, I'm sure they'll take it, but that is not the goal.

More to the point, I'm still very optimist mid and long term, and I see things currently going as expected, which is not great, not terrible. Keep in mind that Ukraine has shown so far only 3 or 4 of the more than 13 new brigades. Most of the recent advances have been achieved by formations that have been on the front for months.

Ukraine (and everyone else) always knew that Russia has more artillery and more aircraft, and even if the west has stepped up the delivery of air defense systems very recently, Ukraine has today hardly 1/10th of what it needs. Russian constant missile and drone attacks against the whole country also force Ukraine to use a large part of the scarce air defense systems it has, far from the frontline. If the west had started training Ukrainian pilots several months ago, they could have F16s now, and it would be a different story... but that didn't happen.

Luckily, Ukraine is used to plan according to what it has and not what it 'should have'. With what Ukraine currently has, this is what they can do. Go slowly, take and keep the initiative, push Russia to make a mistake and exploit it, target their command and logistics, try not to suffer excessive losses, and achieve tactical improvements when possible.

In short, the counteroffensive is just starting, it may take weeks or even months to be in full swing, and we all need to be patient. There will be good and bad days, and we need to be ready to accept that.

These comments make me feel a lot better about things, for sure.

What’s your take on the counteroffensive? What are you seeing? How are you feeling? Let me know below.

Subscribe now

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Enjoy what you’re reading but don’t want to subscribe? Send me a small tip on Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell). The more tips I get, the more I produce. 🤣

P.P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.

Podcast Episode 6-15-23

Hey guys!

Welcome to the show! In this episode, we’ll be discussing several topics, which you probably haven’t seen in the news. As I always say, our media does a terrible job covering our military and potential hotspots, so I’m hoping to fill this void.

But, in addition to ending the podcast with some awesome motivation and wisdom, we’ll cover:

Timestamp: 2:19. The latest on Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Timestamp: 5:02. On the one hand, there’s much to celebrate. On the other, it’s like this is but the smallest taste of what’s to come.

Timestamp: 6:01. As Ukraine’s counteroffensive heats up, Washington holds its breath.

Timestamp: 8:48. To date, more than 50 countries have sent aid to Ukraine in this unprovoked war started by Russia.

Timestamp: 12:19. Even though limited land has been taken to date, major successes truly are occurring, as evidenced in the video below.

Timestamp: 15:56. Just to piggy-back on that point, this Ukrainian commander dispels several myths about the counteroffensive.

Timestamp: 19:05. Two pieces of broader, world news you need to know about.

Hey guys,

Welcome to the View from the Front podcast. If you just happened to stumble by, let me say a quick word about what we’re doing here.

Subscribe now

For those who don’t know, my name is Stan R. Mitchell, and I’m a prior Marine and journalist.

Every week, I primarily do three things with my podcast:

Cover emerging hotspots and foreign policy news that you absolutely should know. (Why I focus on foreign policy...)

Work to unite our country and remind us of how lucky we are to live in America. (My thoughts on the division in this country...)

And finally, I always share plenty of motivation and wisdom at the end of each episode.

In this episode, we’ll be discussing several topics, that I think will really interest you, and that I almost guarantee you haven’t seen in the news!

The work I do each week is primarily a podcast. You can listen to it from the player above, or from whatever podcast you listen to it from.

And if you love what I’m doing here, please sign up for email notifications. It’s FREE. Unless you choose to subscribe and support what I’m doing. It’s $5 per month should you choose that option, and you can cancel at any time.

Subscribe now

Subscribing also gets you The View from the Front Extended. This is a Monday update that comes out as a newsletter and is a way to provide value and thank my paying subscribers.

Also, people are always asking me on social media how to best support my dreams, including getting out future books sooner. Believe me, the best way to support me is by signing up for a paid subscription here. Or, you can sign up at Patreon or send a tip through Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell).

But you don’t have to do any of these things. I’ve already had incredible support and feel called to do this. As long as I’m making enough to cover the time I invest each week, I’m not going anywhere. Why paid subscriptions help, and what they’d help me do more of...

Enough of the sales pitch, I hope you enjoy today’s edition. Again, you should listen to it from the player above.

Source notes:

One administrative note: There will not be a podcast next week, as I’ll be on vacation, but I plan to continue to provide newsletter updates as big news breaks.

Russia and Ukraine news:

Ukraine says it has retaken 100 square kilometres of land in counteroffensive

Ukraine has regained control of over 100 square kilometres, or 38 square miles, of territory in its counteroffensive against Russian forces, a senior Ukrainian military commander said on Thursday.

…

He confirmed that in the early stages of the offensive, which Ukraine said had begun last week, seven settlements had been liberated in the eastern region of Donetsk and in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.

On the one hand, there’s much to celebrate. On the other, it’s like this is but the smallest taste of what’s to come.

War Mapper provided the most up-to-date assessment of how deep into the Russian defenses that Ukrainian forces have driven.

As Ukraine’s counteroffensive heats up, Washington holds its breath

As Ukraine launches its long-awaited counteroffensive against entrenched Russian occupiers, both Kyiv and its backers are hoping for a rapid retaking of strategically significant territory. Anything less will present the United States and its allies with uncomfortable questions they are not yet prepared to answer.

With this year’s flow of billions of dollars’ worth of advanced Western weaponry to Ukraine, “everybody’s hopeful that, you know, you’d see overwhelming success,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters last week. But, he said, adding a note of caution, “I think most people have a realistic outlook on this.”

…

The stakes for President Biden are high.

As he heads into next year’s reelection campaign, Biden needs a major battlefield victory to show that his unqualified support for Ukraine has burnished U.S. global leadership, reinvigorated a strong foreign policy with bipartisan support and demonstrated the prudent use of American military strength abroad.

Allies in NATO and beyond have bought heavily into Biden’s case. “Let no one doubt U.S. leadership — and resources — are the decisive contribution,” visiting British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday at a news conference in Washington with Biden.

To date, more than 50 countries have sent aid to Ukraine in this unprovoked war started by Russia.

Japan in talks to provide artillery shells to U.S. to help Ukraine, Wall Street Journal reports. The Asian nation is considering supplying 155-mm. artillery shells under a 2016 pact to share ammunition as part of its long-standing security alliance with the United States, the paper added, citing people familiar with the matter.

Even though limited land has been taken to date, major successes truly are occurring, as evidenced in the video below.

Wow. Ukraine took out five self-propelled howitzers of Russia. This is huge because they fire and move quickly and are usually hard to target.

You can see video of it below.

By forcing Russian forces to react, you can get them in the open and target them.

Here’s a picture of what the Msta-S looks like, and not to state the obvious, but this thing can fire 6 to 8 rounds per minute, which travel up to 15 miles, and then scoot away so that counter-battery fire doesn’t hit it.

2S19M2 Msta on parade by Vitaly V. Kuzmin —vitalykuzmin.net

Just to piggy-back on that point, this Ukrainian commander dispels several myths about the counteroffensive.

Pressure builds to get Sweden in NATO.

Story: GOP senator blocks arms sale to Hungary for stalling Sweden’s NATO bid

China news:

Blinken to visit China this week

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China to meet with Beijing’s senior officials this week, the State Department announced Wednesday.

During the trip, he’ll discuss the “importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage” the relationship between the two countries, the statement said.

…

Blinken, who will leave on Friday and return Wednesday, will become the first secretary of State to visit China in five years and the first Cabinet-level official to do so in four years.

That’s it for this edition.

As a reminder, please be kind and try your best to love your fellow Americans.

So many men and women have sacrificed, fought, and died to keep this country together the past 240-plus years. Please work daily to unite our country again. The vast majority of Americans are decent, loving, great people.

Also, please try to be a better person each and every day. Try to be kinder on social media and how you interact with others with whom you disagree.

Please join me again in our next episode, and please stay safe until then.

And with that, I’m out.

Subscribe now

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Enjoy what you’re reading but don’t want to subscribe? Send me a small tip on Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell). The more tips I get, the more I produce. 🤣

P.P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.

Ukraine counteroffensive, Edition 7. Ukraine advances through the Russian lines in several sectors

Hello, my friends!

I wanted to send you the latest news about the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

As a reminder, I will likely send out additional updates each day. Maybe even twice a day if there are major breakthroughs or big news.

I will make all of these FREE, so please feel free to share.

Also, if you can you support the show by becoming a paid subscriber, that will allow me to devote more time and resources to what I’m trying to do here.

You can sign up for free or as a paid subscriber at the blue button/link below.

Subscribe now

You can also now sign up at Patreon or send a tip through Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell).

Thanks!

Russia and Ukraine news:

As of 2 p.m. on Monday, increasingly verified reports have emerged of Ukrainian advances across multiple sectors.

Reuters: Ukraine claims new gains in early phase of counteroffensive

BBC: Ukraine counter-offensive: Kyiv says it has liberated villages in Donetsk region

Yahoo News: Russia downplaying Ukrainian advances in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia oblasts

I thought I’d show you what that looks like as of approximately 2 p.m. with some maps that also align with other analysts assessments.

These four below are from War Mapper, but they closely align with the Institute for the Study of War, which I’ll share below.

First, the wide view. Russia controls the red and purple.

Here is the southern front, which has been especially bloody of late.

Here is a map from the Institute for the Study of War, which largely aligns with the above image.

Here is a look at those advances in the south, zoomed in:

Here is another look at how that attack is unfolding:

And this, of course, is what the real goal is for the push in the south.

Just to remind you, in case you’re just starting to tune into the war again,

If Ukrainian forces can punch through Russian lines as depicted on that map, all the way to the Sea of Azov, then any Russian troops west of that new advance will be stranded.

They will be forced to be entirely dependent on supplies through the Crimean Peninsula.

Ukraine would destroy the Kerch Bridge, which links Russia with Crimea, and attack ships and planes being used to ferry supplies to the peninsula.

Other advances are being made in addition to what you just saw in the southern part of Ukraine.

Up in the more northern part, around Bakhmut, Ukraine is also taking land.

The fighting is literally yard-by-yard right now.

You can get a feel for how close-in this fighting is by watching the video below.

This new footage emerged of some of the attacks on the Russian trench systems just within the last day.

The fighting you see in this isn’t even anything high-tech or sexy. No Leopard tanks. No U.S.-made Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Nothing.

Just three Hummers/Humvee’s and about a platoon of troops, suppressing the enemy and then closing with them.

It’s beyond horrible that Putin launched this war and could end it tomorrow by withdrawing, but until he does, more fighting like this will have to occur.

One strategic factor to keep in mind.

Most of the Russian troops are dug in and positioned on the front line, which stretches for more than 600 miles.

Russia has almost no reserves in theater. Once these long lines of defense are captured or destroyed, there won’t be much to stop Ukraine.

And that’s when the race will be on.

Subscribe now

Love and peace,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Enjoy what you’re reading but don’t want to subscribe? Send me a small tip on Venmo (@authorstanrmitchell). The more tips I get, the more I produce. 🤣

P.P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.

Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.