War in Ukraine: why is Russia’s army so weak? | The Economist

As Russia celebrates Victory Day, our defence correspondent considers why the Russian army has performed so badly in Ukraine.

00:00 - The poor performance of Russia’s armed forces in Ukraine
00:40 - Why has the Russian army struggled in Ukraine?
02:00 - What’s behind Russia’s brutal warfare?
03:27 - Donbas: the next frontier

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Russian soldiers appear to be dying in Ukraine at a remarkably high rate: https://econ.st/3yh6PF2

Putin is failing in Ukraine but succeeding at oppressing Russia: https://econ.st/3ykJsum

Russia’s army is in a woeful state: https://econ.st/3yeWZ6C

How rotten is Russia’s army? https://econ.st/3MR6m0l

Mariupol’s outnumbered defenders refuse to give in: https://econ.st/3MP3H7y

Fighting has intensified in the Donbas region: https://econ.st/3Pc1CET

Rob Lee on why attrition will be a critical factor in the battle for Donbas: https://econ.st/3MQazS7

Russia’s brutal mercenaries probably won’t matter much in Ukraine: https://econ.st/382xNG2

Artillery is playing a vital role in Ukraine: https://econ.st/3saHSY8

Russian rockets are falling indiscriminately on Ukrainian cities: https://econ.st/3sew3jT

The woes of the Russian war machine are big and real. Are they also temporary? https://econ.st/3P09YPt

Michael Kofman, an expert on Russia’s armed forces, explains why the Kremlin will seek regime change in Ukraine: https://econ.st/387XCEv

The curious case of Russia’s missing air force: https://econ.st/3MUgFRC