Ejecting over 200,000 Russian troops is ‘a very high bar that’s gonna take a long time to do’, Mark Milley says.
Arpan Rai
Sept 20
Ukraine could take time to “kick out” over 200,000 of Vladimir Putin’s troops from its soil even if its military counteroffensive achieves all its goals, a soon-to-retire US military general has claimed in a new interview.
The comments come as Ukraine has stepped up its counteroffensive against Russia in the last few days by retaking a couple of key villages near battle-worn Bakhmut and launched joint intelligence ops in Crimea, the territory Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.
“There’s well over 200,000 Russian troops in Russian-occupied Ukraine,” General Mark A Milley, who is set to retire as the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an “exit interview” to CNN.
“This offensive, although significant has operational and tactical objectives that are limited in the sense that they do not – even if they are fully achieved – they do not completely kick out all the Russians, which is the broader strategic objective that president Zelensky has,” he said.
Ejecting Russian soldiers from the entirety of Ukraine is going to take a long time and will be “a very significant effort over a considerable amount of time”, Mr Milley said.
The general said he doesn’t want to “put a time on it because a lot of things can happen in a war”.
“You could see a general collapse, you can see escalation, you could see a lot of different things happen in the future, but I can tell you that it will take a considerable length of time to militarily eject all 200,000 plus Russian troops out of Russian-occupied Ukraine. That’s a very high bar, that’s gonna take a long time to do it,” he said.
Earlier this month, Mr Milley said Ukraine only has around 45 days left before poor weather conditions hinder its continuing counteroffensive.
It will become “very difficult to manoeuvre” once it starts raining, according to the head of the US military.
“That offensive kicked off about 90 days ago,” he said, referring to recent criticism about the counteroffensive.
“It has gone slower than the planners anticipated. But that is a difference between what (Prussian general and military theorist Carl von) Clausewitz called war on paper and real war,” he said.
“So these are real people in real vehicles that are fighting through real minefields, and there’s real death and destruction, and there’s real friction.
“And there’s still a reasonable amount of time – probably about 30 to 45 days’ worth of fighting weather left. So the Ukrainians aren’t done,” he said.
“This battle is not done. They haven’t finished the fighting part of what they’re trying to accomplish. So, we’ll see… It’s too early to say how this is going to end. They at least have achieved partial success in what they set out to do, and that’s important. And then the rains will come in. It’ll become very muddy,” he said.
“It’ll be very difficult to manoeuvre at that point, and then you’ll get the deep winter, and then, at that point, we’ll see where things go.
“But right now it is way too early to say that this offensive has failed or not failed.”
In the same interview, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the UK’s Chief of the Defence Staff, said Ukraine is “winning” because Russia failed to bring the country under its control.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive is now in its fourth month and its forces have now had a series of territorial successes against Russian forces, including closing in on the country’s eastern areas from multiple directions.
Russia had invaded Ukraine in February last year.
Ukraine’s pushback, backed by its Western allies who have poured help through modern machinery and funds, has so far been marked by small victories and is awaiting more major breakthroughs.
Original article, with video, here :
Milley, in his usual role of Job’s comforter, serves up another shit sandwich.
Utterly uninspiring and detached. I hope his successor will have some fire in his belly.
Btw, Ukrainian commanders estimated 340,000 orcs on their land.
What a decent ally could have said :
“There are huge numbers of orcs to expel, but rest assured, you will have EVERYTHING you need to ensure that this brutal, savage and intensely evil occupation ends as quickly as possible.”
“Ejecting over 200,000 Russian troops is ‘a very high bar that’s gonna take a long time to do’, Mark Milley says”
A brilliant deduction (sarcasm).
Is it any wonder with the trickle-down technique of helping Ukraine? And, with refusing certain weapons?
Totally agree that Milley doesn’t seem to be an especially bright light, Mr. Ofp. Also, his American arrogance, limited mental flexibility and propably, jealousy of Ukrainian successes, stands in the way of better judgment. Best to ignore him.
I said this before; Milley’s bearings are too much political and not enough military. His position, as it is currently being fulfilled, could easily be occupied by a civilian person with a little military experience.
NATO could panic the orcs and help Ukraine very easily. russia have withdrawn the vast majority of troops from regions bordering NATO countries. Just declare exercises in Finland and Norway. Flood the place with troops, tanks and planes, then wait. But I guess that is too complicated for NATO to undertake.
There have been countless statements from Nato personnel on the lines of “Putin knows we are no threat to him.”
Correct. Because you arseholes keep telling him.
Nato, like Biden, always show their cards to the rat nazi, who obviously does not and never will reciprocate.
We know from the putler genocide that the UN is just a club for putinoid scum and that “the global south” is just code for putlerite shitholes.
I was hoping the camera would pan on the African delegates at the UN after Zelenskys speech yesterday, but no such luck.
I agree. Such a measure is too complex for them.
“Ejecting over 200,000 Russian troops is ‘a very high bar that’s gonna take a long time to do’, Mark Milley says.”
Oh, that Trump-Buddy Milley once again. As if only quantity counts and not also quality. These 200k troops are already less competent than in February 2022. And it steadily becomes worse. Once the the last VDV brigades have been destroyed, now being sent into the meat grinder at Robotyne, who’s left? A horde of mobbiks. Because the kill ratio favors Ukraine, its army will get the upper hand. And with tanks and artillery, it’s the same, Russia can’t replace the losses, both quantity and quality are going down. Putins strategy of attrition warfare is failing, he wears the russian army faster down than the Ukrainian one. It’s only a matter of time until the unavoidable collapse of the occupation.