Exercise in Futility

Those forcing the hand of the Ukrainians to launch an offensive may well be leading Kyiv to destruction. A win for the Ukraine would have been not to allow Russian victory. Nobody in their right mind should think the forces of Zelenskyy can evict the forces of Putin by means of exertion of military might. It is too uneven an equation. A victory over the aggressor should be considered holding substantial portions of Ukraine. This attack to liberate what Russia has captured is foolhardy. It stretches Kyiv's forces thin, exposes the most battle-tested troops unnecessarily, expends men and machines, and is doomed from the start. If the offensive gained any momentum, Putin would simply resort to employing tactical nuclear weapons to reverse Ukraine's advance. Why not permit Zelenskyy to take the win and declare that "despite all that Russia threw at us, we are still a free nation!"?