Biden Administration Is Studying How to Fight to the Last Ukrainian If Moscow Overruns Them
Washington wants the Ukrainians to fight on as partisans. The US will send a shoulder-fired missile and a postcard
The Biden administration is studying whether and how the United States could support an anti-Russian insurgency inside Ukraine if President Vladimir Putin invades that country and seizes substantial territory.
The planning, described Sunday by a knowledgeable official, includes ways to provide weapons and other support to the Ukrainian military to resist invading Russian forces — and similar logistical support to insurgent groups if Russia topples the Ukrainian government and a guerrilla war begins.
The weapons the United States might provide include shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles. The CIA’s delivery of such weapons, known at the time as “Stingers,” had a devastating effect on Soviet forces during their 10-year war in Afghanistan, from 1979 to 1989.
The administration task force, which includes the CIA and other key agencies, has been studying how insurgencies were organized against the Soviets in Afghanistan and Russian-backed forces in Syria — and also against the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s an ironic example of turning the tables, weighing whether and how to inflict harm similar to what U.S. forces have suffered in recent years.
The task force includes a legal team that is studying how any assistance to a Ukrainian insurgency could be provided without violating U.S. or international laws.
The administration’s basic goal is to impose costs if Putin invades Ukraine, without directly involving U.S. troops — a step that President Biden has ruled out. White House officials believe that threatening direct military intervention would be a mistake because Biden isn’t willing to risk all-out war over Ukraine. Gray-zone tactics are better.
The insurgency planning supplements other Biden administration efforts to raise the stakes for Putin. U.S. officials have warned that America and its European allies would impose severe economic sanctions that could cripple the Russian economy. And NATO announced plans last week to move troops forward, toward Russia, if Putin ignores warnings. That would leave Russia more vulnerable to Western military pressure following an invasion, the opposite of what Putin hopes to achieve.
In framing these contingency plans, the administration is trying to strike a balance. The White House wants to deter an invasion, without offering the Russian president a pretext for escalating the crisis. Too much saber rattling could bring about precisely the scenario that Washington hopes to avoid.
“We are prepared to consider a number of things that we have not considered in the past, and the results will be very profound on the Russian Federation, but I’m not going to go into details,” a senior administration official told reporters Friday. The U.S. arsenal of cyberweapons is formidable, but officials haven’t discussed such options.
In military terms, the Ukrainian army isn’t a match for Russian troops, but it’s 50 percent larger than the force Ukraine had in 2014, when Russia seized Crimea. In addition, sources said that about 500,000 Ukrainians have had some militia training since 2014, and that at least a million weapons are in private hands. These would be among the building blocks for an insurgency. U.S. planners have discussed weapons caches and other logistical tools that could support a potent “stay-behind network” if Russia invades.
The United States has supplied Javelin antitank weapons to the Ukrainian military, initially under tight controls. Similar controls would probably apply to any antiaircraft weapons, to make sure they didn’t fall into terrorist hands. Although the United States might not supply the antiaircraft weapons directly, deliveries could be made by U.S. allies or partners.
A small number of U.S. Special Operations forces have been advising the Ukrainians, as part of a U.S. military team of about 150 people there now.
The CIA also has a paramilitary branch with experience in organizing insurgencies in Afghanistan and Syria.
When U.S. troops were poised on the border of Iraq in 2003, U.S. officials didn’t consider the grinding, enervating war of counterinsurgency that lay ahead. The Biden administration believes that Putin may be on the verge of making a similar mistake in Ukraine. They hope he doesn’t make the wrong choice, but if he does invade, they want to make it hurt.
Source: The Washington Post
This is pretty damned hilarious. That the Amerikastani Empire is pig ignorant of history is well known, but you’d have thought that it had some idea of geography at least. The mountains of Chechnya couldn’t stop the Russians, and the flat plains of Ukraine will be a walkover. Apart from the fact that the Stingers were defeated by the mid 80s, and that Nazis don’t do partisan warfare. The three Axis countries were the only ones that saw absolutely no attempt at a resistance movement in WWII.
The pervert Ramzan sold his people out
In the Ukraine 17%are Russians. Russia would only invade the 2 autonomous regions where lots of Russians live. There 600.000 have already a russian passport.
More like 75%.
Total idiots
“The planning, described Sunday by a knowledgeable official, includes ways to provide weapons and other support to the Ukrainian military to resist invading Russian forces — and similar logistical support to insurgent groups if Russia topples the Ukrainian government and a guerrilla war begins.”
Well, of course! Why didn’t you say so? You can send them “To: The Ukrainian Army, C/O Detention Facility # 45, Voronezh, Russia.” Only Nerf missiles, please; the prisoners will not be allowed anything hard or sharp.
Well, I would say to Joe Dementia , “Lets Go Brandon” !
US need to be careful…this sort of tactic could come and bite them at home. It takes two to tango and lots are ready to take the democrats out dance.
Goes to show the stupidity and ignorance of Americans. They “claim” the Ukrainian military is today stronger than it was in 2014. L.O.L. Yeah sure it is, that’s because draconian conscription was introduced, FORCING the population into the military, whether they chose to join or not. FACT is most Ukrainians have no desire to wage war on Russia or anyone else. There’s a reason those conscripts are threatened every day with a bullet into the back of their heads, if they don’t follow orders. Such behaviour highlights how little the citizens of Ukraine support their Government, or their military. Should any major conflict erupt, my money is on the majority of Conscripts deserting in droves. The Yanks think they are going to form insurgent groups, L.O.L. didn’t they try that in Afghanistan and Syria, how well did that work out there ? L.O.L. take away the MONEY, and all such groups collapse.
I hope Vladimir Putin doesn’t stop in Ukrania. This Corporate Khazarian Zionist Talmudist Cancer is all over Europe and Britain. The cleansing of the Aegean Stables would deliver freedom from the Corporate Bondage of the AngloAmerican Khazarian Zionist Larceny Inc. Imperium. I dont see anyone becoming an insurgent when he isnt a tenant in his own land or led to perpetual serfdom. Restoring sovereign states doenst come cheap, though. George Fondis – MMO
Once again, Anti Empire offers a masterclass in how to turn a dry, propaganda-saturated op-ed into something hysterically funny. The Patrick Swayze picture clinched it for me. 🙂
More seriously, other peoples and nations are always just expendable pawns on America’s Grand Chessboard. Why their overseas allies can’t see this is beyond me. How many times are the Ukrainians, Kurds and assorted jihadis going to send their people to the slaughterhouse on behalf of distant plutocrats who couldn’t give a shit about them?
Exactly. This WAPO article is only made more lame by the set photo of the kids in Red Dawn. Bwahahaha
Talking about a proxy war against regular Russian troops ! That’s😂😁 crosses a redline. Expect incoming.
We should do it the other way round and have Russia supply some of us here with these weapons. I know I sure could use a couple of manpads. Some nice new weapons here could be put to good use to take out the scum running the show here. This is going to backfire on gringo and I hope Putin FINALLY will fight back. There is many people in this country that cheer Russia on and will certainly switch sides and join them in the fight to get rid of yankeestan and this nato outfit. Start shooting back at them and lets see whats happening.
There still exists in broad distribution a recording of Victoria Nuland bragging about the ‘low price’ she paid for the mercenatries to complement the paid student demonstrators during the 2014 ‘revolution’. Every member of the freely elected government of the Ukraine was murdered as U.S. paid demonstrators protested outside. Creepy Joementia was after the $7 billion in IMF money which would still have to be repaid by Ukraine tax payers after Joe, Killary, and British royalty stole it. Not a sharp tool in the shed.
The problem with all of this is that the average Ukrainian, Russian speaking or not, does not want a war with Russia, and will probably refuse to fight a war against Russia.
“The CIA also has a paramilitary branch with experience in organizing insurgencies in Afghanistan and Syria.” This is what you get when you allow an Intelligence Agency to have a Black Budget and NO Accountability. I would assume the Russians are aware of the CIA’s activities and have countermeasures in place.
I don’t know but Maria Zakharova just stated that 4000 US troops are in Ukraine – and maybe more. Americans could care less if 1000 body bags arrive – incognito – and the Pentagon could care less , since they probably were never inoculated properly !
what you dont know yet is that the USA has sent to Ukraine one of their best ever war-proven, insurgent savvy assets to tame the pesky russsians: Rambo. He will be joined by the terminator, captain america, the flash, spiderman, and thor, all the expendables including chuck norris. We’ll see if Putin dares to say something.