'No friggin' way' Vladimir Putin's mobilization will lead to anything but failure: retired general

On Wednesday, retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling took to Twitter to explain why the upcoming Russian mobilization into Ukraine ordered by Vladimir Putin is doomed before it even begins.

"Interestingly, RU State TV now claiming it will take 'two months' to get recently mobilized to the front lines in Ukraine. Great," wrote Hertling. "But will they be able to do anything? No friggin’ way."

The basic problem, Hertling wrote, is that while Russia "may be able to train the basics of soldiering in 2 months," they have no chance of teaching the new soldiers — as well as the new officers — everything they need to actually organize an operation like the one Putin wants in Ukraine.

"You can’t 'train' combined arms warfare, especially for large formations, in 2 months; You can’t 'teach' Generals, Colonels and new Sergeants the tenets of leadership in 2 months; You can’t 'fix' a supply system that has been plagued with corruption for years in 2 months," wrote Hertling. "You can’t 'coordinate' tankers, infantry, arty, intel, engineers, air forces & others for battlefield operations in 2 months; you can’t 'counter distrust' soldiers have in RU govt in 2 months; after 60,000 dead soldiers, you can’t reverse the loss felt by RU mothers & wives; you can’t issue equipment, uniforms, ammo, food, supplies, spare parts, that aren’t there (sanctions do work) in 2 months; [and] you can’t/won’t offer advice to a President who doesn’t listen (and who kills those who offer contrarian recommendations) in 2 months."

The war in Ukraine was originally billed as a small, strategic operation to "denazify" the country and ensure security for so-called "independent republics" declared in the east by separatists backed by the Kremlin. The scope of the war, and the resources committed to it, have since ballooned, as Ukrainians have fought back and retaken land, and as Russia has organized sham "referendums" at gunpoint to annex several Ukrainian territories.

Putin's institution of a draft has led to shockwaves around Russia, with young men fleeing the country in massive numbers.