EP133 · Society · first published 2022-04-19
Russia in Ukraine and Victory Day | Pekka Toveri | Neuvottelija 133
Major General retired Pekka Toveri and Sami Miettinen assess what Russia is trying to achieve by Victory Day on 9 May and why Mariupol is both a symbolic and a strategic necessity. The episode unpacks the sinking of the cruiser Moskva, the targeting behind the Neptune missiles, and the role of Bayraktar drones as a distraction. The discussion covers the structure of the battalion tactical group, Russia's manpower shortage and recruitment from its poorest regions, and the effect of sanctions on arms production. It closes on the risks around the Finnish and Swedish NATO applications, nuclear rhetoric, and the value of a domestic defence industry.
Russia in Ukraine and Victory Day | Pekka Toveri | Neuvottelija 133
Summary: Major General retired Pekka Toveri and Sami Miettinen assess what Russia is trying to achieve by Victory Day on 9 May and why Mariupol is both a symbolic and a strategic necessity. The episode unpacks the sinking of the cruiser Moskva, the targeting behind the Neptune missiles, and the role of Bayraktar drones as a distraction. The discussion covers the structure of the battalion tactical group, Russia’s manpower shortage and recruitment from its poorest regions, and the effect of sanctions on arms production. It closes on the risks around the Finnish and Swedish NATO applications, nuclear rhetoric, and the value of a domestic defence industry.
Key Themes
- The Victory Day parade and the cult of the past: Discussed from 00:00 onward.
- The sinking of the cruiser Moskva and Neptune missiles: Discussed from 03:00 onward.
- Bayraktar as a distraction and Ukraine’s information war: Discussed from 06:00 onward.
- Useful idiots and the Kursk comparison: Discussed from 09:00 onward.
- The fighting NATO narrative and the battalion tactical group: Discussed from 12:00 onward.
- Manpower shortage and recruitment from the poorest regions: Discussed from 15:00 onward.
- Command training and corruption combined; the Izium axis: Discussed from 18:00 onward.
- Azovstal the significance of Mariupol and Crimea: Discussed from 21:00 onward.
- Finland’s NATO bid and nuclear rhetoric in the Baltic: Discussed from 24:00 onward.
- Why NATO would not back down and room to tighten sanctions: Discussed from 27:00 onward.
- Domestic defence industry and Russia’s component shortage: Discussed from 30:00 onward.
- The limits of long range strikes and artillery ranges: Discussed from 33:00 onward.
- Criticising Mearsheimer plus Sun Tzu and Clausewitz: Discussed from 36:00 onward.