Comments by "N Velsen" (@nvelsen1975) on "Why the West Underestimated Ukraine: A Tale of Misleading Signals and Misguided Priorities" video.
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The "I need ammunition, not a ride" statement is easily the most pivotal speech of the 21st century so far, and up there with JFK's "We do this because it's hard" in terms of persuasiveness.
I believe Ukraine may have well collapsed if Zelensky and the top brass had fled the country and ruled from abroad. It's a bodyblow to morale in the frontline to learn those above you have already fled before they were in credible personal danger (from frontline troops, assasination plots aren public enough to effect morale before they happen).
Conversely, if your leader is Zelensky and goes "We're not going anywhere, but we'll need a LOT of ammo since we're going to Moscow if that's what it takes", who are you the lowly private in the trenches, to even consider retreat? There's a lot of heroes in cemetries right now who were right on the frontline in february and march 2022 who found themselves hilariously outgunned, but decided that simply meant they had a lot of Russian targets to hit.
To pick a video example, the famous Browary Ambush that stopped a whole BTG. I'm not sure you could get a couple infantry guys to spring that if they knew their leaders were on the run already, also knowing that just like it happened in reality, there's enough firepower in that BTG that even with the best ambush and that western Javelin missile you got recently, there's enough firepower in there that most of you aren't going back to the dugout unharmed tonight.
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