Washington should Adopt Patton’s Plan for Vanquishing Russia

Despite Russia’s thunderous claims of superiority against Ukrainian Armed Forces, military analysts believe that opposite is true.

While the Kremlin continues to loudly “beat its war drums” and project an image of an inevitable victory, the underlying reality reveals a deeply strained, costly, and gridlocked campaign. Additionally, its key cities such as Moscow and Petersburg, energy facilities, and ground forces are suffering as a result of Ukrainians’ successful drone strikes.

Consequently, the situation can be broken down into a few distinct dynamics:

Vladimir Putin’s public strategy relies heavily on maintaining a constructed reality for domestic and international audiences, presenting Russia’s maximalist goals as entirely on track. However, the operational reality on the ground tells a very different story:  

· Marginal Gains at High Cost: Over the past year, Russian forces have only managed to capture tiny fractions of Ukrainian territory – often measured in just a few dozen square miles over entire months – despite launching relentless, grinding offensives.  

· Massive Troop Losses: The Kremlin is reportedly forced to recruit roughly 30,000 new soldiers a month just to break even against staggering casualty rates, frequently deploying undertrained recruits into highly lethal frontline conditions. According to Ukrainian sources: Russia lost 1.3 million soldiers.

· Internal Corrosion: Reports of widespread corruption, localized insubordination, and logistical breakdowns indicate that the Russian military machine is being eaten away from the inside, even as official propaganda demands total confidence.  

Ukraine is also bringing the war home to Russia. The illusion of safety that the Kremlin tries to maintain for its own citizens is increasingly fracturing. The massive overnight wave of over 400 Ukrainian drones hitting 18 different Russian regions – including a major strike right on the approaches to Moscow today – demonstrates that Russia is entirely unable to insulate itself from the consequences of the conflict. Strikes targeting critical Russian infrastructure, military development plants, and supply depots are causing visible disruptions, fuel shortages, and an undeniable psychological toll on the Russian home front.

Putin has also pledged that he would beef up security to reduce death and destruction in the motherland, which sets him open to additional animosity when he fails on this account.

Putin cannot afford to stop beating the drums because his political survival depends on it. Acknowledging a stalemate or an outright failure would threaten the stability of his regime. By projecting absolute certainty, rejecting tactical realities, and counting on long-term Western fatigue, the Kremlin is trying to outlast Ukraine’s resolve. Realistically, that’s a difficult gamble. Russians’ can read the truth everywhere due to the Internet. Even Russian comedians are openly laughing at Putin’s failure.

Ultimately, while Russia is far from achieving its original objectives and is visibly burning through its economic and human resources, Putin is deeply committed to a war of attrition, choosing to escalate the rhetoric rather than confront their severe strategic vulnerabilities. This policy will continue regardless of what President Trump believes about ending ths war.

This reminds me of famous quotes by Gen. George S. Patton stated at the end of World War Two, which expressed his fierce opposition to the Soviet Russia and his belief that a clash with Moscow was inevitable.

1. “The Wrong Enemy”

In a letter home dated July 21, 1945, Patton wrote critically of the post-war division of Europe:   

“We have destroyed what could have been a good race and we are about to replace them with the Mongolian savage and all Europe with Communism.”   

This sentiment was often summarized in his private circles as, “We defeated the wrong enemy.”   

2. Predictions on a Future War with Russia

Patton explicitly urged his superiors—including General Dwight D. Eisenhower—to let him push further east or prepare for an immediate conflict before the Red Army could solidify its grip on Eastern Europe. He warned: “Someday we will have to fight them and it will take six years and cost us six million lives.   

3. Arguing for Immediate Conflict

During an exchange with underlings and fellow commanders regarding the potential political fallout of provoking the Soviets, Patton reportedly argued that the US military would never be in a stronger position than it was right at that moment:

“We promised the Europeans freedom. It would be worse than dishonorable not to see they have it. This might mean war with the Russians, but what of it? They have no Air Force anymore, their gasoline supplies are low, and they have no infrastructure... Let’s kick their asses and go home.”   

Patton viewed the Stalin’s Soviet Russian regime as fundamentally brutal and untrustworthy. Putin’s regime is no less brutal than Stalin’s. Patton’s suggestion must be taken into account today as Moscow’s war against Ukraine, beginning with the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of the Donbas, has already significantly outlasted World War II.