Roots of Russian Military Failure in Ukraine: A Veteran U.S. Marine Russia Watcher Explains

The Freewheeling Diplomat

I spoke with Mike Purcell who had decades of experience as a Russia watcher for the U.S. Marines. Mike, now retired and teaching at GW University, brings unique operational, strategic and area expertise to the analysis of Russian military performance. He led a combined armed force of 800 marines and 200 vehicles during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was later a Foreign Area Officer in Russia and a Liaison at the UN Observer Mission in Tbilisi, Georgia. Mike was also Director for Strategic Planning for Marine Forces Europe at EUCOM. We discussed the brutal culture of the Russian military, including the tradition of widespread hazing. Mike provided historical context to Russia's use of proxy forces, such as the Wagner Group and Chechen militias. We also reviewed the state of play in Kherson and Bakhmut. Mike cautioned that the Russian military can -- and does -- learn from failure. Optimism about the poor performance of Russian forces to date should thus not breed overconfidence.