And Why Not 12% or 13.5%, For That Matter?

They are always anonymous, those "officials" and "experts" from Pentagon, CIA or NSA who "leak" info to US MSM. Moreover, for some reason they confide into the US "journalists" on the matters which cannot be confirmed and, something tells me that most of this "leakage" is nothing more than made-up shit by people who have zero real intel or military background and are nothing more than place-holders. If I would be Pentagon, I would be insulted, but then again--it is Modus Operandi of contemporary US institutions which are good only for PR and cannot perform anything tangible, like getting real intel, fighting real wars and conducting competent foreign policy. So, here we go again:

The Russian military has lost more than 10% of the combat force that President Vladimir Putin sent to invade Ukraine, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday. The Russian combat force has dipped slightly below 90% for the first time in a war that began less than a month ago, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe intelligence assessments. Not all of the more than 150,000 Russian troops in and around Ukraine are combat troops; many provide support functions. Russian ground forces remain largely stalled across Ukraine, particularly around the capital of Kyiv, where their closest troops remain about 10 miles from the city’s center. The official described Ukrainian resistance as quick and nimble – and for the first time in the war seeking to retake ground from the Russians.

Well, this "senior official" is due to take basic course in tactics and operations which is the level of the second-third year cadet in any military academy in Russia, I am not sure about West Point, though. I heard some really disturbing things about academic level there from people who have taught and continue to teach there. Like this one, among many others:

So, something tells me that this Pentagon's "senior official" has either background in "communications" and political "science", or never attended, say, US Army War College. In the end, one can always safely assume that it is a classic case of a very painful butt-hurt and sour-grapes (aka professional envy) and that forces people to spew a complete BS. I spoke about this in depth with Piero San Giorgio, trying not to go too deep into tactical minutiae of the whole operation. 

Which, accidentally, develops well and that what makes existence of those anonymous "senior officials" absolutely excruciating for them if they exist in reality. Meanwhile, Russia's Black Sea Fleet is doing its thing (I guess by "running out of ammo") launching salvos of most likely 3M14 at some ground targets by merely exiting Northern Bay of Sevastopol and developing a firing solution across from wonderful beach of Uchkuevka.  

In related Black Sea news. Admiral Makarov observed the night mining of the approaches to Odessa by some Ukie jalopy and simply "asked" it to GTFO by means of using Shtil Air Defense missile in anti-shipping capacity (3M54 Kaliber would have disintegrated the junk with all hands dead) for both humanitarian and fiscal reasons and the thing is not mining the sea anymore (in Russian). 

Here is video of mop up of Mariupol. It is literally a job of going through every floor, every apartment getting VSU and Nazi remnants out of there. 

I wonder if this "senior official" from Pentagon has a clue on how to fight while trying to save as many civilians, used by regime as human shield, simultaneously. I doubt it. So, here is you primer of sorts for Tuesday.