Looks Like I Stepped Into... Something.

With this Tony Shaffer's claims about Russian "Spetsnaz" being decimated. So, in order for me not to repeat an answer to a rather reasonable question by our very own Whoever:

This guy Tony Shaffer was asked to comment on report about Ru Special forces losses by Judge Napolitano. To this he said he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case because according to him during US occupation of Afghanistan American Special forces also took a lot of losses as well. I get what he is trying to get at. Reading your yet another "rant" about how Americans and the Westerners in general don't know anything about anything, what are you trying to get at here? What was your issue with Tony Shaffer said? The whole thing you write reads quite bizarre with respect to what that American said.

So allow me to elaborate. First about BS term "decimation"--NO, it is not used in this case as a description of Roman practice of executing each tenth soldier to prop up the morale of the troops. Here is how it is used in English language per Merriam-Webster: drastically reduced especially in number, destroyed or significantly harmed. So, it is being used by all kinds of users ONLY in this sense, since modern use of decimation is a euphemism for annihilation, destruction, disabling etc. of anything, military forces included. Now to a substance. 

1. Anybody who uses Pentagon's data, later amplified by the propaganda outlets such as WaPo or NYT, through the "leaks" as valid when relates to Russian troops in SMO should be immediately disqualified from expressing their opinions on the matter, due to:

2. Pentagon does not know much despite using developed ISR complex 24/7 since it already strategically miscalculated due to incompetence and lack of understanding of the modern serious warfare on the INSTITUTIONAL level. While there are, obviously, some people in Pentagon who do get it, the institution itself simply has NO modern experience of peer-to-peer warfare, let alone of such scale. Zero. In terms of losses of VSU--they are in shock in Pentagon because they cannot grasp the scale of it, which surpassed US losses in WW II. 

3. The signs of a strategic, in fact--historic in nature--miscalculation regarding Russia by the Pentagon are everywhere and they exposed it as a second tier in terms of understanding of serious operational planning, logistics, developing sound strategies et al. It is an international EMBARRASSMENT for them, hence...

4. "Ghost of Kiev" mode, which also continues in "leaks" whose only purpose is for the internal consumption, hence gross deliberate underestimation of VSU losses and a palliative therapy in terms of propaganda re: Russian losses. Even those in US military who kinda get it what is going on are still largely incapable to come to terms with what they observe. It is spurred partially by withdrawal from the American XX century military mythology, partially from sheer professional envy and jealousy. 

5. Comparing operations of US special forces in Afghanistan to those with SSO (Forces of Special Operations) in Ukraine is down right BS. US special forces never operated in the combat environment which is even remotely comparable to SMO. Not even close. 

6. Do Russian SSOs sustain losses? Absolutely, but my sources tell me that those losses are within anticipated level of losses which is not even close to "decimation". Moreover, no SSO forces are even leading or are on the cusp of any combined arms formations who bring to battlefield and immense firepower, which SSO do not have and it is not designed for their primarily recon-diversionary MO. Ukraine is NOT Iraq or Afghanistan--there is NO comparison whatsoever. But whatever works for Pentagon, whose most important skill, as historic records demonstrate, is not so much in winning wars, as in propaganda and making money. 

Thus, many people on the American side, including not necessarily bad people, and former military professionals, still struggle and try to cling to even militarily not very competent "leaks" whose main purpose is to be used in the internal political struggle in Washington and to "soften up" numbers which terrify those military and intel professionals in Washington who didn't lose their professional integrity and try to operate with real facts and numbers. I thought I made it very clear in my post, but since some people, understandably, had questions, here is my (partial) response. 

And yes, among my friends were people with serious special forces background, comes with the territory when you are present or former military professional. In conclusion: for those who don't know--we, as graduates of naval academies in USSR, as is true today, had second specialty which is "a commanding officer of tactical unit of naval infantry". Number of my classmates and acquaintances went to Chechnya where they successfully commanded formations starting from regiment and up in combat. Sadly, some of them have been killed. And yes, I am appalled by the level of ignorance about Russia and her Armed Forces which has been exposed on the American side--shocking. But that also explains why the US cannot win any wars.