They have mobilized 300,000 troops last year. It's news to Russia that they didn't contest it, since they fought for and lost Pyatyhatky, just now fighting for and losing Zherebyanky.
There are intense battles in Orikhiv area, but that could go either way. If Russia loses anything "they are not even trying"?
Why should I believe those people? Who made them experts?
Watch the actual developments on the ground, don't listen to propaganda. Russian telegram channels tell you how the war is going, don't need a guy to pretend to know the future
Why should anybody believe people who have been studying geopolitics all their lives is the question you're asking?
Unlike you guzzling propaganda out of a firehose, I am watching the actual developments on the ground. The developments are that Ukraine failed to reach even the first line of Russian defence after a month long offensive while suffering horrific losses. Those are the facts of the situation. The fact that you don't understand this says volumes.
People who study things have the best idea of what's likely to happen in the future by virtue of spending the time to understand the domain they study. Maybe if you spend the time learning about the subjects you opine on then you too will be able to make a coherent argument in the future. Consider doing that instead of trolling on internet forums.
No, even if you study all your life, it won't let you predict the future. People study stocks all their lives and they still can't beat a simple stock index in the long term. So stop listening to articles that make wrong predictions.
Like Mearshimer who in 2014 predicted Putin had no further territorial ambitions in Ukraine. Yet Putin annexed further regions in Ukraine, despite this "expert" studying stuff.
If you don't understand how expertise allows people to make better decisions than people without any experience in the subject there's really nothing else to tell you. Good news is I don't have to convince you of anything, the reality is going to become clear even to you soon enough.
I'm questioning his expertise. Every time he says "Russia wouldn't do that" Russia does it. And he is still considered an expert despite several claims of how Russia:
Wouldn't try to annex more of Ukraine after Crimea (did it)
Could only have limited military aims in Ukraine (went straight for the capital)
The rest of the former Soviet republics would support Russia (big oof, everyone but Belarus refused to support Russia)
At this point, you just have to say he's gotten everything wrong, but continues to double down
I mean you certainly sound like an expert on the subject qualified to question his expertise. I also love how you disingenuously ignore the context of what he said and when he said it as if the state of the world has not changed over time. You're free to live in whatever fantasies you want, but sooner or later you are going to have to reconcile them with the real world.
Mearsheimer is not a military expert, so he has no idea how the war will turn out. Even if we accept he's an expert on politics, the actual situation on the ground will affect the future more. I'd rather listen to what generals say