Day 1
The plan to invade Russia has been in motion for three months,
with massive amounts of men and material moved into staging areas in Europe and
Japan. The powder keg everyone feared would be lit is about to explode.
It all began with Lithuania blocking rail shipments from Russia to the
Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in protest over the war in Ukraine,
effectively cutting it off from resupply. For weeks Russia blustered and threatened,
then did the unthinkable- Russian troops crossed the border into Lithuania to seize
and secure the railways linking the critically important Kaliningrad with the motherland.
NATO immediately activated its rapid response force, pushing Russian troops out of Lithuania.
Now the United States is preparing to do the unthinkable, and something that is
very likely to trigger nuclear war- it will invade Russia.
US troops have been staging in Poland, Norway,
and Japan. The obvious choice may be one of the Baltic nations, but port facilities and
airfields here are too close to Russia and under threat of constant attack.
At zero hour, the American attack on Russia begins.
It starts with a series of explosions along the western air defense perimeter Russia has
established on its home soil to defend against NATO air attack. This is an extremely robust
system of SAM sites, fighter bases, and radar installations- the densest air defense network in
the world. But the United States has several tools for the job. The first is the B-2 stealth bomber,
with its lack of vertical surfaces it's the only stealth aircraft in the world that can
also defeat long-range tracking radar, which even the best stealth fighter is
vulnerable to. The only clue to the incoming attack are intermittent anomalous pings on
Russian radars, but by the time Russian fighters arrive to investigate the B2s are long gone.
Radar and communication nodes are the first to be targeted by America's B2 stealth fleet. This
knocks out a significant amount of Russian long range radar, and a few hours later B-52 bombers
armed with stand-off attack munitions fire volleys of missiles to crater Russian air fields and
destroy fixed SAM sites. Unlike Russia's attempt to knock out Ukraine's air defense network at
the start of the war, this is a concentrated and well coordinated attack reminiscent of the
shock and awe of the first desert storm, when the US and allies destroyed the second best,
and more importantly- Soviet-built- air defense network in the world in hours.
F-35s move in to finish the job and knock out air bases along Russia's eastern border,
as well as destroy rail infrastructure. Russia's
mobility depends disproportionately heavily on railways, hence its problems inside Ukraine,
and crippling railways means Russia can't move troops and equipment until the rails are repaired.
F-35s are nowhere near as stealthy as the B2s, and have to get much closer than the
B52s to launch their own attacks, but as Russian interceptors rise to meet them they are greeted by
a swarm of US Air Force F-22s, which swat Russian fighters out of the sky from beyond visual range.
The US loses several F-35s and 4th generation aircraft in the attacks,
but Russia's ability to defend its western border from air attack is crippled. There
are still many mobile radars and SAM units to deal with, but these are under dire threat from
constant Wild Weasel attacks by the US Air Force. Once feared as a near-peer competitor to the US,
the war in Ukraine has proven that the Russian air force isn't even capable of neutralizing
a much weaker country such as Ukraine. Poor training, lack of communication,
antiquated tactics, and bad maintenance all add up to devastating losses for Russia's air forces.
Even as US air strikes begin, American ground forces are already rumbling into battle. Abram
main battle tanks and Apache attack helicopters smash into Russian defensive lines in Kaliningrad.
With overwhelming air support, the battles are brutal but short. Russian armor is no
match for modern American weapons, and its tank forces are so depleted by the fighting
in Ukraine that modern Russian tanks are few and far in between. As Desert Storm proved,
Cold War Soviet tanks are no match for even early model M1 Abrams,
and especially not when working in conjunction with close air support aircraft like the Apache
or A-10 Warthog. By the end of the first day of battle, Russian ground forces have
suffered their worst defeat since the opening day of Operation Barbarossa.
Day 3
US forces have moved deep inside Ukraine where they are en route to reinforce Ukrainian units
in the east of the country. Under intense air assault, Russian forces have been retreating
across the entire eastern front of the war. Ukrainian troops have used overwhelming
American air power to inflict devastating losses on the retreating Russians, and American ground
forces are having to rush to catch up with them. There is fear of overextension, but constant US
air and missile assault leaves little room or time for the Russians to counterattack.
The key to America's deadly efficiency is information. The US military is the most networked
military in the world, and unlike Russia employs overwhelming amounts of smart weapons. It has
been tracking Russian forces since the start of the war in Ukraine, and sharing that information
with Ukraine to devastating effect. However, the Ukrainian army always lacked the hardware to make
full use of that information. The US doesn't.
Adding to Russia's woes is a fundamental lack of operational security in its military. Most
of Russia's radios are unsecured, allowing the US to scoop up vast amounts of signals intelligence.
After spending twenty years hunting down terrorists in the middle east by
snooping through millions of radio and cell phone intercepts, the US has gotten extremely good at
the job. This is why in the real world Russian generals have been dying on a regular basis,
their location pinpointed by the US and transmitted to Ukrainian forces.
Now that US hardware is in play, the slaughter is exponentially greater.
Russian command chains are broken across the eastern front, and its forces are in general
retreat to more fortified positions inside the cities of eastern Ukraine.
Day 7
The battle for Kaliningrad is officially over. The fighting was brutal and intense,
but under equipped and demoralized Russian forces were ultimately overwhelmed by US firepower.
Psychological operations against Russian troops have been particularly effective- first is an
overwhelming display of US power in the form of precision air and long-range artillery
strikes. Then radio broadcasts and even leaflets delivered by the US Air Force promise amnesty for
any Russian soldier who surrendered. With a large number of conscripts, who are accustomed to poor,
even abusive treatment, the psychological operation to demoralize Russian forces has
been a great success. It doesn't help that many Russian forces here have been recently rotated
out of the brutal fighting in Ukraine. If the Russian army could barely win against Ukraine,
what hope does it have against the full might of the US military?
In the east of Ukraine, American ground forces have joined the fighting alongside
their Ukrainian allies. The arrival of vast amounts of American firepower
has reinvigorated Ukrainian front line forces who are eager to liberate captured territory.
But Russia is an artillery army, meaning they field many times more artillery than any other
military in the world. And despite intense counter-battery fire and use of ground-attack
aircraft, the US is suffering its worst losses since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Day 14
The fighting in Kaliningrad is down to small guerrilla operations by Russian resistance
forces. NATO forces from Spain, Germany, Poland, and Italy conduct anti-guerilla operations,
freeing up US forces to continue pushing into the Baltics. Rather than invade the Baltic nations as
it was once feared Russia would do in case of war, the Russian army has chosen
to strengthen its defenses along the Baltic border instead. A wise move given the Russian
air force's inability to deter US air operations. Without adequate air cover, any ground offensive
against a military with the largest, most modern air force in the world is doomed to failure.
Now US forces execute a push into Belarus from Lithuania and Poland. Belarusian resistance forces
have been gathering inside Poland for weeks, undergoing training and being equipped by the
US military in anticipation of an operation to liberate their nation from dictator Lukashenko.
A popular uprising against Lukashenko severely hampers loyalist forces' ability to repulse the
invasion, and Russian forces sent in support are under intense and constant air attack.
In Ukraine, the fighting has reached the major occupied cities in the east,
with Russian forces slowly but surely being expelled. However,
urban combat is notoriously difficult and time consuming, and heavily favors
the defender. The US is suffering its first major casualties in the fight to liberate east Ukraine.
However, US forces have been engaged in urban combat for two decades in the middle east and
have superior training and equipment. Cutting off supply lines into occupied cities also
cripples the Russian resistance, as does morale issues which have reached critical levels. When
they were fighting just Ukrainian forces armed with US weapons, Russian front line troops were
already suffering from severe morale problems. Now faced with vengeful Ukrainians backed by
American troops, morale is at a crisis point. Many units surrender without firing a shot.
Day 21
A national mobilization effort across Russia has met with mixed success. With US involvement
in the Ukrainan war, the anti-war movement has picked up considerable steam. Many young Russians
are refusing to show up when mobilized, and attacks on conscription offices are on the rise.
The US has fully mobilized its reserves as well, and behind closed doors, at the highest
levels of American power, discussions are being held on a new draft. While the US completely
out competes the Russian military, actually invading Russia and toppling the Putin regime
will require many more combat forces than currently available, and the only way to generate
the necessary manpower is a draft. Casualties are also mounting, and while the losses are
heavily on the Russian side, the US has suffered thousands injured and half that number dead.
Of grave importance are losses in hardware. Modern US manufacturing is poorly suited for
mass replenishment of combat losses, with current US defense production at a fraction
of what it was in the past. An invasion into Russia will cost huge amounts of hardware,
and that is not going to be quickly replaced. US industry can surge to building 28 Abrams a month,
but if the US is to maintain a credible deterrent against China it'll need
many times that number. Production of fighter aircraft is likewise limited,
with perhaps 150 F-35s a year being built now- a surge might bring that number to 200.
To put it simply, US focus on advanced weapons and a reliance on overseas manufacturing means
that American civilian manufacturing is poorly suited for a transition to war
time production of weapons. It’s either going to have to win this war quickly,
or resort to less and less sophisticated weapons to do so.
Day 30
At the end of the first month of fighting, Russian forces have been pushed back to
within miles of Ukraine's eastern border with Russia. It's only stubborn resistance
inside dense urban cities that is slowing US forces down. Russia has learned not to
engage the Americans or their Ukrainian allies in open country anymore. That’s
just inviting destruction either from the air or from smart, precision artillery.
A plan for an amphibious assault on the Kamchatka peninsula is canceled as fears
over mounting losses of equipment have led to a redeployment of forces from Japan to the European
theater. Instead, the US Navy launches a number of raids against Russian military
airfields and ports in the region, destroying the Russian Pacific fleet completely. Russia's
far east however is relatively strategically unimportant to the nation, as it's too far
from Russia's economic hubs to matter much. Thus the losses do little to affect the war.
The strategically important port of St. Petersburg has been blockaded since the start of the war,
and the US Navy launches periodic strikes against Russian forces in the city. Russia
fears an amphibious assault is incoming, and American Marines are spotted staging inside
of Estonia for just such an operation. But it's a feint meant to draw Russian
attention to the defense of the city and away from the fighting in Belarus.
Inside Belarus, Lukashenko is a president in exile as US and liberation forces free
the capital city and march on a retreating loyalist force hastily making for the Russian
border. Under intense air attack, few of the forces make it to the border with any semblance
of cohesion. Once at the border itself they are met with betrayal- much like Russia did
in our real world to its separatist allies retreating inside Ukraine, the country now
refuses to allow non-Russian forces to cross the border. Rather than fight, many surrender.
Day 45
US armor chases retreating Russian units across the Ukrainian border and into Russia itself. For
the first time since World War II, Russia is now under invasion by a hostile foreign power.
Along the Belarusian border, US air and long-range artillery has been devastating Russian defensive
positions in anticipation of an assault across the border. Precision strikes have targeted lines of
communication, supply depots, and concentrations of heavy equipment. Russia has far more artillery
than the United States, and responds with overwhelming volleys of fire. However, the US
is better at counter battery fire, and artillery duels tend to end with the US on the winning side.
US air power has taken significant losses dismantling Russia's vast air defense network,
but is still extremely capable and available in large numbers. It's this air power that
is most lethal to Russia's artillery forces, who are under regular air attack.
US stockpiles of smart weapons have begun to run low though after a month and a half
of intense combat operations. 'Dumb' bombs are being upgraded with smart kits to make
them weapon or gps guided, and superior targeting capabilities by US planes means
that even dumb gravity bombs strike with great precision. By comparison,
Russian smart weapon stockpiles are now completely depleted. Already running dangerously low by the
fifth month of the war in Ukraine, Russia's stockpiles of modern weapons are all but
exhausted. It is now putting cold war relics into the fight, with predictably poor results.
But Russia still has a significant pool of manpower and conscripts to throw against
invading US forces. As the invasion of Russia is set to formally begin,
American commanders consider the dangerous logistics of going up against hundreds of
thousands of Russian conscripts. Even if armed with vastly inferior equipment,
the sheer number of defenders means US forces could be overwhelmed if they overextend.
The best strategy is to keep those troops from even fighting in the first place. US Psyops have
been working overtime to demoralize Russian troops and convince the Russian people to rise against
the current regime. The US promises that it has no intention of holding any seized Russian territory,
in fact it would be wildly impractical to do so, and instead states that its goal is
the removal of the Putin regime. This message resonates with many disenfranchised Russians,
especially amongst the younger generations. The crushing defeats suffered by Russian
forces in the last 45 days helps steer many towards an unwillingness to fight.
But many Russians see it as their duty to defend their homeland from any invader,
and have fierce loyalty to the Putin regime. A civil war is brewing inside Russia, and it
may be the US's only hope of a successful invasion. Without support from the people,
it's unlikely an attempt to remove Vladimir Putin from power will be successful- and that's if he
doesn't resolve to the use of nuclear weapons. Given the Russian military's incompetence, it's
all but certain that the US will also face the use of tactical nuclear weapons against its forces.
This can only mean one thing, an equal retaliation by the United States. A dangerous
climb up the nuclear ladder that only leads to one place: complete annihilation. Despite
its vastly superior capabilities, even the United States- sole superpower on Earth-
simply cannot successfully invade Russia and defeat it without in effect defeating itself.
Now go watch Could the US Defend its Homeland From
A Nuclear Attack? Or click this other video instead!