First, Putin initially had no intention of making this an all out war so he never mobilized Russian forces. He only brought in 200,000 troops so he obviously had no intention of a full steam ahead clash. Obviously he NEVER had superior forces numbers. Putin thought he could easily take Kyiv in two weeks, force out Zeleniski, and install a puppet regime. He didn’t want an all-out war, he wanted a Ukraine that would crumble at the first signs of trouble.
Putin should have stayed in Russia.
“Putin thought he could easily take Kyiv in two weeks, force out Zeleniski, and install a puppet regime. He didn’t want an all-out war, he wanted a Ukraine that would crumble at the first signs of trouble.”
Well, I’m sure he would have preferred that and it’s too bad that didn’t happen for Ukraine’s sake. Now, instead of a “puppet regime” (though they may get one for the rump state left in Western Ukraine) part of Ukraine is now going to be in Russia and there are hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded Ukrainians.
Ukraine needed more realistic leadership and more realistic advisors (read: NATO)