[Alter Kaker]

It seems that Russia's true objectives were not to capture land, as many kept claiming, but rather to eliminate Ukraine's military capabilities.

Russia tried to conquer all of Ukraine, starting with capturing the cities of Kharkiv and Kyiv - when that failed, it limited its war aims to trying to conquer the Donbass. Now that's also failed (at enormous cost), you're saying the Russian plan all along was just to destroy the Ukrainian Army? They've certainly killed a lot of Ukrainians, but they've also killed an extreme number of Russians. Hard to see how this is a success by any definition.

[Robert DeLong]

That's your take, but it's only your take. You have no clue, and neither do I, what their true goals were. It could have been as you claim, or it could have been a feign to keep them busy from their real desired point of entry.

But I do know that they went in soft. They did not execute a shock & awe campaign, like we did in Iraq.

[ansel12]

A question is which country’s military has been completely degraded in the world’s view and assessment since January 2022, and which has been greatly elevated in world view and assessment.

In January of 2022 Russia’s military was thought to be modernized, well-equipped, well-trained, manned with dedicated volunteers, and 2nd only to the United States.