In 2021, with our debacle in Afghanistan fresh in memory, every western expert I heard who contemplated war between Russia and Ukraine expected Russia to roll over Ukrainians in a matter of weeks, if not days.
Russians were considered vastly superior in every military respect -- around three times the population, maybe ten times the GDP, a massive, technologically advanced military-industrial base, and with potential support from the CCP, unlimited access to materials of war.
And yet... and yet... somehow, some way, Ukrainians stood their ground and fought off the best that Vlad the Invader could throw at them.
And since then Ukrainians have liberated nearly half of the Ukrainian territories originally conquered by Vlad the Invader.
CapandBall: "The stated goal of Putin for Russia’s “special military operation” was “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine."
Here are the reasons Vlad the Invader has given for his 2022 "special military operations":
- NATO eastward expansion (there was none since 2014)
- Genocide by "Nazis" against Russians in Ukraine (absurd)
- Ukraine is not a real country (Ukraine was formally recognized by Russia many times since 1990)
- Ukraine might have nuclear weapons (there's no evidence of that)
- Russians want to rebuild the old Soviet/Tsarist Empire, to include Eastern European countries (then Vlad's Invasion must be defeated)
It's total madness and as now appears, it will not end well for Putin or Russia.