Mistakes- I’ve made many. Usually daily or weekly!
Meanwhile, I try to keep in mind how impossible it is for us to understand this war. There are the figureheads, Zalensky and Putin. There are parts of Ukraine that seem to prefer being part of Russia, while others decidedly do not. Then there’s the Azov contingent with their agenda, and God only knows what other groups.
Then we have the West, with all of its own priorities and motives- not always in sync. We have strange splits amongst conservatives, the left has their’s too.
I believe Putin has profoundly miscalculated and is starting to grasp the cost- personally, and as the leader of what was a major player on the world stage but 5 weeks ago.
The terrifying thing is that he’s trapped himself and from the sounds of his speech today- does not intend to look for an exit. This is not a game. He’s not bluffing and he’s a ruthless man, driven by a distorted vision he fully believes.