When Russia invaded Ukraine, its primary objective was not just territorial expansion—it was the outright elimination of Ukraine’s independent government. Russian leader Vladimir Putin even claimed that the bloodshed caused by Russia’s invasion is “fully and wholly” the responsibility of “the ruling Ukrainian regime” in his address on February 24, 2022. As Ukraine’s political and military heart, Kyiv was the ultimate target. Historically, the fall of a nation’s capital has often signaled the collapse of its government and the end of organized defense. Russia’s plan closely mirrored the Blitzkrieg tactics of Nazi Germany in 1940, when swift mechanized assaults and...