: The Russian Militarys 4 Biggest Mistakes in Ukraine #WorldNEWS When Russia launched its offensive on Ukraine last year, the Kremlin–– and many Western observers––expected it

The Russian Militarys 4 Biggest Mistakes in Ukraine #WorldNEWS
When Russia launched its offensive on Ukraine last year, the Kremlin–– and many Western observers––expected it would not be long before Russia captured Kyiv and ousted President Volodymyr Zelensky. But at the one-year anniversary of the war, its become clear that Ukraine has not only been able to withstand the assault—its succeeded in regaining control of key territories.
Russia’s army had some successes—including attacks on airfields and civilian infrastructure—but experts detail how poor planning, faulty intelligence, and a misunderstanding of the strength of Ukraine’s resistance and Western support all but ended any chance Russia had of a swift victory.

Here are the biggest military mistakes Russia has made so far in the war.
A Lack of Logistical Planning
At the start of the war, Russia believed the operation would last a few weeks at most and failed to prepare for a long offensive. This lack of long-term planning proved to be a fault as the war dragged on.
“It has taken the Kremlin months and months to start to belatedly treat this as the large-scale conventional war it is, rather than a quick operation to ‘de-Nazify’ Ukraine,” says Mason Clark, a senior analyst for the Institute for the Study of War.
“The Kremlin believed its own propaganda,” Clark says. “It thought it was going to be welcomed by the Ukrainian population as liberators and that the Ukrainian military would collapse. ”
The poor logistics system led to failures across the board; troops were not properly supplied and left without an established chain of command. “Russia’s original sin was how they structured their forces at the beginning of the invasion,” says Clark. “They didnt take time to set up proper logistics chains and just sent in ad hoc units. ” As a result, Clark says, troops were basically competing with each other for resources.
Read More: How Russian Media Spent a Year Selling the War
And when Russia failed to seize and hold major territories, several senior military officials were fired or suspended as a result The poor chain of command and constant reshuffling had an impact on the military’s adaptability.
A New York Times investigation says that Russia fired missiles based on old maps and bad intelligence, a move that did little to hinder Ukrainian air defenses. Russian soldiers called home on their cell phones, allowing Ukrainians to track their locations through the signals.
“There’s a disconnect between what Putin wants and what the Russian military is capable of,” says Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the CSIS International Security Program.