Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan met in Moscow with Nikolai Patrushev, an ultra-hawkish adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Once home, the two Americans informed U.S. President Joe Biden that Moscow had made up its mind.
As a result, Russia was shocked when its troops ran into a determined Ukraine backed by Western intelligence and weapons.
But as the war drags on into its second year, analysts must not focus only on Russia’s failures.
Russia has still not been able to break Ukraine’s will to fight or impede the West’s materiel and intelligence support.
Over a decade ago, Moscow deliberately dismantled its army and turned it into a smaller force designed for rapid response operations.
As part of this process, Russia replaced sizable Soviet divisions designed to fight major land wars with less-cumbersome brigades and battalion tactical groups (BTGs). »
