Quote from: lovesmayfamilis on Today at 09:20:10 AM

Quote from: Darker45 on Today at 02:15:06 AM

I agree that the western countries and their allies were caught unprepared. And it's primarily because they probably thought it was unimaginable for Russia to invade Ukraine. To take a contested territory would be possible but to invade the entire country was perhaps out of their minds. This is the modern era, after all. They probably failed in their assessment of Putin. They simply underestimated his madness.

On Russia's side, however, I also don't think they were prepared. They definitely underestimated Ukraine and its defense capabilities. They overestimated their troops' capabilities. They underestimated the allies' reaction. If they were preparing for this war for the last decade or so, they should have pulled out their huge sums of money from European banks prior to the attack. They should already have detached themselves from SWIFT. They should have established much stronger markets outside the enemies' territories. Their oligarchs should have already been warned earlier of the possible sanctions.

Russia has lost its adviser to you. Only you could tell her what she should have done and what she shouldn't have done. And Putin, whom you think is crazy, has put Europe in an uncomfortable position today. Although grain supplies will also run out soon, which will make you think a little differently since I think that the lack of gas does not reflect on you.
Did you hear Biden let it slip? Not? He advised everyone not to worry, that any military situation is always in America's interest. But what about Europe, everyone will ask? Biden doesn't care. America supports war always only in its own interests.
Therefore, one should not consider people who lead countries as idiots, everything was calculated long ago, since these disagreements were not born a month ago. Russia knew what to expect and from whom, and as you can see, it was ready for anything.

Sanctions can only do so much. We all know that. I doubt it can fully convert a country. Heavily-sanctioned countries like North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, and others are still standing on their feet. Russia is apparently richer than these countries so we won't be expecting it to bow down either. However, this doesn't mean that they're ready or have prepared for it. It's just that crazy leaders like Kim Jong Un and Putin couldn't care less about sanctions. These sanctions are not taking any luxury or power from them. Neither Kim nor Maduro nor Putin is deprived of a sumptuous meal because of their madness. But their people are.

More than a month since the invasion, instead of successfully taking over Ukraine, setbacks are now seen. I am certain that even with another month of extension in this foolishness, Russia will not be able to take Ukraine despite all the propaganda that they have calculated and are ready for everything. And I am very much willing to put my money where my mouth is. I am willing to bet for this, are you?