Why Russia Miscalculated in Ukraine: A Self-Inflicted Disaster in Three Acts

Small correction at 19:22: The fall of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan occurred in 2021, not 2022. And 26:16 is “Siberia”, not “Serbia”. Though I do wonder if a hypothetical ice fisher in Serbia is also aware of Russian corruption.

I’m Ukrainian and my grandpa told me a story of a factory in Mykolaiv he worked at while studying when it all was the Soviet Union. A dude died horrifically after being sucked in some machine. Basically turned into pate spread all over the place. And people just kinda literally scrubbed it off the floor walls and machinery and threw it all in a bin, because they had to decorate that hall due to factory directors 30 year anniversary or something and didn’t want to spoil the moment and get punished. So they had their party and then under pressure from unions or something like that were like “oh yeah also a dude died a week ago, here’s the paperwork, it’s all fine, don’t worry about it”. This system of small bosses terrified of bringing bad news to higher ups to not get punished is a core of soviet and now russian bureaucracy. Now imagine that on a government level, in military sector. Tons of officers reporting downplayed casualties and exaggerated wins to colonels, they report those even worse to generals, etc etc until some dude brings Putin a document in red envelope saying that Russia has no losses in the war, they defeated 50 gazillion nazis, 50 himars, etc oh and btw sanctions don’t work, russia economy stronk, it’s the decadent west that suffer themselves and freeze without our gas etc. It’s a system where propaganda is told from top to bottom, but then it festers and goes back up exaggerated… and the funny thing, higher ups believe it themselves because those kissasses are their only source of information. Fascinating really. The typical story of CEO bringing company down by surrounding himself with “yesmen” but on a national scale with global international consequences.

I was watching the HBO series Chernobyl, during the first episode, everyone was downplaying how bad the explosion was even while witnessing the effects of extreme radiation poisoning in front of them, they still downplayed everything in order for the party to look good. I think that thought process never went away.

Your use of relevant real images makes your videos documentaries of historical value. Clear and cogent speaking as well...great work.

The UK was the first country to supply Ukraine with anti tank weapons BEFORE the invasion. This was a major factor in the Ukrainians managing to stop the Russian tank regiments moving down the main highway to Kiev. It is a fact that Ukraine would now be in Russian hands whilst America and, particularly Europe, we’re still mulling it over. That said, all have now stepped up to the plate, especially America, whose response has, and continues to be, magnificent.

We’ve all had the experience in life where we make good decisions, take calculated risks that work out, begin to believe in ourselves, take bigger calculated risks…that blow up in our face. Usually, however, these don’t involve tens of thousands of people dead.

The woman has also been a Fisherman, a mother of a deployed soldier in the meeting with mothers, a churchgoer at a mass, and in several other photos where Putin makes public appearances in recent years

Nineteen minutes in, and as a formerly brainwashed pro-russian anti-western person. This is one of the most perfect videos explaining the Russia-Ukraine War. 😊👌

Great report mate. Keep going. 👋👋👋

This is why having a leader that nobody can say no to, or be held accountable for anything, is dangerous for any country.

As a polish I have to note that all post soviet states wanted to join NATO and were doing everything to do so. Every country of the East block hates Russia and communism and it wasn't NATO pushing. The nations wanted safety from russian empire who is always thirsty for blood. We all here just remember what red has done to our ppl. Our heroes were put into mass graves at Katyń and we will never forget and never forgive, just like Ukraine now!

“Sharp. As sharp as these pencils.” That creative writing class was worth the money.

Special Considerations of Night Movement is my favorite Bobvrosky Segar song

With respect to the ice-cream seller woman, Putin has a rent-a-crowd set of 'trusted employees' ready to dress in the outfit of the day. The same people have been seen at other events dressed as fishermen, soldiers and anywhere Putin is seen interacting with 'the Russian people'. The BBC had an article on their news site a few weeks back.

I know why he did, because I did the same thing, though on a much smaller scale. Many people, maybe even most, believe they'd be happy if every time they tried something, it went even better than expected. And it is nice. But when you're always successful and always achieve whatever you want, you start to believe that you can do anything you want, and somehow, magically, despite all evidence and common sense to the contrary, it will still turn out well, because everything always has. Until it doesn't. And let us be frank. If Zelensky had fled or surrendered, Ukraine would almost certainly have fallen in days, and the ever increasing sanctions and weapons aid packages would never have had time to take effect. Zelensky is widely hailed as a hero, but I don't think it is possible to overstate his importance in keeping Ukraine in the fight, and building a sense of unity and purpose in Ukraine that will assure that if anything did happen to him now, Ukraine would continue to fight effectively. This is to say nothing of his political maneuvering, coalition building, and his ability to keep Ukraine in the Western mind. “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” whether an actual quote or not, does perfectly summarize Zelensky, and Ukraine in general.

Good reporting.

I had a professor who worked on the Russian "space shuttle" program. Very nice guy, but I thought he was kidding when he said they turned it into a tourist attraction and restaurant complex so he came to the USA to teach mathematics. Subsequently to my interrogative as to whether he was joking he decided to bring in a VHS tape of when the conversion happened to show the students something about history that definitely falls outside the purview of teaching mathematics.

This video has more talented analysis and palatable content in 36 minutes than you might see in 36 days on tv.

The ultimate gut check for any leader is when the country looks likely to fall you stay to go down fighting. I still think more than anything else Zelenskys refusal to leave Kiev was a critical event in this war.

I must say, this documentary was VERY informative and well maid. Thank you❤