What happened to Russias Air Force? U.S. officials, experts stumped

Re:What happened to Russias Air Force? U.S. officials, exper... by denton-scratch on Wednesday March 02, 2022 @05:27PM (#30534135)

> Did they really launch this invasion on the assumption that the people of Ukraine would just roll over and accept foreign rule?

I don't think it's that simple.

Sure, conscripts were told to expect a welcome in streets lined with natives waving Russian flags. Maybe some in high command even thought that was a possibility. But they have backup plans; we've seen only the first click of the ratchet. Escalate, pause; escalate, pause. This happened in Chechnya too.

Putin didn't invent this approach. And Putin didn't invent the idea that Ukraine is not a separate state, but a part of Russia.

He's written history books, I gather; I might be interested in reading one, but I suspect they're hard to get hold of just now.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:What happened to Russias Air Force? U.S. officials, exper... by drran on Wednesday March 02, 2022 @09:47PM (#30536517)

Ukraine IS Russia. Russian Federation doesn't contain a region named «Russia».

Russia formed when Oleg from Novgorod killed Ascold and Dir (rulers of Kyїv) in 852AD, captured Kyїv, then called it as «mother of (new) Russian cities».

When Moscow tsar Petro I captured original Russia (now Ukraine), he appended «tsar of all Russia» to his tittle. Then Catherine II renamed Moscow kingdom to Russian Empire.

So, in short, RF is Russian, not Russia.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:What happened to Russias Air Force? U.S. officials, exper... by rixed on Wednesday March 02, 2022 @11:33PM (#30537198)

After such a long civil war in Ukraine I find it very hard to believe that they didn't know already exactly what to expect from who.

[ Parent | on HN ]