All of his approved media soundbites in the lead up.

Wouldn't those just be lies he knowingly told to raise morale?

Eating your own dog food is a thing.

Because if the current situation was his plan, I can't imagine what his end game is? Destroy his country and people? Become a vassal of China?

He was expecting Ukraine to welcome him with open arms, the man is delusional and has done more to destroy his countries future than any Russian leader in the last 800 years.

There is the fact that his own agencies (FSB) told him that Ukraine would fall in 3 days and it almost did but through courage and effort they held on. 925 days and they have fought Russia to a standstill. Pretty amazing considering their size and readiness, they destroyed the 2nd army of the world and the future of Russia.

Ukraine had the largest, most well-equipped and best trained military in Europe at the beginning of 2022. The current situation is an all-out proxy war between Russia and NATO states. Most of NATO's military production and intelligence efforts go towards Ukraine.

Ukraine cannot in any way be compared to some poorly equipped Vietnam of the 1970s.