Russian president Vladimir Putin has consistently said that, “this conflict is not about territory…[it] is about the principles underlying the new international order.” He has repeatedly said that, although Russian troops in 2022 “approached Kiev … there was no political decision to storm the three-million city.”

Rather, he says, “it was nothing more than an operation to force the Ukrainian regime to peace. The troops were there to push the Ukrainian side to negotiations.”

This worked. Within weeks, Ukraine had agreed in Istanbul to abandon its NATO ambitions, Russia had withdrawn its troops from around Kyiv, and peace appeared possible before the West intervened and discouraged it.

Don’t Underestimate the Russian Military After the Ukraine War

When adjusted for comparison against the exemplar of U.S. military performance, accurate identification of Russia’s goals and of Russia’s opponent on the battlefield, the possibility emerges that the Russian military, now experienced and practiced ag…

^{Ted Snider (The National Interest)}