One question: if the Russian build-up is only to capture and secure a "free" Donetsk and Luhansk - on the WEST side of Ukraine - then why the build-up and developments in Belarus, a Russian client state on the EAST side of Ukraine[1]?
"Tens of thousands of Russian troops will remain in Belarus even after massive military exercises between the two countries wrap up on Feb. 20, a top Belarusian official announced Saturday."
"Russian buildup along the border positions tens of thousands of Moscow’s soldiers and armament within quick striking distance of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital."
"That continued deployment without an end date shatters weeks of claims from both Russian and Belarusian leaders that Moscow’s troops and tanks would go home quickly, and adds a new element of tension as new deployments of Russian helicopters and fighter planes continue to flow into the country."
Sad but true ring to your analysis.
One question: if the Russian build-up is only to capture and secure a "free" Donetsk and Luhansk - on the WEST side of Ukraine - then why the build-up and developments in Belarus, a Russian client state on the EAST side of Ukraine[1]?
[1] https://www.axios.com/satellite-images-russia-military-buildup-ukraine-78fa15ea-f108-4c96-8170-d50eebd4c6a7.html
"Tens of thousands of Russian troops will remain in Belarus even after massive military exercises between the two countries wrap up on Feb. 20, a top Belarusian official announced Saturday."
"Russian buildup along the border positions tens of thousands of Moscow’s soldiers and armament within quick striking distance of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital."
"That continued deployment without an end date shatters weeks of claims from both Russian and Belarusian leaders that Moscow’s troops and tanks would go home quickly, and adds a new element of tension as new deployments of Russian helicopters and fighter planes continue to flow into the country."
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/19/russian-military-build-up-continues-despite-moscows-promises-of-a-drawdown-00010372