It is clear that Russia has learned a lot from its mistakes. The war in Ukraine revealed to the whole world that the Kremlin’s military machine was not as powerful or invincible as the patriotic parades in Red Square tried to convince us every year. Everyone initially expected that the so-called “military operation” would be nothing more than a short walk by President Putin’s men in Ukraine, arriving without delay on the boulevards of Kiev.
However, reality revealed gloomy pictures of the Russian army. Lack of discipline, outdated strategies and combat systems, almost primitive technology and poor training painted a sad picture of the warring Russian soldiers and their national military hierarchy. But things did not remain that way.
And soon the situation began to change. The initial successes of the Ukrainian forces began to fade. And after about two and a half years of conflict, the Russian armed forces began to seem almost unrecognizable and invincible.
What had happened?
Russian commanders, the military bureaucracy, and the soldiers themselves seem to have learned from their mistakes. And the situation on the front lines of the conflict began to change to the detriment of Ukraine and its supporters. The problem is not, as many claim, that Kiev’s support from abroad has decreased.
Russia has devoted itself to a systematic effort to analyze its war experience, draw conclusions, and communicate these lessons across all branches of its armed forces. By early 2023, Moscow had quietly built a complex learning ecosystem that includes the defense industry base, universities, and military personnel at all levels of the hierarchy.
Due largely to these developments, Ukraine will likely face even greater devastation in the foreseeable future. These will include faster and more frequent drone attacks, resulting in more severe strikes and damage to Ukrainian cities, civilians, and critical infrastructure. As well as very large numbers of missiles that will disrupt Ukrainian air defense systems.
All this shows that the Russian war machine has significantly improved since the start of the war in Ukraine and that the prospects of Zelensky and the West in the conflict do not seem optimistic. Russia has not remained idle all these years. As a result, it is now able to take advantage of the international situation, as well as President Trump’s determination to put an end to all kinds of war. By learning from your mistakes, you are always ready to benefit from any change in circumstances.
