Do the math.
Russian activity near Kiev during this rescue-op amounted to a fixing operation meant only to keep large bodies of ukie troops out of Donbass at the time. Making anything more than that out of it is basically lying.
This is silly. Cutting supplies from Kiev to Luhansk, Crimea, and Donetsk is not besieging. Kiev would be dust if Russia wanted to make it so. Let’s be honest
Its probably not as clear-cut as everyone here thinks. Did Russia hope Kiev fell quickly? Yes, of course.
Was it worth a try to end the war quickly? Certainly they did try, so yes, Russia thought so.
Was it guaranteed? No. Did they pin all their hopes on such a strategy? No.
Maybe too they were expecting help from partisans in Kiev which never came. Maybe there were assassinations attempts of top Ukraine leadership which failed. We just don’t know.
There was never a battle for Kiev.
End of story.
Will be posted transcribed in fr thread Attack on Europe later today.
The cream of the crop was thrown away by idiot Putin.