“Probably true, but assuming that’s so, I keep wondering how it is that Russia has had such difficulty, not long ago in Afghanistan, and now in Ukraine.”
Afghanistan is a bitch to control, as we also learned, and the British learned earlier. Part of the problem is Pakistan, which we used to keep pin-pricking the Soviets there and serves as their ‘Cambodia’.
Ukraine is different. Russia is limiting their actions there partly because they don’t want to destroy the place, as much of the country considers themselves Russian, or at least did before the war (now who knows). Plus, even more so, Russia doesn’t want to create the image for the world of simply smashing their way in, as they would have turned off the (now) main trading partners, particularly India, Africa, and the rest of the Third World, and even China (to an extent). They also don’t want to rule over Western Ukraine, as they know they’re despised there (mainly due to Western soft-power propaganda, not that it matters now).
...and, at this point, they’re happy to let the West empty their arsenals in Ukraine, as it will take us many years, maybe decades for us to rebuild, and hopefully by then, the West may get some ADULTS in charge (I know, stop laughing, but it’s probably worth a shot, from their perspective).
Maybe they remember what was done to the Kulaks back in the 1920s and 30s.
Afghanistan is a bitch to control, . . .
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Thanks for taking the time to provide an informed perspective regarding the past and present military initiatives of Mother Russia.