Why Russia Miscalculated in Ukraine: A Self-Inflicted Disaster in Three Acts

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Why did Russia miscalculate so badly in its invasion of Ukraine? The answer is more than two decades in the making. Putin's Persistent and intentional decay of Russia's institutions made it impossible for Russia's intelligence community and military to provide quality information to him. Facing the uncertainty---and wagering that it would take a true disaster for it have a deep effect on him personally---Putin pulled the trigger.

0:00 Introduction
2:01 Putin's Rise to Power
4:54 The FSB Sets the Stage
6:11 How Would the West Respond?
10:20 How Resolved Was Ukraine?
13:59 The Military's Optimism
19:35 Pravda (The Truth)
25:27 Putin Pulls the Trigger
26:32 Russian Success Was Plausible
26:55 Bad Luck
29:05 Lack of Blowback
30:43 The COVID Pandemic
31:24 Putin's Illness
35:19 Easter Eggs

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