S8 Ep817: Soviet Brutality and the Miscalculations of the 2022 Invasion Russian military strategy is characterized by a historical disregard for human life, a trait visible from Stalin's brutal 1932 letters to modern-day missile strikes on civilians. Stalin viewed

Soviet Brutality and the Miscalculations of the 2022 Invasion

Russian military strategy is characterized by a historical disregard for human life, a trait visible from Stalin's brutal 1932 letters to modern-day missile strikes on civilians. Stalin viewed Ukraine as a "caricature of a parliament" that needed to be broken; Putin holds a similar cynical view. In 2022, Putin's isolation and lack of expert advice led him to believe the invasion would be a brief "policing operation" rather than a war. He expected a parade, sending riot police in dress uniforms, because he fundamentally refused to recognize Ukraine as a real, independent state capable of resisting. Guest: Professor Eugene Finkel. (7/8)
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