The Russia invasion of Ukraine brings back memories of the Soviet Union’s ill-fated incursion into Afghanistan in 1979. After 10 years of fierce local resistance and suffering 15,000 dead plus many more wounded, Russian forces retreated. Soon after, the Soviet Union was no more, culminating in the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. This horrible experience has undoubtedly had a generational effect on the Russian national psyche.
Despite this previous misadventure, Vladimir Putin has once again placed Russian troops into a military quagmire and exposed the Russian people to economic hardship. Worse, unlike the Afghans, the Ukrainians are closely tied, ethnically and culturally to the general Russian population. Extended families, friends, classmates and colleagues often live in both Russia and Ukraine. This might explain why the failing Russian offensive has been sporadic and poorly coordinated. How can soldiers fight when they are not motivated? How can you ask soldiers to kill their blood cousins?
When Putin started mobilizing troops near the Donbas region, I thought he would eventually move his forces to secure pro-Russian areas. He would then declare that he had liberated the local populace and welcome them back into the safety of the Russian motherland. By doing so, he would have succeeded in outmaneuvering Western leaders and secured his legacy as a protector and liberator.
Instead, by launching an unprovoked military attack and causing innocent civilian casualties, his only legacy will be as an autocrat, a bully, an egotist and a killer.