Anyone who has read much about Russian performance in WWI or WWII isn't surprised in the least about Russia's performance in the Ukraine. In WWII Stalin considered his soldiers as "bullets" and expended them lavishly suffering horrendous casualties with no regard to what the families of the dead or maimed cared. Why should he, he was an autocrat and didn't need to. Today, Putin is the same and follows the script of his hero, Joe Steel. But Putin, is no Joe Stalin. He's a petty tyrant and has far too many people that he is beholden too and its 2023, not 1942. The world has changed some. However, it doesn't appear that Russia has changed all that much, since the population sits by meekly and allows Putin to do what he wants. I guess some people learn to live and become comfortable with a boot on their neck. In WWII Russia suffered 8.6 million combat deaths, and 27million casualties overall. That wasn't entirely due to the fact that the Germans were so much better than the Russian, they were only on the individual basis, 3 times better. It was primarily due to the callous disregard that Stalin had for his armies suffering casualties. That and the draconian way he enforced "bravery." Usually by summary execution by Kommisar. There was an old saying in the Russian army, something to the effect that, "it took a brave man not to follow orders." Some sources state that the Russians executed over 250,000 of their own men, for lack of patriot zeal, counter revolutionary activities or being captured by the enemy. Those who surrendered were considered as collaborators and were killed or sent to the gulag once they were repatriated. That kind of indifference to human life is part and parcel of the Russian communist system. Nothing has changed since the Bolsheviks came to power. That attitude still appears to be in place.