Russian President Vladimir Putin probably believed in his heart that after invading Ukraine it would be left with no choice but to take a beating with no means of fighting back. He likely believed Ukraine would use up all of its might to defend itself and be left with no energy to turn the fight around and into Russia. He was relaxed and unburdened. Regardless of which direction the war would take, the fight would never leave Ukrainian territory. The Russian public believed the same thing and did not concern themselves with the war, with some even going so far as to support Putin.
Putin’s smug sense of security was a golden opportunity for Ukraine to implement a strategic surprise attack. Putin has assigned the majority of Russian troops to the eastern and southern Ukraine battlefronts, thereby weakening border defenses and leaving the door into Russian territory wide open. Ukraine, with intelligence provided by Europe and the US, knew the Russian military’s weaknesses. After receiving F-16 jets that gave its air force an advantage, Ukraine audaciously launched an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
