The full extent of Russia’s personnel weaknesses has become clear during this war. These decisions help explain many of the observed struggles the Russian armed forces have had in combined arms operations, fighting in urban environments, and attempts to hold terrain.

Some of the most significant problems being experienced by the Russian armed forces are the result of conscious choices and tradeoffs. Force structure reveals a great deal about a military and its assumptions of what wars it plans to fight and how it plans to fight them. Plans rarely survive first contact with an opponent and militaries invariably must adapt, but strategic force structure choices can prove decisive. Less attention has been paid, however, to Russian force structure and manpower issues as a critical element now shaping outcomes in this war. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a deeply flawed military operation, from Moscow’s assumptions about an easy victory, to a lack of preparation, poor planning, and force employment.

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