Russian Troops in Ukraine. Read Wikipedia for Weapons Info. Use 1960s Maps. NYT

• A New York Times investigation revealed Russia’s missteps in their invasion of Ukraine.
• The lack of food and other essential supplies made it difficult for the Russian troops to be prepared for conflict.
• A retired Russian general said to The NYT that Russia has never made such stupid decisions in its history.

Russia’s invasion in Ukraine was marred by strategic blunders and a military force unprepared for the conflict. There were also logistical problems that have hindered the Kremlin.

A New York Times investigation detailingRussia’s failures throughout conflict, the story about Russia’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade shows the worst examples of poor decision-making that has characterized the invasion.

While in combat, the troops in the naval brigade lacked sufficient food, maps, critical medical supplies, or walkie-talkies, and they were forced to use 1970s-era Kalashnikov rifles — with some members having to resort to using Wikipedia to locate instructions for using certain weapons — according to the report.

Interviews with The Times revealed that several brigade members said that some of the newly enlisted military fighters were not familiar with guns and had few bullets to use during combat.

According to the report, the commanders initially told the members that they wouldn’t see combat. They realized they were not being told the truth when they saw their comrades killed by the Ukrainian forces as they fired upon them.

A Russian solider named Mikhail — who in October witnessed many of his comrades dying near the Ukrainian town of Pavlivka — told The Times that of the 60 members of his platoon, 40 were killed and just eight members eluded serious injuries.

Mikhail, a doctor in a Moscow hospital, said that “This isn’t war.” “It’s the destruction by the Russian people, by their own commanders.”

When he launched the invasion against Ukraine in February, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed a high level of confidence in his country’s military.

Nearly ten months later, Russia was unable to defeat Ukraine’s military and has been isolated from the West.

According to The Times Putin “spiraled to self-aggrandizement, anti-Western zeal,” which led him to decide to invade Ukraine “in close total isolation.”

According to The Times, Russia’s invasion plans indicated that troops would march through Ukraine and quickly take control. Officers were instructed to bring their uniforms and medals to military parades in Kyiv (the Ukrainian capital).

According to the report, the Russian military, once considered a formidable force prior to the conflict, had been “severely compromise” by decades of corruption.

Russian troops on the ground in Ukraine relied on old maps — some from the 1960s — to navigate their way across the country, and many used their cellphones to call numbers in Russia, which allowed Ukrainian forces to locate and attack them. The Times also reported that some Russian pilots flew their planes like they were not in danger.

After seeing reports about the impending conflict in Ukraine, retired Russian Gen. Leonid IIvashov wrote an open letter in January stating that a full-scale war would threaten “the very existence” of Russia as a country.

“Russia has never made such stupid decisions in its history,” Ivashov stated to The Times in a recent telephone interview. “Alas, today stupidity has triumphed — stupidity, greed, a kind of vengefulness and even a kind of malice.”

Dmitri S.Peskov, a spokesperson for Putin, said that the West intervened in Russia’s assessment of its many setbacks throughout the conflict.

He said that “this is a huge burden for us” and referred to NATO’s strong support for Ukraine. “It was difficult to believe that such cynicism and such bloodthirstyness on behalf of the collective West.”

The Biden administration has continued to send advanced weaponry, including anti-radiation missiles and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, to Ukraine since the conflict began.

The United States has been a member of the European Union since November committedUkraine receives $66 billion in assistance