Of course not, or they wouldn’t have dug. But their ignorance wasn’t due to deliberate Russian misinformation about the danger. Russian media wasn’t disputing that part of the HBO show.
Pretty ironic if by the time mud season is finally over, Russian armor is completely out of fuel, ammo and spare parts.
That assumes that Russia really believes that Ukraine joining NATO is an existential threat. More likely, Russia views Ukraine joining NATO as Ukraine passing irretrievably beyond the Russian sphere of influence. Although given Russian paranoia and the habitual thinking of authoritarian regimes, that might be considered an existential threat.
I lean towards the opinion that both are important. That the prevailing Russian leadership zeitgeist honestly is that of a paranoid fear of being encircled AND they resent any opposition to them being a regional hegemon.
It makes for a twitchy, violent neighbor. Like a super-territorial, shy-sharp (i.e. fear biter) dog.
It really does need to pointed out more that Russia joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and was on the record as an aspiring NATO member until 2014.
Ukraine joined at the same time.
You can’t really complain that NATO is out to get you when you’re in line to join up.
Well, Putin likely does not think so, but it would be a “win” for him, allowing him to save face.
he has unlimited internet access … he has everything needed (and then some) to know as much as we do.
One-of-a-kind prototype Russian tank destroyed in Ukraine:
Plus, apparently the Russian army is using civilian vehicles and even dump trucks as personnel carriers.
Interesting photo essay of Ukraine’s train system. The employees are showing a lot of pride, still dressed in uniforms, and serving the people. It’s quite remarkable they continually make track repairs and keep the trains running. The people who keep the refugee trains running out of Ukraine – photo essay | Ukraine | The Guardian
‘The tank may well have been useful for test purposes…’
It failed the test.
I will go out on a limb here and say that the tank crew were somewhat disappointed with its performance. At least, momentarily.
Guardian published some battlefield photos. Gas masks? I haven’t heard any reports of attacks with chemical weapons.
Geez. 
Depends whose test. It passed the missile test used against it.
Ukraine has attacked the fuel depot in Belgorod in Russia again, this time with helicopters.
If they stage a strong comeback, Ukraine should try to hit strategic targets in Voronezh, Rostov and Krasnodar districts to weaken Russia’s position in Donbas and reassert their claim to Crimea, but strikes into Russia need to be done judiciously to avoid getting the Russians too much more firmly behind Vladdy.
Deepening the battlefield is important.
Major book spoiler for Hugh Laurie’s The Gun Seller:
In the book, the main character gets roped into investigating (and then being a part of) a manufactured terrorist conspiracy created to allow an arms manufacturer to test a new type of attack helicopter on the “terrorist cell” in front of the media, to drum up sales.
The protagonist, having figured this out, smuggles a Javelin missile onto the scene and shoots down the helicopter. As a result, the sale of Javelins go way up.
Reality appears to be mirroring fiction here…
April Fools!
The inevitable parody video (possibly one of several; I didn’t attempt an exhaustive search).
Reducing oil supplies to Russia’s troops is crucial for Ukraine’s survival. There’s strong evidence Russia is regrouping and organizing for new offensives.
Imho Small, carefully planned strikes in Russian border regions should be expected. Especially when compared to the outrageous scorched earth policy Russia uses in Ukraine.