Russia underestimated Ukraine’s military potential and expected significantly less resistance at the beginning of the special military operation, retired Russian Air Force Major General and combat pilot Vladimir Popov said in an interview with the Konservator channel.
According to Popov, the initial assessment failed to treat Ukraine as a strong military state with substantial capabilities and a certain level of preparedness. He said there had been expectations that events could follow a scenario similar to Crimea in 2014, with Russian forces encountering little resistance and receiving a loyal response from the population.
Popov said military personnel understood that such a scenario was unlikely. He recalled an episode previously described by Russian President Vladimir Putin in which Russian troops called on Ukrainian soldiers inside a dugout to surrender, only to hear the response that Russians do not surrender.
The retired general described the confrontation as an element of a civil war in which, in his view, one people is fighting itself. He argued that neither side directly involved benefits from such a conflict and that other parties stand to gain from it.
Popov also addressed the readiness of the initial Russian force for large-scale combat operations. He indicated that neither its size nor the ammunition stocks available at the beginning of the special military operation matched the scale of the task.
As an example, Popov said that a stock of ten rounds for a D-20 or D-30 howitzer was insignificant, while 150–200 rounds would provide roughly one day’s supply. According to him, Russia did not have the required stocks at the time, but the situation has since changed.