Dr Livci (@drlivci): "Absolutely shameless BS that almost no Russians believe. This cringe fanfic is believed almost exclusively by Westerners but lets say this nonsense is true and the Russian lunge at Kiev back in 2022 really was a fake out meant to facilitate the offensive in Donbass. Russia still…"

The app for independent voices

Dr Livcis Institute of Slavic and Soviet Studies

Absolutely shameless BS that almost no Russians believe. This cringe fanfic is believed almost exclusively by Westerners but lets say this nonsense is true and the Russian lunge at Kiev back in 2022 really was a fake out meant to facilitate the offensive in Donbass. Russia still has not taken Donestk Oblast regardless of this “shaping operation” and 4 years later Russian Troops are just now sorta kinda approaching Kramatorsk. How is this a success? Maybe after 6-7 years Russia will finally liberate Donbass instead of the 8-9 it would have taken without the “shaping operation”? BTW you know something else Soviet Manuls recommended? Attacking with overwhelming force. A shame that MOD hasn't dusted off that section.

This difference explains recurring Western misjudgments. When Russian forces advanced toward Kyiv in February 2022 with what appeared to be insufficient numbers, Western analysts declared strategic failure. Doctrine reveals a different reality: this was a “shaping operation” - a deliberate effort to fix Ukraine’s most capable brigades away from the decisive theater in Donbas. Soviet field manuals from the Cold War explicitly defined such operations as actions that “create conditions for success in the decisive operation by influencing enemy disposition.” When Russia withdrew from Kyiv Oblast in April 2022, Western media framed it as a defeat. Russian doctrine saw successful culmination: the shaping operation had served its purpose, allowing concentration of forces for the Donbas campaign that followed.

Mike Mihajlovic

Feb 13

5:51 PM

The app for independent voices

Log in or sign up