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Making Sense with Sam Harris - Subscriber Content

#358 - The War in Ukraine

Mar 11, 2024
A deep dive into the War in Ukraine, covering false assumptions of a swift Russian victory, Ukrainian military transformation, Russian incompetence, public opinion, the role of the Orthodox Church, conspiracy thinking, Putin's popularity on the Right, NATO membership, Zelensky's leadership, war crimes, casualties, delays in US aid, nuclear blackmail, western sanctions, and potential resolution of the conflict.
01:06:25

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Initial Russian delusions of swift victory in Ukraine stemmed from a misunderstanding of Ukrainian society and military evolution.
  • Russian military incompetence during the war was fueled by fear, misinformation, and unrealistic expectations of Ukrainian reception.

Deep dives

Origins of the Russian Invasion and Ukrainian Resistance

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was based on delusional expectations of a swift victory due to a misunderstanding of Ukrainian society and military transformation. Initially, with volunteer units and minimal resistance, Ukraine was perceived as easy prey. However, by 2022, Ukraine had evolved into a professional fighting force with widespread anti-Russian sentiment due to previous occupations and mistreatment under Russian rule.

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