This whole time the Russians have been talking about wanting the east exclusively the early rush to Kiev was consistent with the stated aim of forcing Ukraine to surrender early into the war

The “special military operation” to Denazify Ukraine was not intended to be limited solely to the East. Russia tried to replicate the US operation in Iraq, and had they been successful, they’d be in a very similar position to the US after toppling both Iraqi and Afghan leadership relatively quickly, stuck propping up government with limited popular support. Also, what about everything about NATO’s eastward expansion and Ukraine’s prospective membership? That has nothing to do with injustices against Russian-speaking people.

The Ukrainians have thrown everything they had in a mad rush to break the Russian lines and only succeeded at retaking a dozen villages.

This is literally the opposite of what the article says: “Some [Western analysts] faulted Ukraine’s strategy, including accusing it of concentrating its forces in the wrong places.” Sounds to me like they emphatically NOT making a rush at the targets the West wants them to.

8 years so were more militarily experienced now Russia has been fighting for a while they will have worked out much of the issues of their organisation

Right, just like how that Ukrainian counteroffensive is gonna start any day now… Its warfare. Neither side is honest about their operations, and neither side can afford to be honest about their battle plans, tactics, and strategies in order to actually make use of any of them. When Russia invaded the rest of the country, it was their modernized army that was gonna make quick work of the smaller weaker Ukrainian army. Even NATO was like “uh yeah we expect a protracted guerilla war after a quick Russian victory should Russia actually invade”.

For the record, I wasn’t sure if Russia would actually invade, despite all the classic rhetoric that came from the Kremlin the year beforehand.