Publié le 07/06/2022

Michel GOYA

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Moscow’s initial plan was to use a “shock and awe” approach to conquer Kyiv quickly. 

However, the Russians had underestimated the cohesion of the Ukrainian nation and the effectiveness of the Ukrainian army. When it found it was unable to make further progress, the Russian army chose to concentrate its operations on the Donbas and the Black Sea coast, where it now faces stiff resistance.

Michel Goyaa former colonel in the French army, is a military historian.

Article published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 87, No. 2, Summer 2022 [1].