Three reasons why defense is beating offense in Ukraine - and why it matters for Taiwan -...

Lessons learned from this will be a great lesson for Taiwan to study and use Lt Col Charlie Brown

On the other hand...........................Ukraine is approx. 233,060 sq miles (with an estimated population of 43 million) which is approx. 30,000 sq miles less than the State of Texas by comparison and also has a population which is determined to defend itself and aprox. 1/3 of it cannot be surrounded by Russia or Russia leaning neighbors who allow access. I think Russia (Putin, more likely) most likely believed that the Ukrainians would rather lay down their weapons and accept Russian Hegemony than have their Country destroyed. I also think that Russia therefore, did not take their Military invasion as seriously as they would have needed to, and up to now, still haven't as evidenced by questionably weak Russian Military advances and loss of territorial claims with respect to their actual military capabilities. Russia has only now begun exacerbating their untenable position by concentrating on decimating the Civilian Population to try to reduce the will of the Ukrainians to defend their Country. The fact that Russia remains a Nuclear Capable Country is theoretically limiting NATO's/EU's response to a non-member Nation by providing assistance in the way of supplies only rather than outright physical military assistance (that we know about) on the ground.

Taiwan, however, is an Island Nation of an est. 23.3 million population, and a total area of approx. 12,456 sq miles which is approx. 1/2 the size of the State of West Virginia or 1/3 larger than the State of Maryland and can be entirely surrounded and cut off by China's Naval Forces at sea and it's only a short hop of 100nm from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan by China's Air Forces.

One significant lesson China can't help learning with respect to Russia-Ukraine is to "go big, go hard and get it done quickly" with their Military Forces before Taiwan Treaty Allies can react to help defend the Island, which, along with China's Nuclear Capabilities, may limit any response by Taiwan's Allies if China decides it time to take the Island. This reason alone may reduce Taiwan's and the West's ability to resist a Chinese attempt, regardless of the factors indicated by the article, since China will most likely not take decimating a Civilian Population any more seriously than the Russians seem to be doing at this point.

But, that's just my opinion.....................................

Thought this should be deleted at first. The way it displays underneath the little bell on the right side of my screen is "Three reasons why defense is beating off"