Russian forces advance on Kyiv

WHEN RUSSIA’S war on Ukraine began before dawn on Thursday, many expected blitzkrieg. Over 150,000 Russian soldiers were poised on Ukraine’s border; warplanes were massed in Belarus; paratroopers were at the ready. Yet in many ways, the war’s first two days have been less overwhelming.

The Russian missile strikes that opened the war were relatively light, not the relentless onslaught that many had predicted. There were reports of dud missiles, too. One was seen lodged in the pavement in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Russia did not wipe out Ukraine’s air force on the ground; planes were seen aloft throughout the first day of fighting. Ukrainian soldiers made good use of their Western-supplied anti-tank weapons, taking out plenty of armoured vehicles.