You are delusional.I paid attention VERY much early on. Russia pounded them early on and the World’s reaction held them back from using the force they were capable of to take them to heel quickly. Make NO mistake, Russia was the 2nd most powerful military when this all started. It is just simply extremely difficult to win the war in a way to keep in tact what they actually were going after in Ukraine, mind you they weren’t just trying to beat them they wanted to TAKE large parts of it over.
Even we were never truly able to take over a country. Korea sucked. Vietnam was a disaster and EVERYTHING in the Middle East has backfired on us at some point.
Smashing a country into oblivion is vastly different than trying to take permanent control…
If the US were to fight a total war in any of those places, the end would be quick. Russia most certainly is and they are 4.5 years into it, hopelessly bogged down while churning thru "soldiers", material and getting their hat handed to them on the homefront.

