. I think in the East the Russians were successful in part due...

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I think in the East the Russians were successful in part due to the diversion force sent to "threaten Kiev" in a fixing operation to keep large numbers of the best equipped Ukraine troops away from Kherson and Mariupol.

There was never enough troops there to take the capital city but enough to cause a serious headache for Kiev that could not be ignored. Russia hoped for negotiated settlement on their terms in March 2022 but alas NATO said no and Zelensky outlawed negotiation. With the land corridor secured to Crimea the transition to a war of attrition began and continues. Ukraine took advantage of the lack of troop numbers of the Russians in late 2022 with a successful liberation of sparse occupied territory in the north and at some significant cost in manpower managed to take back the right bank of Kherson

That land corridor to Crimea was the focus of Ukraines failed 2023 counter offensive and was the focus of Russian defence building efforts in 2022/23