Top US general reveals the 'worst thing the Russians did' before the Ukraine invasion

On Wednesday, Fox News reported that Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Hilbert, the commanding general in charge of joint training exercises between U.S. and Ukrainian troops in Germany, revealed what he believed is "the worst thing the Russians did" that ensured they would struggle to seize control in their invasion of Ukraine.

Specifically, Hilbert argued, the problem is that Russia telegraphed its intentions early — giving Ukraine "eight years to prepare" for the attack.

"Hilbert, the commanding general for the 7th Army Training Command, also said Ukraine has participated in more than a dozen large exercises with U.S. troops in Germany since 2015," reported Greg Norman and Liz Friden. "'The Ukrainian soldiers are motivated, they are professional,' Hilbert added, noting that the U.S. is currently training 50 to 60 Ukrainian soldiers on how to operate M777 howitzer artillery in Grafenwoehr, Germany."

"Hilbert also said the U.S. has trained more than 23,000 members of Ukraine's armed forces from 17 different battalions and 11 different brigades, spending a total of $126 million on this program," said the report. "He added that the U.S. was planning for Ukrainian troops to lead a division-level exercise across the country before over 160 Florida National Guard troops pulled out of Ukraine in February, days before the invasion began."

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The invasion of Ukraine was launched on the pretense of Russia providing security to two so-called "independent republics" declared in the east of Ukraine by separatist rebels backed by the Kremlin.

Military experts initially feared that the capital city of Kyiv would fall fairly quickly. However, the Pentagon has claimed Russian troops have been plagued with low morale and face a fierce level of resistance from Ukraine. This has forced them to retreat from Kyiv and to focus on shoring up their position in the east.

Watch the original report here.

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