Once Russia Did This, I Knew They Were About To Invade

A critical pre-invasion sign to look out for

(By Mstyslav Chernov — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41733044)

In the final months of 2021, many people were speculating as to whether or not Russia was serious about a potential invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Today, over three years later, it is nearly impossible to remember that many people scoffed that such an invasion was not possible in the 21st century. Imagining a large and devastating war breaking out in the heart of Europe was difficult for many people to swallow. As we know now, such an invasion is possible, and modern war is much more brutal and difficult than many ever imagined.

Just one day before Russia’s invasion kicked off, the BBC wrote an article in which they outlined five reasons why Russia wouldn’t invade Ukraine. Obviously, this analysis was vastly off base, but it is good to remember that there was a time in which most people failed to realize how serious Vladimir Putin was about invading.

Ukraine crisis: Five reasons why Putin might not invade

All the while, Russia continued to tell the West that they were not planning on invading. It was a line that…