Senior Western defence and intelligence experts outline the battlefield errors made by Moscow.
Russia has one of the largest and most powerful armed forces in the world, but that has not been apparent in its initial invasion of Ukraine. Many military analysts in the West have been surprised by its performance on the battlefield so far, with one describing it as "dismal".
A senior British military official said much of Russia's investment had been spent on its vast nuclear arsenal and experimentation, that included developing new weapons such as hypersonic missiles. Russia is supposed to have built the world's most advanced tank - the T-14 Armata. But while it has been seen on Moscow's Victory Day Parade on Red Square, it has been missing in battle.
A senior Western intelligence official told the BBC that Russia thought it could deploy lighter, spearhead units like the Spetsnatz and VDV paratroopers, "to eliminate a small number of defenders and that would be it". But in the first few days their helicopter assault on Hostomel Airport, just outside Kyiv, was repelled, denying Russia an airbridge to bring in troops, equipment and supplies.
Western officials say there is also evidence of dwindling morale among Russian fighters, with one saying it was "very, very, low". Another said the troops were "cold, tired and hungry" as they had already been waiting in the snow for weeks in Belarus and Russia before they were given the order to invade.
Western officials also believe Russia may be running low on some munitions. It has already fired between 850 and 900 long-range precision munitions, including cruise missiles, which are harder to replace than unguided weapons. US officials have warned Russia has approached China to help address some of its shortages.
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