What Were You Thinking a Year Ago

I'm Ukrainian Australian. Watching what unfolded since 2014, it was hard to believe there would NOT be a larger invasion, wilth all the troops amassed at the border. But russia always lies and nothing is real, so I sat in dark "through the looking glass" and don't know of I fully returned

I was very uneasy. I did not know whether to trust American intelligence that had gotten things wrong in Irak. Many press articles reported that the Ukrainians themselves were not nervous. I did not think Putin would make a move whose outcome he could not fully control and bend to his will. I thought he was evil but not stupid and not crazy. In short, I did not fully believe it until I saw it and boy, was that traumatic: going for Kyiv, the train station at Kramatorsk, missiles falling on Odessa. I think I am still recovering from that shock, and from feeling stupid that I did not see it coming. So much death could have been prevented if we had done things in a way that did not make Putin think he had an opening.

AnaR737

I was going backwards and forwards on whether he was going to actually invade for weeks beforehand. The one reason why I didn't think that he would do it was because, at the time, the Russian media wasn't pushing for it. It was only when he recognised all of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent a few days beforehand that I knew that the die was cast. That was further reinforced when he had all his minions come in to the Kremlin and agree with him before the cameras.

Former army wife, many family members in military. When I heard US & UK intelligence say an invasion was coming, I knew it was coming. Also, CNN has the best military coverage, in general, on MSM, so I was tuned to them & TikTok. Once CNN stopped extensive war coverage, I found d The Malcontent.

Having read Russian history and literature as a layman. I was pulling my hair out trying to get people to listen to me. I was convinced that Russia would invade as soon as they started building up troops along the border. Many people including my extended family would say to me that the Russians wouldn't be that stupid. I would say to them read some Russian history. The Russian mentality is built on the idea that power trumps logic. Russian history is replete with them shooting themselves in the foot. It's a paradigm they can't escape as long as brute force mixed with kelptocrasy rules the Russian people. Kelptocrasy isn't something that Putin came up with, its been part of the fabric of the nation for hundreds of years. Along with delusions of grandeur makes for a very combustible environment. I would have loved to be proven wrong, but all I got was strange looks and a "how did you know?". I feel terrible for the ordinary Russian "serf" who has to die for this and the next delusional leader with visions of grandeur.

Graham Thom

I was convinced they wouldn't do it. Convinced!

I’m with you, US and UK we’re on the same page. I thought I was going crazy believing it too. But it didn’t sit right.

We aided and still do anyway we can from shelters to first aid kits for the front line. Helping source from within the country first and whenever possible. But the writing was on the wall. I’ve worked with Syrian refugees and many others from war zones…what he’s doing now is because in part we’ve looked away for so long and allowed it…now hopefully it will end here and they will be entirely defeated.

We kept asking our friends if they had bags packed, those on the border we had to beg them to leave and thankfully they left 2 days before. We felt like the crazy ones telling them this doesn’t feel right and they need an exit plan and cash 🫠 and I remember staying up all night with them online and working to help from TX.

I didn't obsessively hit "refresh" on my sites, but I didn't dismiss the possibility either. What do you call it, when you hold your breath while continuing to breathe? Didn't know whether Putin would, didn't know whether Ukraine would hold. Turned out to be disappointed by the one, delighted and relieved by the other.

Dana Netherton (he or him)

When Biden said "our intelligence says russia is definitely going to invade", I believed Biden 100%. Maybe I'm stupid but I thought, "oh. It's happening for sure". That was only a day or a few days before. I forget exactly. Then I think Biden even said "invasion is tomorrow"? I forget now.

Two days before the invasion, I already knew. Got in a big argument over the likelihood of invasion with some close family. Was laughed at and called crazy. Had a falling out and have not talked since then... I was born in Ukraine, but have not been back in 30 years. I sure hope I’ll still have an opportunity to visit Ukraine as an independent nation and show my American born kids where my wife and I are from.

I’m Ukrainian and lived in Ukraine through invasion. I didn’t believe it was going to happen until after the fact. I and my friends was in denial of for a while, even while we tried to enlist. That was so crazy, to be honest…

BTW my husband’s ancestors fled Ukraine through Odessa around 1880-1910 to get away from Russians.