I have no special knowledge here though what struck me is that much of the fighting between the old USSR and Nazi Germany took place in Ukraine.
What we should be doing: I think President Biden is doing the right things. I honestly think that Putin got Russia into a quagmire that he’ll have trouble extracting itself from.
What I remember from the cold war days: the Russians (then the Soviets) had a lot of machines (subs, tanks, etc.) but often in a poor state of repair. Evidently that is still true:
Their in the field tactics are not the best either. I remember a report from Afghanistan where the mujahideen had ambushed a Russian convoy carrying troops in armored personnel carriers. The embedded reporter thought “we are dead; the infantry will come out and kill us, easily”..but they just stayed in safety…
Then there are supply issues..long lines through hostile territory.
For sure, Russia has them outnumbered and their sheer weight would prove decisive if they use it. But it sure looks like the tide is truing against them (with respect to Europe’s reactions..and ours) and it is my (uneducated guess) that they will find a face saving way to pull out…perhaps holding a small corridor from mainland Russia to Crimea.
Note: Putin is NOT Hitler and the Russians are far from the Wehrmacht; Putin might WANT conquest but he isn’t going to get it.
Life of an old goat 