--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Putin discovered that when he invaded…" description: "\"Putin discovered that when he invaded Ukraine, he expected the Ukrainians to rise up and join him and say, \"Yes, we want to be part of Russia,\" and tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/anne-applebaum-2544_russia_putin-discovered-that-when-he-invaded-uk_3200063.jpg" --- # Putin discovered that when he invaded Ukraine, he expected… ![“Putin discovered that when he invaded Ukraine, he expected the Ukrainians to rise up and join him and say, "Yes, we want to be part of Russia," and that didn't happen. And they've been paying, actually, I think quite a high price for it, both in the ongoing war in Ukraine - which is I think…” quote by Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/anne-applebaum-2544_russia_putin-discovered-that-when-he-invaded-uk_3200063.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/anne-applebaum-2544_russia_putin-discovered-that-when-he-invaded-uk_3200063.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/anne-applebaum-2544_russia_putin-discovered-that-when-he-invaded-uk_3200063.jpg) > “Putin discovered that when he invaded Ukraine, he expected the Ukrainians to rise up and join him and say, "Yes, we want to be part of Russia," and that didn't happen. And they've been paying, actually, I think quite a high price for it, both in the ongoing war in Ukraine - which is I think increasingly unpopular in Russia - and also in the Western sanctions, and in general, the separation from the West that was caused by that.” [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Putin misread Ukraine's resolve, leading to costly war, sanctions, and isolation from the West. **In simple terms:** Misreading resistance caused a costly conflict. Key Takeaway Recognize true local sentiments before action. Themes politics conflict miscalculation geopolitics Mood analytical critical Type political historical When to use this quote - foreign policy planning - military interventions - diplomatic negotiations - economic sanctions Key Concepts strategic error national identity sanctions Questions to Reflect On - What signs of resistance were ignored? - How can leaders better gauge public will? A Different Perspective Assuming compliance can backfire; nuanced intelligence is vital. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Invaded Ukraine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invaded-ukraine-5938078/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Russia Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia-didn-1145666/) [Separation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Ukraine Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ukraine-think-5109902/) [Unpopular Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpopular-russia-5938077/) [Want Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-russia-283122/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) ## Related quotes > [We spent a fair amount of time on Ukraine. 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They are afraid of talking about it out loud, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akhmad-kadyrov/people-took-part-in-the-referendum-because-they-were-tired-of-the-war/) [Akhmad Kadyrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akhmad-kadyrov/) > [The West, both the elites (consciously) and ordinary people (sub-consciously), want Russia to go to hell; to disappear, drown, explode. It is because Russia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/the-west-both-the-elites-consciously-and-ordinary-people-sub/) [Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/) > [We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-austin/we-want-to-see-russia-weakened-to-the-degree-that-it-can-t-do-the/) [Lloyd Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-austin/) > [You know, Russia brings it on. People don't want to be Russia hawk. 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