Reminiscent of the Republican obsession with the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan. They kept trying to repeat those victories, much like a serial killer trying to experience the same high he had with his first kill. Putin is living in the past, like all conservative authoritarians. Like Reagan, believing a return to past fantasies is possible. Putin has delusions of grandeur, and he supported generals who shared his belief in the invulnerability of Russian military might. After the defeat Russia suffered in Afghanistan, one would think he would have more respect for shoulder-fired anti-tank, anti-aircraft, and anti-ship weapons. But the US has also made the same mistake over and over again. IUDs bloodied us In Iraq and Afghanistan. Modern weapons require a re-calibration of tactics and strategy that old-school military people are slow to grasp.