They look like us. The extremely simple and disturbing explanation for poor Russian military performance in Ukraine..

via Unilad

One senior US official told ABC News soldiers had been heard complaining over the radio, saying, 'We don’t know who to shoot – they all look like us.'

Here 

Just plain wow.

The simplest answer is the most disturbing.  Russian soldiers have no problem shooting Syrian rebels, the peoples of Africa (wherever they are requested), Libyans, Kurds etc..

But when it comes to fighting other Europeans?  They seem to be stalled out.

Racism?  I don't think so.  Tribalism?  Most definitely.  

What Russian soldiers don't seem to realize is that in this case they're seen as the other while the forces arrayed against them are the "tribe".

It explains a bunch.

I wondered aloud how a Ukrainian Grandmother could talk shit to a Russian soldier without getting buttstroked.

I was too simplistic.

The Ukrainian civilians are operating off the "brotherhood" card and causing Russian soldiers to pause.  When they pause they get killed.

I looked at their previous military actions and saw them acting quite professionally.  In this one they're acting emotionally. Combine that with what appears to be an extremely tight ROE and body bags are getting filled.