So the Russians were gonna make a run at Zelensky....CIA director secretly met with Zelenskyy before invasion to reveal Russian plot to kill him

 via Business Insider

CIA Director Bill Burns met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a secret trip to Kyiv ahead of the Russian invasion last year to share news that appeared to surprise the Ukrainian leader: the Russians were plotting to assassinate him.

At that time, in January 2022, Zelenskyy had been dismissing the idea that Russians would carry out an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and was suggesting America's public warnings were creating a "panic," noted Chris Whipple in his forthcoming book, "The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House."

It was unusual for the US to publicly disclose intelligence like this, suggesting Washington was confident in its assessment of Russia's intentions. But just weeks before Russia invaded, Zelenskyy expressed concerns that such warnings would have a negative impact on the Ukrainian economy — and emphasized that Kyiv was used to facing threats from Russia. 

"Burns had come to give him a reality check" and the CIA director shared that Russian Special Forces were coming for Zelenskyy, writes Whipple, adding that President Joe Biden told Burns "to share precise details of the Russian plots."

Here 

Ok.  This makes sense. I've wondered why Russian special ops didn't take a run at Zelensky or even launch a few cruise missiles at him but apparently we warned him (probably continue to) of the threats.

Which brings me to the other startling thing here.

It's not Ukrainian fighting spirit. 

It's not Russian incompetence.

It's US intel that has kept the Ukrainians in this fight.

I really don't get it.  US intel is great at the strategic shit.  Nation state actions we're all over it.  Targeting certain high ranking figures we got that down pat.

Battlefield shit?

That, "hey you're gonna get hit between 0400 and 0800 on such and such date" so you better have your shit ready seems to be lacking a bit.

That real time stuff like the Iranians are gonna make a run at our ships in the Gulf kinda things are missing too.

If China goes over the berm we might not dodge the bullet but we'll know its coming.