The Russian Army may have defeated Ukraine — if it had followed its own manual

• Russia's huge cost in invading Ukraine is fallout for not following its own military doctrine.
• Russian commanders have frequently erred on the basics of military operations, a RAND expert said.
• The Russians also lacked the invasion force size necessary to follow their warfighting doctrine.

The US Army's new manual on Russian tactics is an impressive-looking document. It's 280 pages packed with details and diagrams of how Russian soldiers are supposed to fight.

It is also evidence of a major reason why Russian troops have often fought poorly in the Ukraine war: they are not following their own playbook.