Russia is making a fool of itself in the invasion of Ukraine. Despite having a much larger and better equipped army than the Ukrainians, the Russians have been unable to take the country’s major cities in a whole month of invasion.Leaving aside the atrocities committed by Russian troops and crimes against humanity, this Russian failure highlights a reality that has surprised many: the Russian army is not living up to the expectations it has generated for years. In 2008, Vladimir Putin embarked on an ambitious process of modernizing the military. Key figures such as Sergei Shoigu and, especially, General Valery Gerasimov initiated a reform process to do away with the Soviet heritage and bring its armed forces into the 21st century. The reality is that the old problems of the Soviet army persist or have become even worse.The question is, why is the Soviet military still so ineffective?