I think you may be right, but at the same time, that puts the same sort of constraints on the Ukrainians that our government imposed on our troops during Vietnam. The entire logistics and forward bases of the enemy were just established out of bounds, just as the Russians will keep sufficient distance to stay out of range. If the Russians start marshalling troop strength and stockpiling materiel just out of range from Ukraine, it's for the big putsch, not for of any benevolent or even benign purpose.
@Smokin Joe I know that has been sold as the popular conception,but it just isn't true.
Look up MACV-SOG and you will gain a new understanding. Basically,while the Communists were claiming they had no troops or supply lines in Cambodia or Laos,MACV-SOG Recon Teams and "Hatchet Force Platoons" were raiding NVA supply depots in Laos and Cambodia to plant booby traps to explode and kill any NVA that went into them to draw supplies,thus killing the NVA troops AND exploding all the ordinance in that depot.
We were also doing other little tricks I will NOT speak about to cause injury,death,and loss of morale to the NVA troops moving south to join the fight in VN.
You would be surprised how much chaos a 6 man Recon Team can inflict on a company of NVA in a well-planned and executed ambush.
This was all top secret until a few years ago,but now it is public information,so I am free to expose a little of what we were doing,which included doing things like going in on a mission wearing NVA uniforms and carrying AK's and RPD's to make the rookie soldiers entering the battle in SVN wonder if their own people were trying to kill them.
Even when we wore US uniforms,there was no insignia on them,and we didn't carry dog tags or US ID of any type. If captured,we could legally be shot as criminals.
This is all I ever intend to say about any of this. If you want more information,now that it is no longer classifed as Top Secret,there are plenty of books for sale at places like Amazon selling books written by SOG vets.
One that I can recommend is titled "Reflections of a Warrior" by a good friend of mine named Franklin D..Miller. He spent around 6 years running recon missions in VN,Cambodia,and Laos,and was awarded a Medal of Honor. He is dead now. Finally killed by a blood infection received on his last combat mission when he was shot all to hell.
His children will receive any royalties from the book sales,though.