Russia's firepower dwarfs Ukraine, but the invaders are facing tough resistance
On the opening days of Russia's deadly assault on Ukraine, missiles have rained down from the sky, tanks have rolled across the border and troops have parachuted into the besieged nation from north, east and south.
Key points:
Russia is yet to unleash its most devastating weaponry
A high-ranking Australian official expects the conflict to drag out for months
Analysts say Ukrainian resistance has caught the Russians by surprise
The massive onslaught has been brutal and relentless, but Vladimir Putin has not yet exhausted the full range of his devastating military options.
Just days before ordering the invasion, the Russian President oversaw strategic nuclear exercises involving the launch of hypersonic, cruise and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.
Russian defence policy expert Rob Lee warned Moscow was so far holding back on its far superior firepower, including "very scary" thermobaric weapons.
"We're talking about artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, air-launched missiles, naval missiles — they have longer-range stuff that can hit targets in Kyiv, [but] Kyiv can't hit stuff in Russia," Mr Lee said.
"The shorter-range stuff is really damaging, thermobaric weapons — those are used for fortified targets like guys in trenches, or urban terrain — it's really scary stuff".
Over recent years Russia has arguably developed the world's best electronic warfare and cybersecurity tools, and analysts say they are surprised these capabilities have not yet been fully unleashed.
The nation also outmatches Ukraine in raw numbers.
Analysts say Ukraine has surprised Russian invaders
Despite Russia's early advances, Mr Lee, who is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, believes Moscow has been surprised by the initial resistance shown by Ukraine's defences.
"I think they had an expectation that Ukrainians would be willing to put up with occupation, put up with regime change, and I don't know if that's true," he said.
Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist with the RAND Corporation agreed that Mr Putin might have underestimated the difficulty of overwhelming Ukraine.
"It seems to me that the only well-planned part of this entire play has been the military piece," he tweeted.
"No-one beyond the military and the services seems to have even been in the loop.
In Australia, senior defence and national security figures fear the bloody conflict in eastern Europe will escalate and last for several months.
Putin faces challenge getting Russians' support for war
"There are no rational breaks on the ladder of strategic escalation," one high-ranking official told the ABC, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The official said Russia would be focused on "neutralising" Ukrainian military resistance by destroying command centres, air defences and key defence infrastructure — but that would not happen quickly.
"They intend to drive into Kyiv and install a provisional government," the official said.
"They are trying to avoid long-term occupation but this will be a function of whether a resistance is mounted from western Ukraine. This will drag on for months."
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