Russia will fire back on anyone shooting at them. Russia is not Libya, the last place that had a no-fly zone. Russia has massive artillary, cruise missiles, drones and hypersonic missiles (against which we have no defense). Note no mention of nuclear, and we're already into WWIII.

We (the US) needed 8 years to partially subdue Iraq, who were way weaker than Russia. Ukraine is 1.4x bigger than Ukraine. We fought for 20 years in Afghanistan and STILL never controlled the country. Afghanistan is about the size of Ukraine.

Russia has destroyed everything that Ukraine had at the start of the war, after 8 years of buildup by the US and NATO. That is why Zelensky has been asking for armanents equal to what Ukraine had in February.

This is not to say the Russians are all powerful. They are clearly not. This is to pop the balloon of illusion that there will be any "quick elimination of anything Russia foolishly sends."

We have been sending ever more sophisicated weaponry as the war has gone on. Russia is still advancing on the Donbass fronts most important to them, while giving up territory to Ukraine in areas less important to Russia (e.g. around Kyiv, Kharkov and Kherson on the other side of the Dnieper) and simultaneously making Ukraine pay a much higher price in men and equipment than Russia.

Russia is practiced and successful at grinding wars of attrition. That is what they are settled in now.

It IS horrible how Ukrainian civilians are dying evey day. Which is why Ukraine should be negotiating for peace now, and should have been from day 1.