I think it's more likely that Putin lied about this, and the soldiers were told the same lies. Russia trusted that collaborators / saboteurs in Ukraine would al

I think it's more likely that Putin lied about this, and the soldiers were told the same lies. Russia trusted that collaborators / saboteurs in Ukraine would allow them to crush the remaining resistance very quickly. This is allegedly how Cherson fell so swiftly: https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2022/3/29/2088926/-Ukraine-update-How-did-Kherson-fall-so-quickly-Betrayal-looks-like-a-good-bet https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2022/3/29/2088926/-Ukraine-up... And recently Arestovych said that the first days of the invasion a lot of saboteurs and assassination squads were in Kiev trying to topple the government. Of course you can't believe everything the Ukrainians say either, I just think it's pure propaganda from Putin when he said the Ukrainians would welcome Russia as liverators.