The only reasonable explanation I've heard is that Putin has surrounded himself with all sorts of yes-men and that those yes-men basically told him that most of the people would gladly welcome Russia's forces.
This kinda explains why the first wave of Russian soldiers were naive enough to stop in the city and ask common people for directions to the city center.
This kinda explains why the first wave of Russian soldiers were naive enough to stop in the city and ask common people for directions to the city center.