For Vladimir Putin, 2022 does not end as he expected, but with further setbacks for Russia. The root of the problem: the Ukraine war.
Moscow – Wladimir Putin had a plan: to liberate Ukraine from its supposed “Nazi regime” with a military “special operation”. Or to put it another way: On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded the neighboring country – the start of the ongoing one Ukraine War.
In a TV appearance, Putin had confidently announced at that time that the overthrow in the Ukraine will happen within a few weeks. At the end of the war year, however, he expressed himself somewhat pessimistically: “Of course, it can be a long process‘ Putin said loudly Editorial network Germany (rnd) at a conference in early December.
Doubts regarding Putin’s army: losses in the Ukraine war
It is undeniable that Putin’s war once morest Ukraine has dragged on far longer than Moscow expected. The enormous resistance from Kyiv under President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and the Losses suffered by the Russian army raise doubts among both political observers and the Russian population as to whether a military victory for Putin in Ukraine is even possible – and if so, at what price.
The purchase of Iranian combat drones and the stationing of Russian soldiers and military equipment in Belarus can provide clues as to the state of Putin’s army. In addition, joint exercises of the troops of both countries are regularly held on Belarusian territory. Therefore, it is still speculated that whether a Belarusian entry into the conflict is likely – and necessary from a Russian point of view – is. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is considered one of Putin’s most important allies.
All of Putin’s strategies in the Ukraine war fail – Russia in turmoil
In December there was another possible sign of how bad the war was for Russia running. Putin canceled his annual press conference at the end of the year. The cancellation of the event – for the first time in ten years – led to speculation regarding whether the head of state should not be confronted with hot questions from reporters regarding the war in Ukraine. While from the Russian side Reports of allegedly unlimited ammunition supplies be published, sees John Spencer, retired major in the US Army, all of Russia’s military strategies as a failure an.
Also take messages from “Mass” deserting Russian fighters to. According to a study last year, the population in Russia expressed more than double the fear and anxiety as before – because of the war in Ukraine. Moscow’s former Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt now even has the Jewish community in Russia called to flee and warns of “increasing anti-Semitism”.
Putin loses important allies as a result of the Ukraine war: China at a distance
According to a Washington Post report, Putin is more isolated than ever in his current situation. above 300 days war once morest Ukraine would have destroyed Russia’s decades of carefully cultivated economic relations with the West. At the same time, the Kremlin’s efforts to strengthen these ties through closer cooperation with India and China to replace, stalled.
The president “feels the loss of his friends,” the newspaper quotes Washington Post a Russian civil servant with close ties to diplomatic circles. The authority of the Kremlin is also becoming weaker overall. For example, the Chinese President Xi Jinping admitted in a video conference with Putin that he wanted to improve strategic cooperation. However, he added that the international situation is complicated and highly controversial. Back in September, Xi had expressed “concern” regarding the Ukraine war.
Putin is openly criticized by India and the ex-Soviet state for the Ukraine war
India indirectly but unequivocally criticized the Ukraine war in December. In an op-ed for the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the end of the “epoch of war”. He particularly criticized the struggle for “territories or resources”.
Even in the “own” ranks of the post-Soviet Union, Putin can no longer be sure of his foreign allies. This was demonstrated recently at a summit meeting of six former Soviet states in November, as Newsweek reported. At the conference of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation) military alliance, which is under Russian leadership, Armenia openly criticized the alliance and refused to sign a summit declaration.
Russian Elite Removed by Putin in Ukraine War
The domestic own ranks are also noisy Washington Post no longer agree 100 percent with the leadership of Russia. A rift is emerging between Putin and much of the country’s elite, interviews with Russian economists, officials and analysts have shown. The growing division poses another risk for Putin as he heads into 2023, the final year before the 2024 presidential election.
In an interview with the Russian daily newspaper RBK for example, Mikhail Zadornov, chairman of one of Russia’s largest banks, observed: “By and large, members of Russia’s business elite know this is not going to end well.” The growing distance is publicly visible: Putin canceled his annual New Year’s Eve meeting with the country’s billionaires – officially this was justified with infection risks.
Putin might have driven “coffin nail” into the Russian Empire with the Ukraine war
Something good might come out of evil, though: The Ukraine war might be the “coffin nail” for Putin’s empire Moscow-born economist Michael Alexeev said in an interview with the Kyiv Post. The war is “monstrous” and a “mistake for everyone involved” but might have long-term positive effects for Ukraine – by Russia losing a large part of its global power. “The only positive thing I can think of regarding this war is that it might finally put a nail in the coffin of the idea of Russian empire,” Alexeev said. “Maybe it will finally become a normal country.” (na)
