Vladimir Putin, in his years of power, has pretty well done what he wanted. If you are in any kind of position of power, and, do not support him, you end up in prison or falling out a window. Then he decided to undertake a special operation against those nazis (his word) in Ukraine
It was a perfect time to invade Ukraine. Ukraine, though it made noises to be, was not part of NATO. Donald Trump had pretty well put NATO in disarray. Trump had threatened to not provide arms to Ukraine, during his “perfect call”, unless they provided dirt on Hunter Biden. The Republican base really was not that fond of Ukraine. According to Tucker Carlson, Putin just wanted to protect his border against a thug Ukraine government
The special operation launched. Should be a piece of cake. Remember the long line of Russian tanks on the road to Kyiv. That is how confident Putin and his military top brass were.
Then came Joe Biden. A driving force in getting NATO and the EU (except for Hungarian autocrat and Tucker Calson favourite Orban) on the same page. Sanctions were put in place and military/humanitarian support flowed to Ukraine, as Trump would say “bigly”. Then, the Ukrainian spirit bursted out, and played David to Putin’s, Goliath. The people of Ukraine are fighting for their freedom while Russian soldiers are fighting to get paid. Big difference. Then came modern NATO armaments against outdated Russian armaments. Then came Ukrainian military innovation against conservative Russian tactics. Other factors, many other factors. Except for a few cries in the Republican wilderness (hello Rand Paul) the US is still united in its support for Ukraine. The EU and NATO, despite economic hardships, are still united (except for Tucker’s favourite guy) in support of Ukraine.
In a Ukrainian blitz, Russia has lost 2,300 square miles of land in the last week. Russian soldiers are fleeing and leaving military hardware behind. Also, the unthinkable. Putin is facing major heat at home. There is dissent being voice on Putin controlled state tv. 50 municipal deputies have signed a petition calling for Putin’s resignation. Municipal deputies, in some locations, are calling for Putin to be removed on the grounds of treason. (Hello Donald Trump).
This is not a game, cheering for one team against the other. We are not in the fourth quarter or the third period. Lives are being lost. People are suffering. We must never lose sight of that. Emotions are at play. What will Putin do, now that his back is being pressed against the wall? His temperment is such that he will likely double down, maybe even go nuclear. Now, more than ever, rationality needs to come forward. A diplomatic solution needs to be found. What is going to be so hard to find is for Ukraine and Putin (not Russia, just Putin) to both walk away, claiming some sort of victory.