Espreso. Global

Putin’s failed war against Ukraine made Russia loser of year

4 January, 2023 Wednesday
00:20

Regardless of how the battles in Ukraine turn out, Russia has already lost the war. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine led Moscow to a geopolitical failure, isolation and denouncement by the civilized world

client/title.list_title

The key event in 2022 was Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, and the main outcome will be Russia’s geopolitical defeat, Insight News independent media outlet says in its analytical article.

A militaristic and aggressive Russiahas transformed from a G20 member to a pariah state in geopolitics, and many leaders want to see it tried for war crimes at the Hague tribunal.

The whole civilized world has denounced Moscow’s unjustified and unprovoked military aggression, even longtime friends like China have expressed muted disapproval.

Only a small group of other isolated nations, including Syria, North Korea, Belarus and Nicaragua, still support Russia in the UN. 

After Putin started the deadliest war in Europe since World War II, Russia has lost its geopolitical influence. The Kremlin's leader envisioned a swift and successful fight that would bring Ukraine back into Russia’s influence. But instead Russia got its status as a terrorist state that committed war crimes against its neighbor, and became an international pariah.

Russia loses its superpower status

Russia has long seen itself as one of the world’s superpowers. For many years, Putin sought to impose a dictatorship and reestablish its power in the military and the economic fields. These efforts were credited on the global stage. However, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has diminished the efforts by exposing Kremlin propaganda lies and the flaws of the collapsing regime.

No matter what happens in Ukraine, Russia will continue to lose the geopolitical battle as long as the war lasts, the authors of the article say.

The Russian army is not the second in the world

The Battles of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson were lost by the Russian army.

The Ukrainian military seized or destroyed thousands of Russian tanks and armored vehicles while killing more than 100,000 Russian troops. 

The discovery of extensive war crimes against Ukrainian civilians has also seriously damaged Russia’s reputation abroad. 

Mass executions, sexual violence, abductions, and torture throughout occupied Ukraine have turned “the second army of the world” into an army of war criminals, looters, and rapists. Moreover, it is now filled with convicts mobilized by the Wagner company.

Numerous Ukrainian towns and cities have been destroyed due to the Russian military’s indiscriminate bombardments, which have killed thousands of people. 

Russia started systematically destroying Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to deprive Ukrainians of heating, electricity, and water during the winter months. 

Given that all these crimes are accompanied by genocidal narratives of Kremlin’s propagandists, many international observers view Russian war as a genocide of Ukrainians.

Zelenskyy defeats Putin on the international stage

For the first time in ten years, Vladimir Putin skipped his annual propaganda performance named end-of-year press conference. Analysts note that Putin decided to call off the event after his disastrous invasion of Ukraine, which resulted in military setbacks, massive manpower losses, unpopular mobilization, and international condemnation.

While Putin hid from the cameras, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was welcomed in the White House and addressed the Congress.

Russian economic weakness and massive corruption exposed

Western analysts were aware of the corruption level in the Russian Federation, even before the war. Some have referred to Putin's Russia as a “mafia state.”

But the invasion of Ukraine showed that even massive investments in the Russian armed forces failed to produce meaningful outcomes. Because of corruption Russia lacks weapons,  the mobilized Russians lack of equipment.

The Russian economy continues to be primarily dependent on oil exports. It lacks a technological equivalent for imported goods, as evidenced by the invasion of Ukraine and the Western sanctions. 

Propaganda and nuclear blackmail remain

The invasion of Ukraine has exposed the limitations of Kremlin propaganda despite significant investments in media. Russian propaganda has been unable to expand beyond a niche audience primarily motivated by anti-Americanism, extreme right- or left-wing ideology, and conspiracy theories.

Nuclear blackmail remains Russia’s sole strategy on the world stage. 

Will 2023 define Russia’s future?

With Russia’s inevitable collapse, the population will be forced to confront the decades-long fabrication of nationalistic myths by their corrupt rulers.

Analysts say it is difficult to foresee what sort of Russia will emerge from the ruins of Putin’s state, whether the Russian Federation is facing a coup and a change of government or a disintegration. 

But it already appears improbable that anyone will still consider Russia a superpower. This year will show what scenario is waiting for the falling Russian Federation.

Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2024, Saturday
23 November
20:10
Putin orders to dislodge Ukrainian forces from Kursk before Trump’s inauguration - Zelenskyy
19:50
Ukraine's ex-top general warns of potential Russian technological breakthrough by 2027
19:30
Exclusive
Kremlin to set Trump its terms for ending war - Russian opposition expert
19:11
Exclusive
Without security guarantees for Ukraine, negotiations are meaningless - U.S. diplomat
18:50
Ukraine can intercept new Russian Kedr missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads
18:27
Russia steals over 785 Ukrainian cultural heritage artifacts
18:05
Exclusive
Russia's stockpile of such missiles is limited — aviation expert on Dnipro strike
17:40
Russia trains specialists for prisoner torture system - Ukraine’s intelligence
17:15
Exclusive
Biden administration never tried to ensure Ukraine's victory - U.S. diplomat
16:44
OPINION
Ukraine-Russia peace talks: possible as process, unlikely as outcome
16:15
Exclusive
Turbulence before Trump’s inauguration to bring 60 to 90 days of uncertainty - Russian opposition expert Morozov
15:49
U.S. intelligence links Kremlin to killings of Putin’s critics abroad
15:21
Russian general likely killed in Storm Shadow strike on Kursk headquarters - media
14:50
OPINION
Does Trump have plan?
14:20
Russia plans to test-fire ballistic missiles again in coming days - ISW
13:50
Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia: 11-year-old boy injured, 55-year-old man killed
13:25
Admiral Nakhimov nuclear-powered cruiser of Russian Fleet
How Russia's war on Ukraine stalled its Navy modernization - Defense Express
12:55
Russia trades missiles, air defense systems, oil in exchange for North Korean troops - ISW
12:25
Review
New details on Dnipro strike and reasons behind Russian advance in Donetsk region. Serhiy Zgurets' column
11:53
Russia planned genocide of Ukrainians long before full-scale invasion - intel chief Budanov
11:26
Exclusive
Russia is modernizing Soviet junk, Americans know how to deal with it - former SBU head 
10:55
Russian troops make significant progress in Klishchiivka - Andriivka section, Donetsk region
10:25
Russia loses 1,420 soldiers, 24 artillery systems, 20 tanks per day - Ukraine's General Staff
2024, Friday
22 November
21:40
Ukraine in talks with partners for new air defense systems - Zelenskyy
21:30
Exclusive
Nothing stops Russia from launching nuclear attack - Defense Express
21:20
118 combat clashes reported at front today, with Russian forces most active in Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, Vremivka sectors
21:10
Russian army aims to capture Donetsk, Luhansk regions this winter - Ukraine's intelligence
20:55
Russian troops execute five Ukrainian prisoners of war in Donetsk region
20:40
Exclusive
Russian forces likely control part of Ukraine's Kurakhove - military observer
20:23
Exclusive
Russia has already launched missiles at Ukraine with same warhead weight as recently
20:08
Russia’s Kedr ballistic missile: new threat or just another Oreshnik?
19:52
Exclusive
Taiwan provides $10 million in aid to Association of Ukrainian Cities
19:37
Ukraine's Lviv receives key of European Youth Capital 2025
19:21
What is difference between intercontinental ballistic missile and intermediate-range missile?
19:05
At least 14 Shahed drones fly into Belarus during Russian attack on November 22
18:50
Trump’s victory is opportunity to speed peace process - Ukraine's top diplomat
18:34
Moscow tries to intimidate West with nuclear war to change support for Ukraine - expert
18:16
Drones attack rocket test range used to launch ballistic missile at Ukraine
17:55
Almost 580,000 Russian servicemen take part in hostilities against Ukraine — Ukraine's intel
17:35
Two injured as Russian attack hits public transport in Ukraine's Kherson region
More news