Denial

Putin is now in denial about his continuing failures in Ukraine. His speech today claimed that Russia will conquer new territories and prepare intercontinental missiles for use. He is very obviously losing ground, and by his threat with missiles he admitted that they are currently not ready for use.

He also claimed that his army has gained valuable battle experience and that Nato is using most of its resources to hold Russia back. The reality is that the Russian army has lost a significant part of its soldiers without learning anything at all, and that Ukraine is quite successful at pushing them back with nothing but weapons support from Nato. If actual Nato forces were to be employed against Russia, they would outnumber the Russians ten to one, have immeasurably better training and equipment, and obliterate the broken remains of the Russian army.

By his statement that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are now impossible after President Zelenskyy visited President Biden, Putin is definitively burning his bridges with the international community and openly claiming Russia to be an enemy of the United States. His actions seem erratic, badly planned, even irrational, and his tower of lies might not be far from a complete collapse, leaving him buried under the rubble.

Spent

Contrary to Putin's illusions of grandeur, Russia is not a major player in the world economy. Official numbers indicate that his insane war in Ukraine is costing him 30 percent of the Russian state budget, and there is good reason to assume that the actual numbers are even higher. Add to that the rapid depletion of weapons and ammunition which have been amassed in storage for decades, and the alarming rate of casualties and desertions in the Russian army, and it becomes clear that Putin is throwing Russia's future away on the battlefield. Regardless of how the war ends, it will leave Russia drained on resources, with a decimated army and the economy in tatters.

When World War II ended, Germany was in shambles. The parts occupied by the Allies received enormous support and managed to rebuild, while East Germany suffered under Soviet rule. They started to recover after Germany was reunited, but much of the former DDR region is still struggling. Whenever, and however, Russia's war on its alleged "brother" Ukraine ends, Russia will be treated as pariah by most of the world, and will not receive help to rebuild from anywhere in the West. Putin's only ally that is strong enough to provide economic support is China. It's doubtful whether they are willing to further taint their reputation by helping Russia rebuild, and if they do they will most certainly make sure that Russia is beholden to China and more or less loses its sovereignty.

Add to this the fact that Russia has now lost all credibility as an international trade partner, and the outlook for the country and its citizens looks very bleak indeed.

Russia is spent. Its budding economy was pillaged by greedy oligarchs, drained by rampant corruption, and finally bled dry by a war that set the country back decades and left them with no future. By trying to restore a former glory that never was, Russia has essentially ceased to exist.

It's cruel to say it, but: Good riddance. Russia never learned to play nice, and they need to face the truth. Sadly, this goes not only for their evil and deeply corrupt leaders, but for a frighteningly large portion of the population as well. Russians are in deep and wilful denial about the state of their country and need to see the truth, once and for all. If it takes a kick to their faces for that to happen, so be it.