The fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about the Emperor's new clothes is doubly relevant for describing Putin's Russia right now. The story, which you have probably read, is about a king surrounded by yes-men who is so detached from reality, and afraid to look weak in front of his court, that he gets fooled into parading the streets with no clothes on.
Vladimir Putin shielded himself from reality, and paid dearly for it when his insane attack on Ukraine failed miserably and showed everyone that his mighty army can't even win a war against a much smaller neighbor. The emperor is naked in his shame for everyone to see.
However, there is a second meaning to Putin being naked in front of the world. He is no longer able to pretend that he is the democratically elected ruler of a country that can be trusted to play with others in the international economy. The signs of a dictatorship is now showing very clearly: oppression, corruption, state-sponsored terrorism, propaganda composed of nothing but transparent lies, and an ever increasing isolation by pretty much every other country in the world.
The dictatorship of Vladimir Putin, previously disguised by a thin veil of respectability, is now just as naked as he is.
