It appears that Russian President Vladimir Putin is losing the war in Ukraine. Gone are the talks about seizing so-called Novorossiya—the strip of land from Kharkiv to Odesa—and establishing a land bridge to occupied Crimea. Even though recent developments suggest a possible offensive to expand the territory Russia and its proxies now hold, perhaps with a push to Mariupol, the Kremlin knows that such a move would trigger tougher sanctions against Russia’s already failing economy.Putin’s main problem is that he needs to keep acting. He didn’t invade Ukraine because he feared for the rights of its Russian-speakers. Rather, it was …read more
Source: Atlantic Council
