No amount of propaganda or fake news can disguise the fact that President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invaders are in deep trouble in Ukraine. The problem is partly military. Moscow’s forces have failed to secure major cities, including the capital, Kyiv. They have suffered tens of thousands of casualties – including 16,000 dead, according to Ukraine – and lost hundreds of tanks, planes and armoured vehicles. Bad planning, poor logistics, incompetent leadership and rock-bottom morale, sparking reported mutinies, have undermined their entire operation.
Yet Putin’s problem is also political and ideological. Russia has almost zero international support. And in an extraordinary intervention that is certain to infuriate and antagonise the Kremlin, US president Joe Biden said in Poland on Saturday: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” At home, too, Putin faces mounting criticism. Russia’s people and army do not seem to have any clear idea what grand cause supposedly justifies their sacrifices in Ukraine.
