Putin takes aim at his enemies, and smacks himself in the face

[marmar]

Putin takes aim at his enemies, and smacks himself in the face
‘It looks very much as though Vladimir Putin has scored what in the soccer world they call an own goal.’

By Star Editorial Board
Mon., Feb. 28, 2022timer3 min. read


(The Toronto Star) We’re seeing history written before our eyes in Ukraine and Russia. No one knows how it will turn out in the end, but at this point, five days into the unprovoked invasion of a sovereign state, one thing stands out:

It looks very much as though Vladimir Putin has scored what in the soccer world they call an own goal. He took aim at his supposed enemies, and smacked himself in the face.

Consider:

* Instead of crushing Ukraine with overwhelming might, his forces are bogged down as Ukrainian soldiers and civilians alike put up a heroic resistance.

* Instead of dividing the West, he has given it common purpose in opposing his naked aggression. Ukraine’s example has stiffened the spines of western nations that were dithering about how far they were prepared to go in standing up to Putin.

* Instead of rolling back NATO, he’s now seeing more countries rushing to join it, for fear they might be next on Putin’s hit list.

* Instead of flexing his economic and energy leverage over Europe, he’s seeing the ruble collapse and sanctions beginning to bite. Russia is now an international pariah.

* And instead of unifying his own people, he’s seeing demonstrations against the Ukraine war breaking out in Moscow, St. Petersburg and dozens of other cities. Decent Russians are appalled by their government’s actions.

Of course, we know all this may be short-lived. If Putin has to choose between being humiliated and unleashing a truly devastating attack on Ukrainian cities, there’s little doubt which way he will go. ............(more)

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2022/02/28/putin-takes-aim-at-his-enemies-and-smacks-himself-in-the-face.html?

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. I wonder if they teach recent Russian history in Russia?

I recall how tough Russians were when they fought the Nazi invaders in WW2. Why would they think they'd have a cakewalk invading Ukraine?