Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Putin’s ego has damaged Russia

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has become a complete and utter failure. Its troop positions are stuck in a military quagmire. Russia has suffered heavy casualties and lost huge amounts of weaponry. Troop morale is low, with some even resorting to horrific war crimes simply out of hateful frustration.

Russia never clearly defined its strategic objectives for invading Ukraine. We only know that one major factor was preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. Well, the invasion has only resulted in a more unified and resilient NATO, with both Sweden and Finland applying for membership.

Economic sanctions have made life difficult for the average Russian citizen (no more McDonald’s, Starbucks or Netflix). Vladimir Putin’s wealthy oligarchs have been hit even harder, with confiscated upscale properties, frozen cash assets and seized luxury yachts. Even their beloved offspring are blacklisted from Western universities and prep schools.

The final straw may have come at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Uzbekistan, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed frustration over the Ukraine invasion. Putin told them he would stop the war as soon as possible.

Putin’s legacy could have been a lot different had he decided not to invade Ukraine, but to simply secure and reclaim the pro-Russian areas of Donbas. He would then be remembered as a liberator and protector. Now he will inevitably go down in history as an autocrat, bully, egotist and killer.