A deadly dream of imperialistic glory
Putin’s dangerous attempt to recreate Russian empire has floundered against fierce Ukrainian resistance
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has become the first perilous geopolitical crisis of the 21st century, pitting NATO countries against Russia with the threat of a nuclear war in the balance.
As the de facto totalitarian dictator of Russia, Putin controls all state news — which deprives the Russian people of independent and objective reportage. This deprivation means that this is a war desired by Putin and not by his people who are being deceived and brainwashed by false information.
At the root of the Ukraine war is Putin’s view that the voluntary and democratic dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 was the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century” and a “genuine tragedy for Russia” because it lost the protective military bulwark of its Soviet republics.
To correct this mistake, Putin aspires to reunify Russia and its neighbouring republics — by military force if necessary — with the aim of creating a geopolitical and multinational superpower capable of offsetting the power of NATO countries.
That is Putin’s imperialistic dream and the political legacy that he wants to leave behind in Russia’s history. In 2021, Putin signed a law that will enable him to potentially rule Russia until 2036 so he can fulfil his dream.
Putin covets Ukraine because it possesses many assets — one being its access to the Black Sea. He wants to bring this former Soviet republic to heel and set up a pro-Russian government there — as he has done in Chechnya, Belarus, Donbas, Crimea, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
More importantly, Putin wants to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, claiming that he needs to safeguard Russia’s borders from deployment threats of military forces and nuclear weapons in Ukraine by NATO countries.
But Putin’s boasted armed forces have failed to break the will of the Ukrainian people and his dream has turned into an embarrassing nightmare.
And Putin’s war has exposed to the world the tyranny of his realpolitik.
His vicious war indiscriminately attacks both military and civilian targets and leaves behind abject destruction, devastation, death and bloodstained rubble.
Putin realizes that he has blundered in starting a war against Ukraine. Instead of the war bringing him victory and political respect, it has ironically brought only NATO sanctions, and global infamy and condemnation.
But unwilling to admit his error and stop his war, Putin intensifies the savagery of his tactics — hoping that Ukraine will capitulate either militarily or diplomatically.
But his options are limited: get some kind of victory, or cut bait and lose face.
The latter option is not in his DNA and raises the peril that he may decide to use biological or nuclear weapons to win.
A crucial question now arises for Putin: is his dangerous dream of imperialistic glory for Russia worth the price of the many wars it will take to achieve it? Before answering, Putin should risk his own life on the front lines of the war that he started, and not sit in the comfort and safety of a palace directing others to kill or get killed for him.
Whatever happens, the havoc that Putin has wreaked and the blood spilled on both sides of this war is on his hands and history books will consign him to the dungheap of political villains and war criminals.
Contrarily, the Ukrainian people will be praised for their heroic resistance and epic courage under fire — and for their unbending willingness to sacrifice their lives to defend their inalienable right to freedom.