It’s going around online on official accounts that Russia has now lost over one million of its military personnel. This is a crude ‘milestone’ it didn’t want to hit and has done so in a reckless war.
Putin is now risking his nation’s future by ploughing more lives into a pointless conflict. In Western terms he stands to gain absolutely nothing. He’s not seen as a legitimate leader and he doesn’t have a case for invading Ukraine either.
The limitations of a Russian win are now clear. It wouldn’t be recognised internationally. His conflict is already seen as a distraction on an international scene that’s too busy. He’s fighting for old ideas in a world of new values.
His Russia is increasingly slipping backwards. It’s stuck in a regressive dream. It wants more than it can bargain for. Its negotiations with Ukraine shows it needs to retreat and give up. Its enemy is wiling to dialogue because it’s confident it will end.
Putin needs to count his losses and leave early. His Presidency is already in a type of decline. It’s not easy to believe in national pride as more and more of your compatriots are lost. He needs to regain ground by calling a ceasefire.
