Putin's Project Is Falling Apart! The Kremlin's Great Power Plan Faces the End of an Era

Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing serious problems both on the front in Ukraine and on the international stage. His promise to “do it again” - to send the army west and achieve a victory similar to the Soviet one, has so far been only partially fulfilled, writes the European editorial office of Politico, quoted by Focus.

Today the war in Ukraine has been going on for 1,418 days, exceeding the duration of the defense of Moscow from the Nazis during World War II. Russia has captured only a fraction of the territory, with Russian casualties estimated at 1.1 million, and Ukrainian strikes have left 600,000 people without electricity in the Belgorod border region.

The international network of allies Putin has spent two decades building is unraveling. The Kremlin suffered defeat in the Middle East after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria in 2024, and in South America, the US has taken over Nicolás Maduro. Moscow also failed to repel the seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker.

The publication also writes: "Even worse, although Moscow is mired in Ukraine, the global network of allies that Putin has been building for two decades seems to be falling apart, put to the test by an unexpectedly belligerent US President Donald Trump".

"An entire era is ending", wrote pro-war blogger Maxim Kalashnikov, summing up the criticism of the Russian leadership.

Putin himself has not yet commented on the events in either Venezuela or Iran. The president is true to his habit of sending his subordinates to talk about bad news.

Despite the defeats, the Kremlin is seeking to show its own power. Last week, a hypersonic Oreshnik missile was launched over Ukraine. According to former diplomat Boris Bondarev, Russia will continue to demonstrate dominance even in difficult conditions:

"Even if Russia is weak, the Kremlin will strive to show that it is strong“.

Russia has never had real allies in Venezuela and Iran, and the assistance it provides is often just propaganda. Iran and Venezuela do not see Moscow as a protector in case of critical crises, as happened with Syria, the publication concludes.