All Lost

With the war in Syria, Putin propelled Russia onto the stage of world politics. The tanks in Ukraine are now blasting his way to hell. A commentary by Rainhard Kloucek

Even during the peak of the war in Syria, experts on Russia and Ukraine (citing, among others, intelligence contacts in these countries) believed that Vladimir Putin had actually intended to retire to enjoy his wealth. However, the foreign policy blunders of the USA and Europe’s weakness then presented him with a golden opportunity to bring himself and Russia back onto the stage of great powers. With bombs and grenades (and even with US support for missiles), Putin intervened in the Syrian war. Suddenly, it became clear that there would be no peace order in the Middle East without him.

And many a Western politician was secretly glad that Putin, with his bombs, had helped to push back the so-called Islamic State. Despite the wars against Georgia in 2008, despite the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014, Putin had many friends in the West who simply wanted to do business with Russia. In Russia itself, the annexation of Crimea brought him sympathy. Russians could once again feel proud, strong, and like a great power. Moreover, the annexation of Crimea had taken place without any losses of their own. The violation of international law, the brutal terror against opponents of the annexation, and the people in eastern Ukraine, including numerous murders, were noted.

However, instead of resting on these murderous successes, Putin apparently believed he could now continue his foolproof business. In the megalomania of a tyrant, he set about pursuing his plan to restore the Soviet Union. But the Ukrainians, whose statehood he denied, are resisting. And the West was suddenly united as it had not been for a long time. Putin has thus slammed shut all doors to civilisation. No halfway civilised country will want to have anything to do with him anymore. Regime change in Moscow is inevitable.