A key element within the growing catalogue of Putin’s failures, is his total lack of understanding of Europe & Europeans. Like all dictators throughout history, this ignorance is due to Putin surrounding himself with sycophants and nodding donkeys. Like all dictators, Putin gets told what he wants to hear – he’s both isolated from the reality of life inside Russia and outside Russia. His time is taken up with suppressing dissent in Russia and his obsessive propaganda efforts to promote himself. Like Hitler trapped in his Berlin bunker, Putin lives a surreal stage-managed life.

Inside Russia
A case in point: Putin foolishly thought the Russian army was a modern, well equipped, cutting-edge fighting machine. Now, thanks to his disastrous invasion of Ukraine, we know the Russian military is an outdated, corrupt, poorly equipped and poorly led shambles – a force utterly oblivious of modern day military tactics. A force which is reduced to prostituting itself, by trawling around prisons and waving money at murderers and rapist and saying – come fight for me in Ukraine.

This farce all due to Putin’s brutal dictatorship, which suppresses initiative and a willingness to improve things. Instead, it turns everyone into lazy automatons. Fearing repercussions should they rock the boat and dare to improve things, Russia’s generals and officers do the bare minimum for an easy life. And that’s why Russia’s armed forces haven’t changed much since WW2.

Meanwhile Back in Europe
Putin truly believed Europe and the world would sit back and turn a blind eye to his invasion of Ukraine. Yes, he expected some sanctions and negative repercussions, but on the whole he felt sure the western world wouldn’t dare do much to help Ukraine. Add to this catastrophic failure, is the Kremlin’s ignorance of technology. Today using their mobile phones, everyone can be a reporter. Shocking imagery and footage showing Russia’s genocidal invasion, along with attention grabbing combat footage, still dominate social media and news headlines. And it’s this easily accessible, window on Europe’s war, which encourages continued support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Putin’s ultimate failure is his own actions having informed hundreds of millions around the globe about Ukraine. People who like many I know, never really knew much about the country, but who now urge Ukraine on to victory over Putin’s medieval Russia.

New European Survey.
This complied by Eupinions, an independent platform for European public opinion. Link to the survey.
Their survey revealed – A majority of Europeans have faith in a Ukrainian victory. This was conducted in December last year, some ten months into Russia’s full-scale invasion. By this time, Putin will have hoped the world had moved on – had become bored with Ukraine, bored with President Zelensky. But Russia’s now seen as the tedious one-dimensional country, not Ukraine.

Majority believe Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of Europe.

Majority believe Ukrainians also defend European freedom and prosperity, not just their own.

Majority believe only Ukrainians can decide when to fight and when to negotiate.

Majority believe Russia is responsible for the war in Ukraine, not Ukraine, not NATO and the US.