Commentary
There’s been much written recently about “Mad Vlad”—referring, of course, to President Vladimir Putin—being reckless, unhinged, unsophisticated, and over his head in Ukraine. None of this seems to accurately reflect what seems to be occurring in Ukraine. Indeed, it appears the Russians are approaching a victory of the sort Putin envisioned from the outset. Contemplating the invasion of Ukraine, it’s likely Putin and his advisers concluded they could meet their intended objectives without the Western nations intervening in a meaningful manner. In short, they decided the balance of power with the West was in Russia’s favor and that Russia would prevail in Ukraine. How did they calculate this?
