Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed his weaknesses to the world. Then: Explore an extraordinary collection of animal photography.

 

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed his weaknesses to the world. Then: Explore an extraordinary collection of animal photography.

Chess Master No More (Sergei Guneyev / Getty; The Atlantic) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reputation as a calculating and savvy strongman is collapsing as his war on Ukraine enters its third week. Whatever drove Putin’s decision to launch an invasion in the first place—be it nostalgia for the Soviet Union, fear of encroaching democracy, too much pandemic isolation, or a mix of all three—the campaign has already come at a devastating price. More than 2 million Ukrainians have fled their homes, and, according to the United Nations, hundreds of civilians have been killed. Russia’s economy, meanwhile, is bending under the weight of sanctions. The crisis that Putin set off has arguably revealed his true nature, and the image that’s emerging is not exactly one of a cool-headed, geopolitical mastermind. He’s surprised those who thought they understood him. Sergei Dobrynin, a Russian reporter who once thought that “Putin’s cunning was undeniable,” now sees him as immoral and irrational: “It was painfully obvious that a war [on Ukraine] would be catastrophic. I told myself, Putin is evil. But he is not an idiot. That’s what I kept telling myself right up until the night of February 24.” He’s creating the NATO he feared. “Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has primarily succeeded in materializing his worst fears: a unified West, a more militarized Europe, and a stronger, more attractive NATO,” Yasmeen Serhan writes from London. And yes, he’s been canceled—deservedly so. “When a Russian spymaster complains about his country’s cancellation, our response should not be to laugh at an idiot confusing a culture war and a real one,” our staff writer Helen Lewis argues. “Instead, we should recognize that economic and social isolation is a powerful weapon, and resolve to use it with the same restraint as any other weapon.