Putin’s Lonely War: The Maestro Who Ignored His Orchestra


In the sprawling game of geopolitical brinksmanship, the Russian war machine in Ukraine increasingly resembles an orchestra conducted by a maestro who’s not only tone-deaf to his own musicians but is also selectively ignoring sections of the ensemble. Vladimir Putin, the man at the Kremlin’s helm, is pressing forth with a war that seems not only to defy conventional military wisdom but to be almost entirely severed from the counsel of his top military brass. This eye-opening revelation, provided by the RAND Corporation, articulates a reality that’s both startling and concerning, especially for those who hold a stake in the stability of Eastern Europe.

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, there was an air of inevitability among analysts. The Russian military, armed to the teeth and boasting a formidable lineup of hardware and manpower, was expected to steamroll the fledgling Ukrainian defense forces. How mistaken that assumption turned out to be. Today, the conflict is on the cusp of entering its second frigid winter, and the front lines look more like a stalemate than a blitzkrieg. Ukrainian defiance caught the Kremlin off guard. Their spirit has been a wolfbane to Russia’s bearish aggression, turning what Putin perhaps envisioned as a decisive and glorious campaign into a muddy mess.