Ups and downs.
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Russia’s Ukraine Resurgence Shows It's Often Down But Never Out
The nation’s record is one of shattering defeats followed by remarkably rapid resurgences. Win or lose the war, it will soon find a way to challenge the democratic world again.
Year one of Vladimir Putin’s vicious war in Ukraine saw Russia fall flat on its face. Year two saw it get back on its feet. As we enter year three, the momentum is shifting in Moscow’s favor; Russia could still win a war it once appeared to be losing in humiliating style. American officials declared, back in 2022, that Moscow had already suffered a bruising defeat. Today, the Russian president seems smugly confident his country could eke out a victory, albeit at a brutally high price.
This would be a shocking turn of events for those who wrote off Russian power after Putin’s armies were routed outside Kyiv in 2022. It would be a catastrophe for Ukraine. Yet it wouldn’t be all that surprising, viewed against the longer sweep of Russian history.