With Russia's attempt to invade Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin specifically wanted to use "conflict" instead of "war" when describing what happened. Putin saw Russia's intervention in Ukraine as punishing a naughty boy who was in control of a geography that already belonged to them. Over time, Putin had to update this stance. He took unexpected steps from himself in the haste of not being able to reach his goals.
A mysterious leader has gone, a Putin who has met the developments with emotional reactions came. He gave signs that the threat of using nuclear weapons had gone beyond blackmail. In fact, even this was a sign of being cornered. Unable to show the ability to use his soft power, he had to face some harsh realities with the military power on the field rising to the scale. The declaration of mobilization actually emerged as the fact that the problems experienced could not be hidden any longer.
As we mentioned in our previous article, it helped NATO, whose existence was being questioned, to regroup. Putin's declaration that the regions of Donetsk, Luhanks, Zaporija and Kherson, which are Ukrainian territories, were included in Russia with a referendum, and that he acted as a "victorious commander" at this participation ceremony, again proved that things were not going as desired inside. Moreover, not all of these regions are under his control.
Before the invasion attempt, our opinion was that it was aimed to connect Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, with the Russian mainland. We have stated that steps will be taken to transform the Azov Sea into an inland sea. Yes, they showed that with these recent annexation decisions. However, the cost was more than they had calculated. At the beginning of the war, public support was close to 90 percent. Now hundreds of thousands of people are looking for ways to escape from Russia.
Western countries also made their support more systematic as they saw that their support for Ukraine had results against Russia. Now they fortify Ukraine in areas where Russia is weak. Again, in one of our articles, we searched for the answers to the questions of whether Ukraine would be a Vietnam or Afghanistan for Russia. It seems that the process is going that way.
With the detonation of the bridge across the Kerch Strait, which connects Crimea and Russia, the Azov Sea to the Black Sea, Russia received another psychological blow. That bridge was something beyond the bridge for Russia. It was a very important sign of power. It did not only connect Crimea to Russia, but also meant to be established like a Tsar in Crimea, the roof of the Black Sea. Now they have launched revenge attacks on Kiev. Putin doesn't know where it's going anymore.
The statement made yesterday by Kremlin Spokesperson Peskov that "Putin and President Erdogan may discuss the possibility of negotiations between Russia and the West in Astana" can also be seen as a search for a way out of the stalemate.
There is a tunnel being entered, and for Russia it does not have a clear calculation between the cost of returning and the cost of moving forward. Before the war started, the will was in Putin's hands, now his partners have increased. Despite everything, the end of the war still depends on Russia. There must be an exit from here. Otherwise, the world does not expect good days. If common sense does not prevail, the price will be heavy for everyone.