100,000+

100,000 dead Russian soldiers and more in Ukraine should be enough to tell Russia, China, the Iranian Ayatollahs, Bashar al-Assad, and any other authoritarian state or dictator that the days of warring imperialism are over and anyone who will attempt it will pay a very high price. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is by now, historically, one of the worst military catastrophes in history. From taking Kyiv in three days to complaining about the aggressiveness of the Ukrainian military and begging for an end to the war, Russia has totally humiliated itself. The geopolitical disaster which will ensue in Russia due to the consequences of the war, already happening, will potentially be even greater than the geopolitical catastrophe of the collapse of the Soviet Union. And Putin will go down in history as one of the worst leaders Russia ever had.

This is not an incredible turn of events – it was actually predictable. NATO’s defensive strategy against Russia which was applied in small amounts and with minimum resources by the Ukrainian Armed Forces has worked exceptionally well. For years NATO and the US have perfected a defense strategy against Russia which involved precision-targeted tactics and armaments, in contrast, to fighting Russia via critical mass. With the heroic efforts of Ukrainian combatants and a minimum supply of weapons, mostly outdated, from US and NATO surpluses, the Russian military has been decapitated. This is good news for the world and already its consequences have materialised. Armenia has turned its back on Russia and began seeking help from Europe while Kazakhstan has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has become more emboldened to further reduce its economic dependence on Russia. Even Putin’s closest allies such as the insane Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan and Belarus’ Lukashenka have quietly reiterated statements of independence and sovereignty in implicit references to Russia’s imperial treatment of its neighbours. Russia’s empire is crumbling once again and everyone can see it.

There are, however, in Europe, imbeciles who still don’t get it. The reckless and irresponsible discourse of Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz about making an agreement with Putin is a direct signal to Russia that its nuclear threats, human rights abuses, and attempted genocide can be forgiven. Macron and Scholz have compromised global and European security over their obsession to deal with a state which may very well collapse – surely, Russia will never be in the position of power and influence that it was before. Like flogging a dead horse. People seem to have romantic perspectives about Russia which they have had from literature or propaganda when in actual fact they can actually see it for what it is: a murderous and imperialist state which will soon collapse on its own weight.