Two weeks into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one thing is clear: President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military have failed in their goals abysmally.
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Not only have Kyiv and Kharkiv not fallen into the hands of Russian troops "within two days," but no large Ukrainian city has. This great failure is also reflected in the Kremlin's draconian censorship of the country's media, banning any criticism of the "special operation."
Even in the radio show hosted by one of the Kremlin's main campaigners, the question has come up. "If we haven't conquered any city, then why launch this operation?" It seems that the penny is beginning to drop.
As of now, we can pinpoint three cardinal errors Putin has made.
Number one: With the launch of the operation, Putin spoke of "liberating the Ukrainian people from the Nazi leadership that seized control in Kyiv." It seems that the entire military operation was planned based on this fantasy.
Moscow must have truly believed that as soon as its troops invaded, the Ukrainian military would flee the battlefield and Ukrainians would greet the Russian soldiers with flowers.
This directly led to mistake number two, which relates to the Russian soldiers' morale: Almost all of the Russian POWs either gave themselves up or were deceived, having been told they were conducting an exercise but were instead told to cross the border into Ukraine.
The reality on the ground was a rude awakening for them: It became clear that they had been sent to conquer a land not theirs, a land that was neither Nazi nor welcoming.
The Kremlin failed to understand that for the Ukrainian people, the invasion was a unifying historic moment, a war reminiscent of the USSR's Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.
Mistake number three was disregarding the unity of the West and being confident in the ability to fragment it. Already before the war, US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and European leaders stood firm against Russia's demands to undermine the independence of countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. And when the incursion began, they imposed unparalleled sanctions on the federation.
Within two weeks, not only has Putin's policy exposed his regime's criminal nature but also turned Russia into a pariah.
What is next? Although the failure of the Russian military is clear, the operation is not over and Moscow can continue to target civilian areas. Neither has Moscow given up on trying to conquer Kyiv.
Russia and Ukraine's foreign ministers met for talks in Turkey on Thursday, but it is highly unlikely the sides will reach a ceasefire. Why? Because there is too great a gap between the actual situation the Russian military has found itself in and the image the Kremlin seeks to maintain.
Meanwhile, Ukraine will continue to deal with the bombings, and the West must realize: It might need to step up aid to the besieged country. International law, national sovereignty, and the security of democracies are on the line.
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