{"id":1467228,"date":"2022-05-07T07:45:13","date_gmt":"2022-05-07T11:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1467228"},"modified":"2022-05-07T07:45:38","modified_gmt":"2022-05-07T11:45:38","slug":"putins-dream-of-rebuilding-the-russian-empire-died-in-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/putins-dream-of-rebuilding-the-russian-empire-died-in-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin\u2019s Dream of Rebuilding the Russian Empire Died in Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fputins-dream-of-rebuilding-the-russian-empire-died-in-ukraine%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1467228&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Russian President Putin\u2019s attempts to recreate the Russian empire have failed in Ukraine. Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion dealt a serious blow to Russia\u2019s global standing, leaving it weakened economically, isolated politically, and broken militarily while consolidating democracies and strengthening the collective West. In the span of a month, Putin\u2019s strategic blunder and Ukrainian fierce resistance have conspired to reverse the gains that Russia had made over the much of the past three decades.<\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine accomplished exactly the opposite Moscow had intended. It strengthened Ukrainian identity, consolidated NATO, unified the EU, and united all democracies worldwide to stand up to Russian aggression. The international community must use all the tools at its disposal to defend Ukraine, strengthen European democracies and liberate Russian citizens from Putin\u2019s brutal and oppressive regime.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A World Uniting Against Russia\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p>Moscow lost its close relationship with Kyiv when it annexed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/04\/putin-says-war-wont-end-until-ukraine-accepts-losing-crimea-and-donbas\/\">Crimea<\/a> in 2014. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/03\/can-russia-salvage-its-special-military-operation-disaster-in-ukraine\/\">Russia\u2019s brutal attack on Ukraine<\/a> in 2022 only strengthened Ukrainian identity and consolidated the sense of Ukrainian statehood while pushing Kyiv closer to the West.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of rolling back\u00a0and being divided, as Putin demanded,\u00a0Russia\u2019s military adventurism\u00a0in Ukraine has\u00a0united the transatlantic community, making it stronger and more attractive\u00a0than ever. The imminent common insecurity not only forced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/cps\/en\/natohq\/topics_136388.htm\">NATO to\u00a0beef up\u00a0its military infrastructure<\/a> and fighting force on\u00a0its eastern flank but led\u00a0the\u00a0major foreign policy shifts for the militarily non-aligned Nordic states as most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2022\/05\/01\/finland-and-sweden-intensify-talks-on-joint-nato-application\/\">Finns and Swedes are becoming increasingly inclined to join<\/a> the alliance.\n<\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s unprecedented aggression revitalized the European Union and brought it together in ways not seen in decades.\u00a0While\u00a0before\u00a0the war,\u00a0Brussels had ignored power politics and\u00a0focused largely\u00a0on economic and trade issues,\u00a0the Russia-Ukraine war turned the EU into geopolitical power.\u00a0The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/another-russia-sanctions-are-work-rcna23453\">EU not\u00a0only\u00a0imposed crippling sanctions on Russia<\/a> and increased military spending, but it has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/eu-ukraine-russia-funding-weapons-budget-military-aid\/\">sent military, economic, and financial aid\u00a0to<\/a> Ukraine while taking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2022\/04\/27\/europe-scrambles-to-keep-the-lights-on-as-it-sidelines-russian-gas\">concrete steps to\u00a0wean itself off Russian fossil fuels.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s blatant act of war\u00a0against Ukraine has\u00a0strengthened loose alliance and coordination among\u00a0democracies across\u00a0the\u00a0world,\u00a0isolating Russia\u00a0and punishing\u00a0it for its misdeeds. In the span of days and weeks, Australia, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2022\/2\/28\/in-rare-stand-south-korea-singapore-unveil-sanctions-on-russia\">South\u00a0Korea<\/a>, and Taiwan, along with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2022\/04\/06\/fact-sheet-united-states-g7-and-eu-impose-severe-and-immediate-costs-on-russia\/\">G7- Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the UK, and the United States<\/a>-isolated and\u00a0sanctioned Russia\u00a0while providing a wide range of political, military, economic, financial and humanitarian\u00a0aid\u00a0to Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Not Just Nations: A World Wide Effort to Make Russia Pay<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p>In\u00a0the same vein, international organizations, multinational corporations, sports, and cultural associations followed suit. While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rferl.org\/a\/council-europe-expels-russia\/31756178.html#:~:text=The%20decision%2C%20made%20a%20day,its%20unprovoked%20invasion%20of%20Ukraine.\">Council of\u00a0Europe (CoE)\u00a0expelled Russia<\/a> from its human rights body\u00a0and the UN Human Rights Council <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2022\/04\/07\/united-nations-russia-human-rights-council\/\">(OHCHR) suspended Russia\u2019s membership<\/a>, the ExxonMobil, Mercedes, Macdonald\u2019s, FIFA, Formula One, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/2022\/03\/cultural-boycott-russia-ukraine.html\">the Met Opera, the Cannes Film<\/a> festival and others banned,\u00a0stopped or suspended their partnerships with or operations in Russia, even\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verifythis.com\/article\/news\/verify\/world-verify\/ukraine-verify\/international-cat-federation-banned-russian-cats-other-cat-organizations-tica-cfa-have-not\/536-03e9f021-95dc-4656-9675-cffb5b6d19b7#:~:text=Russian%20cats%20aren&#039;t%20banned,that%20has%20banned%20Russian%20cats.&#038;text=In%20late%20February%2C%20Russia%20launched%20a%20military%20invasion%20of%20Ukraine.\">International Cats Federation banned Russian cats<\/a> from the international competitions.\n<\/p>\n<p>The Western sanctions crippled Russia\u2019s access to financial instruments and resources and its trade and investments around the world, wiping out the decades of Russia\u2019s economic development. Consequently, the Russian economy is facing a contraction unlike any it has ever seen before.\u00a0\u00a0According to IIF, Russia\u2019s gross domestic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/amp\/news\/sanctions-russia-economy-effect\/\">product will shrink\u00a0by\u00a015 percent only<\/a> this year, while Capital Economics and Raymond James estimate inflation rise in Russia by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/amp\/news\/sanctions-russia-economy-effect\/\">staggering 20\u00a0percent.<\/a>\u00a0Moody\u2019s on the other hand,\u00a0expects <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/amp\/news\/sanctions-russia-economy-effect\/\">Russia soon to default<\/a> on its foreign bonds for the first time in the last hundred years. These figures are set to rise dramatically as the war continues and the western sanctions take a more severe toll on the Russian people.\u00a0\u200b\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Russian Military, Exposed<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p>The Ukrainians\u00a0destroyed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grid.news\/story\/global\/2022\/04\/08\/ukraine-mystery-why-have-so-many-russian-generals-been-killed\/\">the myth of Russian invincibility.\u00a0<\/a>The war laid bare the deep structural deficiencies in Russian command, control, and communication systems and the gaps in its logistics. Russia\u2019s centralized command and control system proved ineffective against Western-trained Ukrainians who have been operating with more flexible rules of engagement, encouraging junior officers to make decisions on the spot, in the heat of the moment.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of disabling the cell service in Ukraine and using their own tactical communication networks, Russians have relied heavily on local mobile networks, making them easy prey to interception and geolocation. Hence, the lack of an effective communication system has led to the unprecedented destruction of Russian tanks, armored vehicles, and military personnel. In a little over a month, according to NATO\u2019s estimates, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grid.news\/story\/global\/2022\/04\/08\/ukraine-mystery-why-have-so-many-russian-generals-been-killed\/\">Russia lost up to 15.000<\/a> troops, a\u00a0greater number\u00a0than the\u00a0soviets lost during\u00a0their\u00a09 years\u00a0of war in Afghanistan in the 1980s.\n<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grid.news\/story\/global\/2022\/04\/08\/ukraine-mystery-why-have-so-many-russian-generals-been-killed\/\">logistics have\u00a0proved\u00a0to be the\u00a0Achilles\u00a0heel<\/a> for\u00a0the\u00a0Russians\u00a0as\u00a0they\u00a0often struggled at setting\u00a0up and sustaining supply lines.\u00a0Ukrainians\u00a0drew\u00a0the Russian forces\u00a0deeper into\u00a0the country,\u00a0stretched their\u00a0supply lines, and heat\u00a0their\u00a0transportation infrastructure-trucks, railroad bridges, and supply lines-\u00a0while attacking from the rear,\u00a0delaying food, fuel, and\u00a0ammunition for\u00a0days and\u00a0leaving the Russian\u00a0army\u00a0spearhead with limited mobility.\n<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, Russians have\u00a0also failed\u00a0to establish\u00a0air\u00a0superiority over Ukraine. The\u00a0Ukrainian defense\u00a0systems not only have remained\u00a0operational and effective in engaging\u00a0and denying Russian\u00a0Fighter Jets but proved exceptionally effective offensively at sea as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-61114843\">they sank the flagship of Russia\u2019s Black Sea fleet-Moskva,\u00a0<\/a>dealing a devastating blow to Moscow militarily, politically, and symbolically.\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_46471\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-46471\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">TOS-1 rocket launcher. Image Credit: Creative Commons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Notwithstanding major military setbacks around Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other major city centers, Russia managed to make some headways in the country\u2019s South and Southeastern fronts. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/02\/world\/europe\/kherson-ukraine-russia.html\">Russians seized Kherson<\/a> and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/live-updates\/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-04-17\">encircled\u00a0Mariupol.<\/a> By taking the city of Mariupol, Russian forces will cut off Ukrainian access to the Azov Sea, link the Crimean Peninsula to the land, and lay the groundwork for the expected attack on Odesa-a major Ukrainian port city. With Odessa in Russian hands, Moscow will cut off both Ukraine\u2019s main economic artery and Kyiv\u2019s access to the Black Sea, establishing a land corridor from the Donbas all the way to Moldova, where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/russia-seeks-full-control-southern-ukraine-moldova-access-general-says\/\">Russians claim<\/a> to be facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population,\u00a0laying the foundation for an\u00a0attack\u00a0on\u00a0Moldova.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ukraine Needs the World\u2019s Help<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ukrainians can\u2019t be expected to hold out for very much longer, without greatly increased, all-around assistance. While the US and the NATO allies have provided a sizable economic, financial and military assistance to Kyiv, and the military aid\u00a0package (somewhere\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wicker.senate.gov\/2022\/5\/wicker-pushes-military-aid-for-ukraine#:~:text=U.S.%20Prepares%20More%20Aid%20for,a%20%2433%20billion%20aid%20package.\">around $6.5 billion<\/a> since 2021) may\u00a0be sufficient enough for Ukraine to repel the invading forces, they certainly aren\u2019t enough to defeat the Russians. For instance,\u00a0American military assistance to Ukraine pales in comparison to what the\u00a0US has spent in its post-9\/11 wars in the Middle East. <a href=\"https:\/\/sgp.fas.org\/crs\/natsec\/RL33110.pdf\">The US spent\u00a0$686 billion for Operation Enduring Freedom for Afghanistan<\/a> to defeat the Taliban while <a href=\"https:\/\/sgp.fas.org\/crs\/natsec\/RL33110.pdf\">allocated $815 billion for Operation Iraqi Freedom<\/a> to topple Saddam Hussain\u2019s regime.\u00a0With adequate military support, Ukraine can defeat\u00a0Russia.\n<\/p>\n<p>Hence, the\u00a0United States must take lead over its NATO allies and flood Ukraine with a wide range of the US-built-heavy weapons including and not limited to the long-range artillery, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/04\/u-s-himars-rocket-artillery-going-to-ukraine-would-be-a-game-changer\/\">multiple launch rocket systems<\/a>,\u00a0Humvees, tanks, armored vehicles, air-defense systems, helicopters, drones, and fighter jets while restocking and encouraging the western allies to do the same.\u00a0In\u00a0this regard,\u00a0Washington\u2019s recent moves to form the Ukraine Contact <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/04\/26\/world\/europe\/lloyd-austin-ukraine-contact-group.html\">Group-consists of 40 allied<\/a> and partner nations- and to revive the world war two-era \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/senate-bill\/3522\">Land-Lease \u201cprogram for Ukraine<\/a> are the steps in the right direction.\n<\/p>\n<p>In parallel,\u00a0the West must\u00a0develop an information warfare\u00a0strategy-both\u00a0covert and overt-retool its media outlets and\u00a0push its narrative deeper into Russia. The combination of the Cold-War technics and\u00a0high-tech tactics could very well play\u00a0into\u00a0the hands of the collective West\u00a0to penetrate Russia\u2019s increasingly isolated\u00a0information ecosystem while\u00a0enabling the Russian\u00a0public\u00a0to leap over the internet\u00a0firewall erected by Putin.\u00a0The\u00a0Voice of America\u00a0and the\u00a0Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty-at the time the most effective media outlets-broke down the walls of the Soviet Union\u2019s propaganda bubbles in the late 1980s,\u00a0playing a significant role\u00a0in the collapse of communism and the fall of the Soviet empire.\n<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Washington should utilize\u00a0the millions of Ukrainians living in Russia and the hundreds of thousands of Russian talents\u00a0trying to escape\u00a0Putin\u2019s regime in support of the U.S. policy towards Russia. While\u00a0adopting proactive\u00a0and offensive information\u00a0campaigns,\u00a0the US\u00a0should fund\u00a0demonstrations, rallies, protests, press op-eds,\u00a0conferences, panel discussions, and educational and cultural events\u00a0to reinforce the Russian public\u2019s pro-western\u00a0orientation and to\u00a0encourage liberal values to take\u00a0root in the country. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/going-offensive-us-strategy-combat-russian-information-warfare\">Reagan\u2019s National Security Decision<\/a> Directives <a href=\"https:\/\/irp.fas.org\/offdocs\/nsdd\/nsdd-75.pdf\">(NSDDs)<\/a> and his\u00a0overall response to the Soviet\u2019s offensive policies offer useful\u00a0policy solutions\u00a0to rely on. By pushing in uncensored information\u00a0and funding a wide range of unconventional programs President Reagan gave voice to\u00a0dissidents and bolstered\u00a0opposition movements in the Warsaw pact countries while undermining the faith in communism and shaking the foundations of the socialist regimes from within.\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_42612\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42612\" class=\"size-large wp-image-42612\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ukraine-32-1200x675-1.jpg\" alt=\"Ukraine\" width=\"880\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ukraine-32-1200x675-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Ukraine-32-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ukraine-32-768x432-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ukraine-32-1024x576-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ukraine-32-600x337-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ukraine-32.jpg 1280w\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-42612\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Russian T-72 tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>As Russians and Ukrainians dig in for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/05\/ukraine-wants-to-drive-russia-from-its-soil-is-that-really-possible\/\">long haul<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/05\/first-video-emerges-of-switchblade-drone-kamikazeing-into-russian-infantry-in-ukraine\/\">gird for the war of attrition<\/a>, the extent and the sophistication of Western support for Ukraine will define the outcome of the conflict. While isolating and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/04\/putin-is-in-sanctions-hell-russias-assets-around-the-world-are-getting-seized\/\">sanctioning<\/a> the Kremlin cripples Moscow politically, economically, and financially and supplying the western-built weapons to Kyiv breaks Russia militarily, the flooding Russian public with uncensored and unfiltered information will be the key ingredient that will break Putin\u2019s regime eventually. Winning the hearts and minds of the Soviet citizens helped the West defeat the Soviets in the Cold War and winning the hearts and minds of the Russian public will end Putin\u2019s imperial project.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fpri.org\/contributor\/miro-smith\/#:~:text=Miro%20Popkhadze%20is%20a%20Fellow,United%20States%20in%20Washington%2C%20DC.\">Miro Popkhadze<\/a> is a Fellow at FPRI\u2019s Eurasia Program. He was Georgian Ministry of Defense Representative to the United Nations from 2015 to 2019. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Assistant Defense Attach\u00e9 at the Embassy of Georgia to the United States in Washington, DC. Popkhadze was a non-resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council of Georgia in Tbilisi. His research areas include Russian foreign policy, Eurasia security issues, and geopolitics of the Black Sea\/ Caucasus region. Mr. Popkhadze holds a \u00a0Master of International Policy and Practice (MIPP) from George Washington University\u2019s\u00a0Elliott School of International Affairs. He holds an MSc in Political Science from Suffolk University and a BA in International Relations from Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University in Georgia.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russian President Putin\u2019s attempts to recreate the Russian empire have failed in Ukraine. Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion dealt a serious blow to Russia\u2019s global standing, leaving it weakened economically, isolated politically,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1467228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1467228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1467228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1467228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1467228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}