Putin Is Not Winning

"Since the beginning of September, Russia has sent dozens of drones into European airspace. In response, NATO governments have briefly shut down civilian airports, scrambled fighter jets, and invoked NATO's Article 4-calling for formal consultations among allies. This pattern of incursions is Vladimir Putin's most overt attempt to show NATO as hollow and unable to defend its own territory, much less Ukraine. But more remarkable than the provocation itself is how confidently observers in the West deemed it a victory for the Russian president."

"The intrusions had contributed, one CNN analysis asserted, to a level of confusion and distraction that represented a "win for Putin"-yet another instance of his being depicted as enjoying one success after another, regardless of battlefield losses, unfavorable geopolitical shifts, and growing turbulence at home. Robert F. Worth: How Ukraine turned the tables on Russia After taking over from the ailing Boris Yeltsin a quarter century ago, Putin started his presidency by projecting a near-comical image of manliness and invincibility."

"But no one in the Kremlin could have imagined how the West would adopt and then amplify this narrative. If you Google phrases such as victory for Putin and big win for Putin, you find news stories stretching back years: Brexit, Syria, Donald Trump's presidential victories in 2016 and 2024, Marine Le Pen competing in France's presidential election, the Israel-Hamas war."

Since early September, Russia has launched dozens of drones into European airspace, prompting NATO governments to temporarily close civilian airports, scramble fighter jets, and invoke Article 4 for allied consultations. The incursions aim to demonstrate NATO's inability to defend its territory and to project Russian strength beyond Ukraine. Western observers often interpret such provocations as symbolic victories for Vladimir Putin, even amid battlefield losses, geopolitical setbacks, and domestic turbulence. Putin cultivated an image of manliness and invincibility early in his presidency. Western amplification of that image has led to a perception of repeated Putin "wins" across events like Brexit, Syria, and electoral outcomes.

Read at The Atlantic