As Russia's “3-day special operation” stretches into its 900th day, let's examine Vladimir Putin's unintended accomplishments:
- Brought the war to his own soil
- Expanded NATO by two historically neutral nations (Finland and Sweden)
- Caused a revival of defense spending in the West
- Renewed Western appreciation for their military forces
- Boosted Western arms exports
- Bootstrapped Western autonomous weapons technology
- Turned Russia into a totally dependent Chinese vassal state
- Lost most of his soft power over Western politicians
- Tarnished Russia's superpower image.
At the same time, NATO hasn't lost a single square meter of territory or a single soldier, while Russia has lost more than 4,534 officers, according to Russian sources.
In light of these outcomes, Putin's “special operation” can only be described as a strategic catastrophe for Russia.