Putin’s Mistake

COMMENTARY

By Matti Kalliokoski

Chief Editor, Suomen Kuvalehti,

Helsinki, Finland

March 3^rd 2022

Translated from the Finnish by Dr. Jouko Vaskimo

A gruesome misjudgment led to the war

The attack on Ukraine was a catastrophic mistake. The whole world turned against Russia in 48 hours.

On paper everything may have looked good.

Russia would have superiority in terms of men and armaments. Western countries are fragmented, and their past reactions ultimately soft. The state war chest is full and critical voices have been defeated.

To protect his position, the Belarusian leader has sold out his country. A road to Kiev is offered so that the Ukrainian leadership can be replaced.

Already the first days of the Russian offensive war in Ukraine show that Russian President Vladimir Putin has misjudged the situation.  (Image at right: Suomen Kuvalehti cover on 4.3.2022)

The Ukrainians know what they are fighting for. To the Russians, on the other hand, the objective cannot be told.

The outside world condemns the attack. The EU, often seen as a weak paper tiger, is suddenly united and determined. It supports Ukraine and hits the Russian economy. And the Russians cannot be prevented from receiving information that deviates from the official line.

Putin has misjudged the will of the Ukrainians to defend themselves, the public opinion in the outside world and the effectiveness of the sanctions. At the same time, he has revealed his true ambitions. For some reason, the ruler of the Kremlin has imagined that the return of the Soviet Union would make him a permanent hero.

However, discovering the estimates incorrect would not guarantee that fighting would end or peace would return. As bridges have already been burned, hostilities may become yet more brutal.

Finns are following the situation closely for many reasons. Also, the similarities to the beginning of the Winter War are confusingly great.

More…

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How to cite this article: Kalliokoski, M. (2022).  Putin’s Mistake, originally published in Suomen Kuvalehti on 3 March 2022, republished in PM World Journal, Vol. XI, Issue III, March.  Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pmwj115-Mar2022-Kalliokoski-Putins-Mistake.pdf

Editor’s note: This article was translated from the original Finnish and republished in the PMWJ with the approval of the author Matti Kalliokoski.