Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

The Blunder of Putin's Invasion of Ukraine in 2022: Consequences and Fallout.

The Blunder of Putin's Invasion of Ukraine in 2022: Consequences and Fallout.

A Financial Times report on How Putin blundered into Ukraine - then doubled down reveals how Putin's fixation on Ukraine and isolation from advisors led to a costly and catastrophic invasion that has depleted Russia's military resources and reputation.
In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, a move that took many of his senior officials by surprise, according to the Financial Times. The report states that only a small group of Putin's inner circle knew of the plan to send over 100,000 troops to the border with Ukraine. Even Lavrov, the country's foreign minister, was not aware of the invasion until Putin called him at 1am to give the go-ahead. Putin's invasion plan was to quickly capture Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, but instead, the war turned out to be a quagmire that has depleted Russia's military resources and cut the country off from western markets.

The Financial Times report sheds light on how Putin blundered into the invasion and doubled down on his actions rather than admitting his mistake. Since Russia's seizure of Crimea in 2014, Putin's inner circle had been shrinking, and the Covid-19 pandemic further isolated him from his liberal, western-minded advisors. He spent much of the pandemic in the company of Yuri Kovalchuk, a former physicist and media mogul who shares his passion for Russian imperial revanchism with his older brother Mikhail. Putin became fixated on Ukraine as his relations with its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, soured.

The consequences of the invasion were catastrophic for both countries. Ukraine suffered significant destruction and loss of life, with up to 13,000 civilians and military personnel dead, and many more injured or displaced. The Russian military and its proxies also suffered high casualties, and the country faced increased international isolation, economic sanctions, and damage to its reputation. The invasion had significant political consequences, with the Ukrainian government becoming more nationalistic and anti-Russian, and the Russian government facing increasing internal dissent and a lack of trust in the Kremlin's leadership.

The article suggests that the invasion was a major miscalculation by Putin and his advisers, and that his obsession with loyalty over competence and bureaucratic culture contributed to the failure of the invasion. Despite the huge cost of the war, Putin is showing no signs of backing down, and the fallout from the invasion continues to shape the political landscape of both Russia and Ukraine.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
×