Russia wanted a new world order – but not in this way!
Four years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin turned the war he started against Ukraine into a full-scale invasion. The Kremlin presented this military operation as a swift and decisive campaign, a plan to quickly seize a country whose existence the Russian leader did not acknowledge.
This "victory" was supposed to restore Russia's position in the international arena and accelerate the world's transition from a unipolar to a multipolar system. Moscow aimed to weaken the "unipolar" world order dominated by the US and solidify Russia as one of the new global centers of power.
However, four years later, events unfolded in a completely different direction from the scenario Putin had planned. Ukraine's resistance proved stronger than expected, and Western support disrupted all of Russia's calculations. As a result, instead of a swift victory, the war dragged on and continues to this day.
Although Russia envisioned itself as the architect of a new world order, the war in Ukraine further increased its international isolation and strengthened the Western alliance. NATO's expansion and European countries' increased defense spending produced results completely contrary to Russia's geopolitical goals.
The imposed economic sanctions dealt a severe blow to Russia's energy revenues, although Moscow is still trying to resist to some extent. However, the country's long-term development prospects were severely damaged and its position in the global economy weakened.
Ultimately, Russia desired a new world order, but this was not the order brought about by the war, an order in which Russia saw itself not as stronger, but rather as more isolated and crushed under the heavy burden of war. The war in Ukraine led to unexpected and profound consequences not only regionally but also globally.