Ukraine War: Russia's Progress Towards Its Goals After Four Years
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Four Years On: Putin's Ukraine War Goals Unmet, Domestic Control Solidified
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Firstpost•25-02-2026, 11:39
Four Years On: Putin's Ukraine War Goals Unmet, Domestic Control Solidified
•Four years after invading Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has failed to achieve his initial maximalist goals, including stopping NATO expansion, overthrowing Zelenskyy, or fully occupying Donbas.
•Instead of halting NATO's growth, the invasion led to Finland and Sweden joining the alliance, and the EU rearming and becoming Ukraine's primary supporter.
•Analysts like Kseniya Kirillova note Russia has not seized all of Ukraine or Donbas, nor broken Ukrainian resistance, indicating no declared goal has been achieved on the battlefield.
•Putin's only 'victory' is consolidating power within Russia, prolonging his tenure, and eliminating political opposition, as seen with Alexei Navalny's death.
•Despite economic challenges and no clear end in sight, Putin remains committed to his maximalist ideological goals of restoring Soviet influence, with some partial successes like controlling 20% of Ukrainian territory and Belarus becoming a Russian satellite.