OPINION: Putin’s 10 Biggest Mistakes of the War

Once seen as a ruthless strategic mastermind, Putin’s failed full-scale invasion of Ukraine exposed a long list of miscalculations. These will define his legacy – and accelerate Russia’s decline. Let’s break them down.

Mistake #1: Launching the war at all

Putin overreached. Russia cannot achieve its strategic goals in Ukraine. The war has drained Russia militarily, economically, and diplomatically. It was a war he could never win.

Mistake #2: Underestimating Ukraine

Putin completely misread Ukraine’s will to fight. He expected collapse. Instead, Ukraine unified, resisted, and gained global support. A catastrophic miscalculation.

Mistake #3: Invading with too small a force 

He tried to shock Ukraine into surrender with a limited force. It failed. Ukraine didn’t bend – it fought back harder. Russia lacked the manpower to achieve a quick victory.

Mistake #4: Waiting 8 years to escalate into a full-scale war

If Putin wanted a full-scale war, 2014–2015 was his window. Ukraine was more divided and less prepared. By 2022, it was stronger, more united, and ready to fight.

Mistake #5: Making the war existential 

Putin framed the war as a fight for Russia’s survival. That’s dangerous when you’re not winning. It leaves no room for retreat – and raises the cost of failure.

Mistake #6: Turning it into a genocidal war 

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By denying Ukraine’s right to exist and using genocidal rhetoric, Putin guaranteed fierce resistance and long-term Western support for Ukraine. It backfired massively.

Mistake #7: Leaving hundreds of billions in money and assets abroad 

Russia kept massive reserves in Western banks – and lost access to them. Over $300 billion in central bank assets were frozen after the invasion. A staggering self-inflicted wound in a war that demands long-term financing.

Mistake #8: Sacrificing global influence

By going all-in on Ukraine, Putin left allies like Armenia, Syria, and others exposed. Russia’s soft power collapsed. Even China and India are keeping their distance.

Mistake #9: Trusting Wagner and Prigozhin

Wagner helped early on – but the 2023 mutiny humiliated Putin and exposed cracks in his control. Empowering warlords always comes with a price.

Mistake #10: Uniting and expanding NATO

Putin wanted to weaken NATO. Instead, he revived it. Finland and Sweden joined. Defense budgets soared. Russia’s border with NATO just got a lot longer.

Putin’s legacy won’t be strategic brilliance – it’ll be overreach. He launched a war he can’t win, misjudged Ukraine, and weakened Russia. Like many dictators before him, he believed his own myth. That will be his legacy – and he earned it.

The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.