It's hard to imagine this war against Ukraine going even worse for Vladimir Putin.. But it doesn't look like the Russian autocrat himself agreed with that.. And no matter how strange his point of view, it must be taken seriously..

What on paper was supposed to be an “easy walk” through the former granary of the USSR, in reality turned into a heavy slaughter. Russian ground offensive virtually halted, US and British intelligence say. The war has been going on for four weeks now.. And Russia has not achieved control of the sky. Its planes still cannot fly over Ukraine with impunity. Ukraine's largest cities under Ukrainian government control as Russian siege of Mariupol intensifies, writes Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post.

Can we say that Putin lost the war? No, because it would be a mistake to underestimate the ability of the Russian army to regroup. And it is not at all clear whether Putin himself understood that he had already lost something.. Rocket attacks on civilian targets such as homes, schools and hospitals are textbook war crimes.

“The almost sadistic destruction of Mariupol, including the bombing of a theater in which hundreds of residents were hiding, did not force the city to surrender.. But such a siege tactic may eventually work, even if there is nothing left of Mariupol for Russia to occupy it,” the article says..

It is hard to imagine that Putin would try to repeat the same senseless destruction in Odessa, Lvov or Kyiv. But what less than his address to the Russians on Wednesday was an accurate reflection of his views on the world.?

“It is possible that he really believes that the Russians who oppose the invasion of Ukraine are “scum and traitors”. That " He seems to believe his destiny is to make Russia great again.. And for this greatness, the inclusion of Ukraine in the empire is necessary,” Robinson writes..

Nothing Putin does serves Russian national interests. Prior to the invasion, he was the undisputed ruler of a middle-income kleptocratic country with lucrative connections to wealthy democracies in Europe and Asia.. Today, he leads a pariah country, cut off from global financial systems and supply chains.. Before the invasion, the Russian military force was treated with respect, it was feared. Today, Putin's Armed Forces have shown themselves to be clumsy, ill-supplied and unmotivated..

But none of this matters to Putin if he believes the West's goal is to limit and humiliate Russia.. If the invasion of Ukraine was an ordinary gamble, Putin could turn around and go back. Considering the possibility that he voices his real beliefs when he calls this war "

“For three terrible weeks, the people of Ukraine caused delight. Zelensky is inspired by Winston Churchill, but I am sure he will be the first to say that his courage is minuscule compared to those Ukrainians who go up against Russian tanks and show the middle finger when Russian warplanes fly over them. They fight for every square inch of their homeland with a sharp ferocity,” the author writes..

He also praises the Joe Biden administration for its skillful handling of the crisis.. The American president did the right thing when he decided that the coordinated actions of a broad alliance of countries would have a much greater impact than unilateral US actions..

“Logically, the best course of action now for Putin is to find some way to declare victory and withdraw troops.. But Putin is unlikely to impartially weigh all the pros and cons.. He should be regretting the whole tragic adventure by now, but it's possible he doesn't.. This means that there is an even greater tragedy ahead if he continues to stubbornly push his own conditions instead of the principles that Ukraine and the rest of the world are fighting for..