Russia held hostage to Putin's crime of aggression

Neither Russia’s resource-exporting economy nor its corrupt bureaucratic regime were prepared for a large-scale war or maintaining the war effort over the long term. Yet, even in the face of these realities, Moscow appears set on keeping the war going. No cadre reshuffling typical for autocratic regimes in distress has happened, as every bureaucrat and courtier remains committed to delivering on Putin’s orders. This grim and often reluctant acceptance of a lack of alternatives to partaking in the militarization and de-modernization of Russia is quite different from the firm determination in Ukrainian society to defeat the Kremlin’s aggression and assert the country’s European future. The forthcoming discussions on expanding Western support are crucial not only for boosting Ukrainian defiance but also for undercutting Putin’s grasp on the levers that keep Russia locked in the cage of war.