Vladimir Putin’s reputation as a real-life Bond villain ain’t what it used to be.
The will is there. In terms of ruthlessness, Ernst Stavro Blofeld has nothing on a man given to bombing Ukrainian schools for sport. But what about talent? Putin’s fantasy of a new Russian empire has left his country marginalized economically, in steady retreat on the battlefield, and short 100,000 or so troops.
Nick Catoggio is a staff writer at The Dispatch and is based in Texas. Prior to joining the company in 2022, he spent 16 years gradually alienating a populist readership at Hot Air. When Nick isn’t busy writing a daily newsletter on politics, he’s … probably planning the next day’s newsletter.
