Putin Ends Year With a Trail of Embarrassing Losses

Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans for 2022 did not seemingly go as he had expected, and the year ended with even more setbacks for the leader.

One example is the Collective Security Treaty Organization summit in late November, which gathered together six former Soviet countries. Armenia served as the host for the meeting, and the country's prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, openly criticized the CSTO as well as refused to sign a summit declaration.

Various media outlets also took note that Pashinyan appeared to step away from Putin during a group photograph of CSTO leaders. (This week, Pashinyan attended another meeting of former Soviet republics—the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)—in St. Petersburg, which was said to have been more cordial.)

This potential rift with an ally comes as more people within Russia are reportedly questioning the war in Ukraine.

When Putin launched his invasion in late February, many analysts expected his forces would secure a quick victory over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's defense. However, with the aid of Western supplies, Ukraine surprised Russia with its military and handed Putin multiple defeats on the battlefield.

As the year drew to a close, Putin gave another potential sign of how poorly the war is going for Russia when he canceled his annual end-of-year press conference. The cancellation of the event—the first time Putin has called it off in 10 years—led to speculation that the leader didn't want to be faced with reporters' questions about Ukraine.

On Friday, The Washington Post published a lengthy article detailing the dissension Putin is facing within Russia.

The story said Putin "appears more isolated than ever" as many members of Russia's elite are unhappy about the direction of the war. The elite are said to split between those who support an escalation against Ukraine and those who prefer Putin end the assault.

The Post also said there's a growing sentiment in Russia that the war in Ukraine has set the country back in terms of financial partnerships. The paper noted that Mikhail Zadornov, the chairman of one of Russia's largest banks, spoke with the Moscow-based RBK Daily last week and said that "mutual economic connections" in the West that had been building since the Soviet era had now been "destroyed for decades to come."

While Putin still enjoys support from Belarus and Iran, other leaders who have traditionally partnered with Russia are expressing their displeasure about the war.

Earlier this month, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote an op-ed for the Russian newspaper Kommersant that called for an end to wars. Though Modi did not name Putin or Russia in the story, he notably criticized fighting for "territories or resources."

China's leader, Xi Jinping, also stated in September that he had "questions and concerns" about the war. During a Friday virtual meeting with Putin, Xi said that China and Russia should "strengthen strategic coordination" but pointedly made no mention of Ukraine.

"China is not going to stick its neck out. They're not going to do a lot to help Russia with sanctions or military goods," Michael Kimmage, a history professor at the Catholic University of America and former member of the secretary's policy planning staff at the State Department, told Newsweek.

Kimmage added, "But at the same time for China, they don't like this war. I think there's lots of ways in which it's disruptive for China's economic plans."

Nonetheless, even with his current problems, Putin still maintains a great deal of power, Kimmage said.

"The Russian population is largely in favor of the war, and Russia is muddling through economically," he said. "Putin doesn't know how to win a war, but he certainly knows how to keep control in Moscow."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian foreign ministry for comment.