Kathrine Frich
Latvian National Guard officer Jānis Slaidiņš says Russians often claim President Vladimir Putin has “raised the country from its knees.”
Latvian National Guard officer Jānis Slaidiņš says Russians often claim President Vladimir Putin has “raised the country from its knees.”
Yet, when looking closely, many of his so-called achievements paint a very different picture.
Everything is going according to plan
Speaking on TV24’s programme Current Affairs in the War in Ukraine, Slaidiņš outlined fifteen of Putin’s most striking “successes”, a list that reveals not strength, but decline.
Despite his repeated insistence that “everything is going according to plan,” the results of his rule tell another story.
1. Justice replaced with propaganda
According to Slaidiņš, Putin’s Russia has replaced justice, transparency, and the rule of law with aggressive propaganda.
The state controls nearly all major media outlets, silences dissenting voices, and floods the public with messages of national pride and external threats.
Truth has become a weapon of the Kremlin, not a public right.
2. NATO revived by Putin himself
Ironically, one of Putin’s greatest “achievements” has been breathing new life into NATO.
‘Once described as “brain dead” by Western leaders, the alliance has found renewed purpose and unity since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Slaidiņš noted that Putin has done more to revitalise NATO than any Western politician in decades.
3. A thousand new kilometres of NATO border
Another unintentional outcome of Putin’s war has been the expansion of NATO’s direct border with Russia by more than 1,000 kilometres, following the accession of Finland and Sweden.
What began as an attempt to weaken the alliance has instead strengthened it, putting NATO troops closer to Russian territory than ever before.
4. Russia dependent on China
Slaidiņš said Putin’s economic mismanagement has left Russia increasingly dependent on China for trade, technology, and diplomatic support.
Moscow’s sanctions-hit economy now relies on Beijing as both a buyer and a lender, transforming Russia into the junior partner in an unbalanced relationship.
5. Frozen $300 billion lost in the West
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Western countries froze around $300 billion in Russian state assets held abroad.
That money remains locked, an enormous blow to Russia’s financial reserves and a reminder of the costs of Putin’s geopolitical gamble.
6. Europe’s gas and oil markets gone
For decades, Russia’s wealth depended on selling gas and oil to Europe, “the goose that laid the golden eggs,” as Slaidiņš put it.
But sanctions, energy diversification, and war have ended that relationship. Europe now buys its fuel elsewhere, and Russia’s once-dominant energy position is gone for good.
7. Collapse of export markets
Beyond energy, Russia has also lost much of its export capacity in coal, metal, and timber. Western sanctions and global distrust have crippled trade.
At the same time, many of Russia’s most skilled professionals have fled abroad, deepening the country’s long-term economic stagnation.
8. Capital flight draining the economy
Capital is leaving Russia at record speed. Wealthy Russians, fearing sanctions and political instability, have moved their fortunes to safer countries.
Domestic investment has plummeted, and with it, innovation and productivity. The Kremlin’s own policies have turned Russia into an economic island.
9. Falling behind in space
Once a proud leader in space exploration, Russia has now “lost the ability to compete,” Slaidiņš said.
Budget cuts, corruption, and outdated technology have crippled Roscosmos, while private companies like SpaceX have taken the lead.
Even joint projects with international partners have dried up due to sanctions.
10. Arms market collapse
The war in Ukraine has consumed nearly all of Russia’s military production capacity.
Factories once focused on exports now struggle to supply the front.
As a result, Russia’s global arms sales, once a major source of revenue and prestige, have sharply declined.
11. Machine-building industry destroyed
Russia’s once-vibrant machine-building sector has been “sunk,” according to Slaidiņš.
Sanctions have cut off access to Western parts and machinery, leaving industries unable to maintain production.
Factories are closing, unemployment is rising, and modernisation has stalled completely.
12. Pensions cut and retirement age raised
Putin’s government has raised the retirement age despite promises never to do so.
Yet, even with these cuts, the pension fund faces an 800-billion-rouble deficit.
Ordinary Russians are being forced to work longer for less, as the state struggles to finance social programmes drained by war spending.
13. Russia’s global image in ruins
Putin’s actions have left Russia deeply embarrassed on the world stage.
Once seen as a formidable power, it is now viewed as an aggressor isolated by sanctions and mistrust.
The military’s failures in Ukraine have only reinforced perceptions of weakness and corruption.
14. Destroyed military potential
Years of war have decimated Russia’s armed forces.
Equipment losses are enormous, recruitment is faltering, and morale is collapsing.
“He has destroyed Russia’s military potential,” Slaidiņš said, noting that rebuilding such capacity could take decades, if it ever happens at all.
15. A stronger, united Ukraine
Perhaps Putin’s most unintended “achievement” has been uniting Ukraine and much of Europe against him.
His invasion turned Ukraine into a fiercely patriotic nation, determined to defend its sovereignty.
Across Europe, Putin has inspired not fear, but resolve — and widespread disgust.
16. A war without end and a bill without limit
Finally, Slaidiņš said the war itself is Putin’s greatest self-inflicted wound.
The invasion has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and drained Russia’s economy with “enormous expenses.”
Despite the suffering, Putin continues to insist that “everything is going according to plan”, even as the plan itself collapses around him.
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, which may have used AI in the preparation
