Wake Up, Europe: Putin’s Hollow Empire Is Crumbling—Strike Now or Regret Forever

 

Europe's failure to act now against Putin, when Russia has been reduced to begging North Korea for weapons, is a staggering failure of leadership that threatens the very future of Western democracy. In plain English, if Europe can't find the courage to confront a hollowed-out Russia today, it should prepare for the inevitability of falling prey to tomorrow's autocrats, who are surely watching with eager eyes.

The bear that poked the hive has found itself stung repeatedly, but the beekeeper remains distracted. Russia, under Vladimir Putin, has found itself mired in a quagmire in Ukraine, a place it expected to control in mere days. Instead, it has been two long, punishing years of war, with thousands of lives lost and countless weapons expended. Putin's ambitions are larger than Ukraine, and his motives, while darkly simplistic, carry an existential urgency in his own eyes. He seeks to shatter the Western-led global order, challenging NATO, the European Union, and the values of democracy that form the core of Western credibility. For Europe, this is no less a fight for its survival, but you would hardly know it by the lack of unified outrage and urgency.

Since February 2022, Putin has failed to secure a quick victory in Ukraine. His forces were met not with cheers and an easy occupation, but with Molotov cocktails hurled from the hands of defiant grandmothers and urban resistance that has held firm. As Putin continues his campaign, the illusion of Russian military invincibility has shattered like ice under spring sun. Russian mothers have buried sons who should have been planting fields or building the future of Russia instead of dying in a futile war. The Kremlin's optimism in February 2022 has given way to a desperate attempt to plug the gaps, including reaching out to Iran for drones and artillery shells, and even seeking ammunition from North Korea—a far cry from the world power that Putin wanted Russia to appear to be.

Putin's motives are existential. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 left Russia feeling humiliated and unable to find its place in the new world order. In a system that embraced democracy, openness, and market economies, Russia found itself struggling to adapt. The West, led by the United States, stood as a monolithic example of success through these principles, and the new nations that had once been part of the Soviet empire moved quickly to distance themselves from Moscow's orbit. NATO expanded eastward, taking in Poland, the Baltic States, and others. Meanwhile, the European Union flourished, growing into an economic power that challenged Russia's influence over its former satellite states. For Putin, the only way to reclaim greatness was not to join this new order, but to undermine and destroy it.

The war in Ukraine is a flashpoint in this larger struggle. For Putin, Ukraine's desire to align with Europe and NATO was an affront to his vision of a renewed sphere of Russian influence. To him, the independence of countries like Ukraine, and their ability to thrive without Moscow, signaled the waning of Russian power. The message was clear—if Russia could not have Ukraine, it would wreck it. Yet, Putin gravely miscalculated, assuming he could replicate the swift land grabs of Crimea in 2014, or Georgia in 2008. Instead, he found himself confronting a Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who refused to flee, and a populace who took up arms. Instead of capitulation, he was met with grit, determination, and the support of Western countries who had, until then, largely underestimated the Kremlin’s audacity.

For Europe, the stakes are existential, too. The collapse of Ukraine under Russia would signal to the world that aggression works, and that borders are meaningless—a notion that Europe, shaped by the horrors of the two World Wars, cannot afford to accept. And yet, here lies the irony. While nations like Poland and the Baltic States rush to reinforce their defenses and supply Ukraine with weaponry, many European nations seem distracted by their own domestic affairs. Germany, while providing military aid, initially hesitated, worried more about the implications for its energy supply than the urgency of confronting Putin's assault on democracy. French President Emmanuel Macron initially called for dialogue with Putin—a misplaced faith in diplomacy with a man who believes only in strength and submission. It was Churchill who once said, "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." Europe risks feeding that crocodile with its hesitancy.

Europe must wake up to the reality that Putin is not just after Ukraine; he wants to upend the entire Western order. He is aware that Russia, with its stagnant economy and shrinking population, cannot compete with the West economically or culturally. Instead, he aims to drag the world into a pit of chaos where Russia, in its dysfunction, can thrive amid the instability it helps create. Look at how Russian propaganda machines fuel far-right and far-left movements across Europe, sowing discord and creating divides that make a unified response to his actions more difficult. Russia has funded political parties, hacked into elections, and spread disinformation—all aimed at weakening Europe from within, softening it for a time like this.

And yet, even as Putin's military bogs down and sanctions cripple the Russian economy, the European response is inconsistent. The United Kingdom, though no longer part of the European Union, has shown leadership, but the rest of Europe needs to follow suit without ambiguity. A continent that gave us the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and some of the world's greatest technological advancements should not stand idly by while an autocrat seeks to drag it into the dark. This is not just Ukraine's war; it is a test of Europe’s commitment to its values, to the principle that no nation has the right to trample over another’s sovereignty, and that brute force has no place in shaping the 21st century.

The stakes are made all the more obvious by Russia's increasing desperation. Recently, Putin visited Pyongyang to request ammunition and military assistance from North Korea. North Korea! This is a far cry from the image of a powerful Russia that Putin wants to project. Russia has been seen purchasing drones from Iran, a partnership of necessity rather than power. It exposes the fragility and isolation of Russia—a country whose glory, once defined by its powerful Red Army and space exploration, is now reduced to begging for weapons from rogue states.

Yet, amidst this weakness, Putin's threat should not be underestimated. A wounded bear is perhaps more dangerous than a healthy one; Putin is unpredictable, and he has already shown he will sacrifice the lives of thousands of his own people to fulfill his vision. Europe must, therefore, abandon any remaining illusions that there is a path to appeasement here. Every hesitancy, every sign of weakness, is something Putin will exploit. NATO must strengthen its eastern flank. Western countries must continue to provide Ukraine with the resources it needs—not just to survive, but to win. As the Ukrainian military continues to reclaim territory, the message must be clear: Europe stands united against aggression.

The old adage holds true: "If you want peace, prepare for war." Europe, through its lethargy, risks emboldening not just Russia, but every autocrat watching to see how far they can push their luck. The likes of Xi Jinping are undoubtedly paying close attention to Europe's response, drawing lessons that will shape the future balance of power. Putin wants Europe divided, paralyzed by internal squabbles and distracted by its comforts. He wants a Europe that will talk endlessly about diplomatic solutions while he sends more conscripts to die in a foreign land.

Now is the time for Europe to confront the uncomfortable truth: it cannot afford to play the role of the distracted beekeeper while the bear tears apart the hive. The era of complacency must end. The time for action, for standing together, is now. Putin’s Russia is weaker than it has ever been, hollowed out by corruption, incompetence, and the loss of its best and brightest. If there is any moment to confront Russia’s existential threat to European stability, it is now.

And so, as Putin's dreams of a grand Russian empire collapse under the weight of reality, Europe must step up—lest it find itself bargaining with a desperate autocrat who grows more dangerous with every failure. As they say, "A stitch in time saves nine," and Europe cannot afford to be left sewing together the tatters of peace after the bear has already stormed through the door. If Putin keeps digging, perhaps one day, he’ll find himself so deep in the ground that he’ll be too buried in his own failures to surface again.