Putin’s regime may fall — but what would come next? 

With Putin mired in the Ukraine war and facing unrest at home, it is time the West tried to negotiate a way back from the brink, writes Anatol Lieven

Putin’s regime has been badly shaken by its defeat in Kharkiv province. If Ukraine were to drive Russia from Kherson or large parts of the Donbas, Putin’s survival in power would be in question. Picture: Grigory Sysoev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

President Putin’s declaration of partial mobilisation is a sign of the utter failure of Russia’s Ukraine strategy since February’s invasion. 

That Putin waited so long before declaring mobilisation is partly because it involves an implicit recognition of this failure, and of the fact the “special military operation” is in fact a full-scale war, which Russia seems to be losing.