(MOSCOW) – The war Vladimir Putin launched against Ukraine is recoiling on the Kremlin itself, as stalled frontline advances, shrinking oil leverage, elite infighting and a looming succession crisis expose a deeper rot at the heart of the Russian state. Measured against Napoleon’s march toward Moscow, Alexander the Great’s campaign pace or the Desert Storm offensive, Russia’s advance in Ukraine now resembles exhaustion rather than conquest. In March, Moscow’s forces seized roughly 5.46 square kilometres, or 2.1 square miles. Napoleon moved 150 times faster, Alexander the Great 360 times faster and the Desert Storm coalition 760 times faster than Russian…
