Vladimir Putin: Great leader or ordinary authoritarian?

Vladimir Putin has been the dominant figure in Russian politics for more than two decades. This chapter considers what kind of leader Putin is and evaluates what his leadership has meant for Russia. This is done principally, by considering Putin’s actions and the results of his time in office, measured against the claims made for his leadership by his supporters and the regime. The invasion of Ukraine in 2022 obviously has a major impact on this assessment. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and fomented a conflict in the Donbas, which gave Moscow significant influence in that region, and then launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since the invasion of Ukraine both the severity of the sanctions and the degree of isolation have increased. Vladimir Putin has always presented himself as a strongman or strong leader. Putin’s image as a strongman, thus, is just as doubtful as the claim that he is a great leader.