Russia is suffering a severe psychological trauma because its aura of greatness is collapsing with the Ukrainian military's seizure of Russian territories.
Vladimir Putin's grip over Russia is still very strong and has not yet been jeopardized. However, the Russian people, including Russia's ruling class and representatives of the opposition movement, have suffered an ideological hangover after Ukraine successfully occupied a significant portion of Russian territory.
The Ukrainian counter-invasion of the Kursk region and other regions has destroyed the core Russian myth of the country's undefeated and unrivaled nature, which Russia has cultivated and continuously incorporated into the history books and global political doctrine.
When something goes wrong with Russia's plans, it produces new false theories that allow Russia to maintain the original legend.
After Vladimir Putin's failed attempt to invade Ukraine in 2022 and destroy its sovereignty, the Kremlin first began to fantasize about NATO forces interfering with Russia's agenda in Ukraine.
When Russia continued to fail to destroy Ukrainian culture and subvert the Ukrainian nation, Vladimir Putin began purges in the Russian Ministry of Defense.
System failure
Russia has suffered, but has finally been able to explain to itself how a great and magnificent power that defeated Hitler and now instills fear in everyone around the globe cannot even occupy the relatively small Ukrainian region of Donbass.
According to a new Russian legend, it was not due to the passionate Ukrainian resistance but rather to the corrupt Russian officials in the Ministry of Defense, along with NATO. They are now primarily responsible for Russia's temporary inability to exercise its greatness in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army then occupied Russian territory, which led to a major system failure in Russia.
The fact that the Ukrainian army successfully advanced to Russian territory has caused too many people in Russia to experience symptoms of a breakdown similar to those of drug addicts who are no longer able to get their next dose.
Both the Russian political class and the Russian opposition are now confused
It was particularly painful and disturbing because the Ukrainian army used German, British, French, and American weapons to occupy Russian territory.
With the military's penetration into Russia, Ukrainians went further than just challenging Russia's myths.
Both the Russian political class and the Russian opposition are now confused because, although their platforms are different, they are based on the same paradigm of "Russia's greatness."
After Ukraine seized Russian territory, no one in the Russian political class or the Russian opposition knows what to do or how to shape their agenda going forward.
Surrender without resistance
The Ukrainians also deployed Western tanks and other military equipment, which the Russians had repeatedly warned against. This was another slap in the face of Russia's alleged greatness.
The Ukrainian army has seized Russian territory using Western tanks, which did not cause lighting to set the earth on fire, and Judgement Day has not come upon mankind, despite Russia's warnings.
The Ukrainians also deployed Western tanks and other military equipment, which the Russians had repeatedly warned against
The Russians are not even partisans.
A final coin was thrown into Russia's humiliation basket when the Ukrainian army encountered no civilian resistance from the Russian population living in Kursk and other Russian regions now occupied by Ukrainian troops.
These collapses that Russia is now experiencing are painful for Russia, but they can potentially raise awareness of what kind of country Russia really is.
It may be a turning point, the day when the world and the Russian people themselves realize that Russia is just a country, not an almighty suzerain, not a master of all of Europe that every other country should necessarily be afraid of.
