Putin Faces Multipolar Order Threatening Russia

On February 13, 2026, The Atlantic argues that Vladimir Putin has achieved the multipolar world he long sought, but it is now undermining Russia's power. It cites economic decline—Russia's economy about one-quarter the size of China and the United States—stalled Chinese investment, more than one million Russian casualties in Ukraine, and U.S. sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil. The piece warns these dynamics constrain Moscow's strategic options and reshape European military investments.