After four years of war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has achieved a double failure: He hasn’t conquered Ukraine, or even its eastern Donbas region. And his attempts to intimidate Europe through sabotage and subversion have backfired, triggering strong pushback from European leaders. Rather than being cowed by Russia’s “shadow war,” European nations are countering with their own disruption operations. Some European officials argue that Europe must now begin to plan seriously for the possibility of all-out war. Russia’s war grinds on, but the cost grows every month.

Source: Washington Post February 27, 2026 21:28 UTC