Has the Israel-Gaza conflict just exposed Putin as the Tsar with no clothes?

From the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia to this conflict in Gaza, the Russian leader’s attempts to cosplay a serious global power player continue to look threadbare and unconvincing when actually put to the test, writes Dr Mark Galeotti

What is clear is how little real muscle Putin has in such circumstances (AP)

The inevitable concern is that Vladimir Putin will leverage the Israel-Gaza conflict to distract the West from Ukraine and weaken its commitment to supporting Kyiv. Yet while Moscow is certainly doing what it can to exploit this crisis, it is also highlighting the fundamental weakness of Russia’s position.

Putin certainly seems to be riding high. Feted as guest of honour at China’s Belt and Road Summit in Beijing, he scored a personal meeting with Xi Jinping. Even if European delegates walked out when he came to speak, he still got to talk cooperation with Viktor Orban of Hungary – prime minister of a Nato and EU member state. All of this seems to play to his claims that Russia is no declining post-imperial nation, but a serious global player offering an alternative to a hegemonic world order run by “Western globalist elites.”

Meanwhile, the West is now focused on Gaza, although majority feelings of outrage at the murderous terror tactics employed by Hamas clash with a vociferous but ardent minority arguing that Israel is harvesting the fruits of its occupation policies.