It all depends on whom you ask; Pres. Vladimir Putin can be a good or bad guy.  So we need to find out.

 As Russia is waging war on Ukraine, it becomes obvious that most people would label Putin as a villain.  But by excluding all personal opinions and emotions, one would realize that nobody has the political criteria to come to a definite political conclusion about the Russian leader.

It is, instead, the job of historians to judge.  As one may wonder, has history unearthed enough favorable political data that would make Putin a Hero?  This is a one-million-dollar question.  

Putin climbed the political ladder to become president of Russia in 2000.  He marked his presidency with a lot of good things.  During his first two years in office, he became famous when he signed a series of liberal economic reforms into law.  Among them are a flat income tax of 12 percent, reduced profits tax and new land and civil codes.  All those changes led to the GDP (gross domestic product) having increased and poverty diminished.  It is said that early on 86 percent of Russians supported Putin.

As a prime minister under Medvedev, Putin ran a large-scale military and police reform; he was also credited for Russia’s victory in the Russo-Georgian War.  In so doing, he brought to the country something new that gave a sense of pride and nationalism, which result in high domestic approval ratings. 

On the other hand, Putin is a strong man.  Under his leadership, he has shifted Russia from democracy to authoritarianism.  What tarnishes his presidency is the iron fist with which he is ruling Russia.  Russians blame him for the rampant corruption, the imprisonment and the repression of political opponents (among them, Alexei Navalny), the intimidation and suppression of independent media and a lack of free and fair elections in Russia.  Several reports confirm that his opponents are imprisoned, poisoned or killed.

In foreign policy, Putin has made history on several fronts, which include his opposition to Washington over Iraq and Afghanistan wars, his stand on Syria and his strong support for Bashar al-Assad.  Also, his diplomats work diligently to help resolve the Iran nuclear dilemma and further nuclear arms reductions.  Putin stands up to western domination, meaning the United States and the entire NATO (North Alliance Treaty Organization. 

But Putin’s critics blame him for choosing war over diplomacy.  The Russo-Georgian war, the annexation of Crimea and the current invasion of Ukraine are vivid examples of his political persona.

On Aug. 8, 2008, Putin ordered the invasion of Georgia after the latter deported four suspected Russian spies.  What followed was the persecution of ethnic Georgians living in Russia with a full-scale diplomatic and economic war against Georgia. 

Putin’s retaking of Crimea in 2014 was somewhat malicious.  Crimea became part of Ukraine in 1954 as a gift by Pres. Khrushchev of Russia, which was then the Soviet Union.  Besides the annexation of Crimea, he Balkanized Ukraine by fully supporting the separatists in Ludanks and Donetsk, a war in which thousands of Ukrainians have died.

On Feb. 24. 2022. Russia invaded Ukraine with a brute force.  It’s genocide, said Pres. Joseph Biden.  Russian troops bombed hospitals, schools and apartment buildings, etc.  It’s scorched-earth tactics that result in a humanitarian tragedy, carnage and destruction of Ukrainian cities.

The Ukrainian invasion has impacted the world.  Ukrainian refugees languish all over Europe, North America and elsewhere.  Because of heavy sanctions being imposed on Russia, the second oil-producing country per capita, the cost of oil on the world market has skyrocketed.   

It’s mayhem in Ukraine.  Russian troops have reduced Ukrainian cities like Mariupol, Kaviv and Bucha into rubbles, a desert or even into the pre-civilization era.  Based on the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the horrific killings that occurred in Bucha, if confirmed, is barbaric and amounts to a war crime.  What Russian troops are doing in Ukraine today is reminiscent of what Adolf Hitler did in Europe during the Second World War.

But Putin seems to have a point.  Now, most former Soviet Republics become puppets of the West and against Russia.  To make the matter worse, the West refuses to take him seriously on those issues.  NATO has cornered Russia and drove Putin to invade Ukraine. 

The war in Ukraine might turn into the Third World War due to NATO’s surreptitious involvement.  As much as Putin wants to conquer Ukraine, the West is firmly committed to its defense.  It’s a tit-for-tat game between East and West.  It’s like a fight bwtween two strong predators over a prey where each one wants the whole thing for itself.  The bolder Russia gets in Ukraine, the more the West gets involved.  This is an escalation that could lead to WWIII.

Today it’s Russia that’s invading Ukraine.  It’s horrific out there.  But the U.S. government is not a saint either.  The United States fought most of its wars under false flags.  It always keeps a biased and double-standard policy around the world.  When Pres. George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the horror of war the Iraqis suffered was identical to the Ukrainians. Accordingly, the world simply shrugged off. No outcry and no outrage!  Is the world becoming hypocritical?

The facts about Putin are before us.  Is he a hero or a villain?  It’s up to the world to weigh the evidence and decide.  If good supersedes bad, Putin is a hero; in contrast, if bad supersedes good, he is a villain.  So let history be the judge.