Putin’s imperial ambitions are a threat to the American-led world order
Michael Lucchese
Earlier this month, United States officials released intelligence confirming Russia’s next target is the small Eastern European country Moldova. The Kremlin would like to foster political destabilization and claim the region of Transnistria much like they fostered chaos in Ukraine and then occupied Crimea and the Donbas.
What this plan reveals above all is that Vladimir Putin’s vision of the world order is built on fraud, force, and tyranny. Countries around the world want to join the American-led alliance system because they believe it will lead to increased freedom and prosperity. Putin cannot let this happen since it would destroy his hope of rebuilding the Soviet Empire, so he resorts to coercion to expand his sphere of influence. The Kremlin’s bullying and aggression may lead to quick victories in the short term, but it can never bring true stability or peace to international relations.
Some American foreign policy analysts, such as John Mearsheimer, blame the West for the war in Ukraine. They argue that NATO expansion made Russian leaders feel unsafe, thus provoking the so-called “special military operation.” But the mere existence of this Moldova plan disproves Mearsheimer’s thesis. Putin is not acting defensively – he is working aggressively to expand his sphere of influence.
An internal Kremlin strategy document revealing the full extent of Putin’s designs on Moldova proves as much. Through a combination of propaganda, economic warfare, political conspiracy, and covert military action, the plan aims at the “creation of stable pro-Russian groups of influence in the Moldovan political and economic elites,” which will essentially surrender the country’s sovereignty to Russia.
At the core of the Moldova plan is an attempt to force the country into the Eurasian Economic Union, a sort of Russian alternative to the European Union. Moldova achieved EU candidate status in 2022, which Putin seems to consider a red line. In no small part, his aggression toward Ukraine was motivated by that country’s decision to pursue closer relations with and eventually membership in the EU.
Putin simply does not believe Eastern European countries should be sovereign or free to choose their own destiny. He believes, instead, that the countries which made up the old Russian Empire and the former Soviet Union are his to claim. Putin has even denied that Ukraine is a real country independent of Russia. Economic, political, and even cultural decisions in these countries should always be subject to Moscow’s will, Putin seems to believe, and any deviation from it is, to him, cause for war.
Putin’s neo-imperialism is understandably concerning to free countries that border Russia. They are taking concrete action to brace themselves for further aggression. Historically neutral Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, for example. The Czech Republic elected a new, more hawkish president. Poland massively increased military spending, now spending the most per capita on defense of any NATO member.
Their actions should give the West confidence. Putin’s attack on the U.S.-led world order will fail because most people, given the choice, will pick liberty over tyranny. Most of Europe understands the threat Russia poses, which is why they remain mostly enthusiastic about supporting Ukraine. They know the war is making Russia weak. Exhausted from fighting in Ukraine, Russia will be unable to impose its will on countries such as Moldova.
Putin’s campaign in Ukraine itself is faltering in no small part because his strategy reflects the same tyrannical behavior as his approach to international relations. Mark Wright has rightly described the Russian winter offensive as “criminally incompetent.” Russian battlefield strategy essentially involves throwing troops into the front lines as cannon fodder — a policy that is neither humane nor strategic. Many of these troops are untrained conscripts who were torn away from their homes. Putin has essentially formed an army of victims to drive into a meat grinder. It is difficult to see how such an army could hold on to any more territory even if they achieve a breakthrough.
On the other hand, Ukrainians have surprised the world and held on far longer than many expected because they are defending their freedom and their homeland. Their continued existence as a people is on the line, and they are bravely fighting for it. Polls show that a vast majority of Ukrainians want to defeat Russia and secure a real victory. The Ukrainians truly believe in their cause, and they deserve the admiration of the world for it.
Unfortunately, though, the soul’s desire for freedom cannot defeat the overwhelming forces of tyranny by itself. Even a world order rooted in liberty and self-determination needs to be backed by strength to withstand tyrants’ dangerous ambitions. Freedom is fragile, but F-16 fighters, Neptune missiles, and Bayraktar drones make it much less so.
The United States must continue supporting Ukraine’s freedom fighters so that Putin cannot execute his plans to take over Moldova or any other Eastern European countries. America must not permit a return of this kind of aggression to the global stage.
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Michael Lucchese is the founder of Pipe Creek Consulting, a communications firm based in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was a communications aide to Sen. Ben Sasse. He graduated from Hillsdale College in 2018 and, in 2017, was a political studies fellow at the Hudson Institute.