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Welcome to the world in 10 in an increasingly uncertain world.
This is the Times daily podcast dedicated to global security Today with me, Alex Dibble and James Hanson.
As the year draws to a close, we're bringing you a series of episodes that analyze 2024 from a security perspective and from the perspective of individual world leaders.
And to kick things off, we're looking at Vladimir Putin.
It's been another eventful year for the Russian.
His forces have continued to sustain heavy casualties in Ukraine, and part of his own territory was invaded when Ukrainian troops launched an incursion into Kursk.
Meanwhile, he's grown closer to North Korea and Iran, but he's lost a key ally with the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
Our guest today is Mark Galeotti, Russia expert and honorary professor at University College London.
Mark, how do you think Vladimir Putin will be reflecting on the past 12 months?
I mean, to be honest, I think he's probably leaving it fairly cocky, despite his reversal in Syria.
But from his point of view, this is not a man who necessarily thinks very far ahead, and it's certainly not a man who seems to have a problem with burning through Russia's future in the name of advances today.
And so, you know, he goes into 2025 with his forces continuing to advance in the Donbass and the Kursk regions, with the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency that even if he's not necessarily sort of providing Russia with what it wants, he is the disruptor in chief.
So we can imagine all kinds of shenanigans in the West.
A lot of European countries are in crisis, Germany heading towards elections.
French President Macron, undermined by his trouble holding on to a prime minister, put all that lot together.
And although absolutely there are storm clouds gathering, he's not really one to look for them.
So I think he feels probably fairly positive.
In August this year, Ukraine, as we mentioned, launched that incursion into Russian territory by invading Kursk.
How significant a moment was that, do you think?