John Sweeney has been on Vladimir Putin's case for over twenty years.  He's been in Kyiv since February, reporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine from on the ground. Early predictions of a rapid Russian victory turned out to be wrong, but they're doing much better in Eastern Ukraine. This episode John looks at the rot at the heart of the Russian system that's weakened their military machine, and the failures of Western leadership that mean a Ukrainian victory is also far from certain. Taking On Putin is funded by you - the listener. You can support the podcast on Crowdfunder. Follow John on Twitter @johnsweeneyroar