For Putin, World Cup Shows Russia Cannot Be Caged by Hostile West

Vladimir Putin hosting the World Cup this month is a welcome moment in the global limelight.
In Putin’s eyes, it sends a message that Russia is succeeding despite Western sanctions.
“For Putin, hosting the World Cup speaks to the failure of sanctions and the failure of Western efforts to isolate him,”
Professor Sergei Medvedev, of Moscow’s Higher School of Economics
Putin doesn’t want Russians to think their country is isolated as that could undermine his narratives.