It might not have made the news, but Putin actually seized control of Europe years ago. He turned the entire continent into his private fiefdom without firing a single shot.
Putin's battle strategy was to turn Russian oil and gas into a political opiate. Some of the most powerful governments in the world immediately got hooked with no plans to get clean, all the while screaming, "I can quit anytime I want!"
In the years past, some more self-aware EU leaders would pause to offer a halfhearted warning about becoming too dependent on Putin - immediately before placing their own giant order from Gazprom.
In their eyes, Russia was a problem for tomorrow, or even the next day. The people need fuel for cooking and heating today.
After all, this Putin guy has been more or less stable since the Cold War days. No rush, right?
Let's look to the past to see how the future will play out.
Back in 2014, when Russia's annexation of Crimea made it clear that Putin was not interested in playing by the rules, the entire EU stopped buying oil from Gazprom immediately. Each country's leadership stuck to its principles and started looking for other energy sources, no matter the cost.
... If you fell for that one, I envy your optimism. Don't ever lose it.
In actuality, Europe's major oil producers like Shell and BP bought more than $100 billion worth of oil from Russia between 2015 and 2021, Crimea be damned. Principles are great, but they don't exactly keep the lights on.
In fact, if you ask Germany, some citizens might tell you that principles are exactly what started this mess in the first place...
Politicians with their heads lodged firmly in their asses have done more damage to the world than any other demographic. Germany and its climate minister are currently learning that lesson the hard way.
The trendiest way for a nation to announce its renewable energy commitment is with an all-or-nothing deadline. Germany picked 2035, a familiar favorite that ensures whoever made the promise is long gone from office by the time everything falls apart.
Unfortunately for incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz, that time frame has been accelerated significantly.
In lieu of actually making progress toward its renewable energy goals, Germany did what every other budget-conscious EU member would do: buy gas from Russia. At the same time, coal plants were being shuttered and nuclear energy was treated like the redheaded stepchild.