Understanding Putin's Victimhood Narrative

To hear the Kremlin tell it, Russian forces are currently engaged in a noble struggle against “fascists” in Ukraine and bullying NATO aggressors, with the U.S. as the primary villain in their version of the tale. To those of us watching vivid images of Russian forces shelling neighborhoods, killing civilians, and destroying Ukrainian infrastructure, this yarn is obviously absurd and infuriating.

But there’s a reason why, from Vladimir Putin to Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela to Bashar al-Assad of Syria, we see totalitarian leaders claim they are under attack even when they arenclearly the instigators of horrific aggression: psychologically, victim narratives work.