The Telegraph: Putin Is Trembling With Fear

• 9.03.2026, 10:09

The war against Iran sends an important signal to the Kremlin.

Whatever the outcome of the current US special operation in Iran, it has already had a strategic effect - the regime in the country has been decapitated. The psychological effects of this event will be felt around the world, including for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, writes columnist The Telegraph and former British regular army officer Hamish de Breton-Gordon.

He says the war in Iran has demonstrated the clear advantage of U.S. and allied aircraft over Russian systems. The Russian-supplied S-300 batteries deployed by Iran are now reduced to mangled wreckage.

Moscow's defenses are stronger because it has not only the S-400 but also advanced S-500 systems in its arsenal. However, the Russian armed forces have critical weaknesses, in particular a shortage of A-50 radar aircraft, vital for detecting low-flying threats such as drones and cruise missiles.

"As for the lauded S-500s, another point that has been evident throughout the war in Ukraine is the exaggerated nature of Russia's claims to have advanced weaponry," the expert notes.

He adds: "Perhaps there is a certain sequence in Washington's thinking: Venezuela, then Iran and, ultimately, the Kremlin... The psychological effect of demonstrated force is often stronger than the force itself."