I think the problem was/is Putin believes his historical...

I think the problem was/is Putin believes his historical revisionism and the propaganda hype he was inventing by comparing himself to Peter the Great
That foolish vanity has been responsible for so many deaths, maimings and destruction it makes one weep.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/10/putin-compares-himself-to-peter-the-great-in-quest-to-take-back-russian-lands

“Peter the Great has opened a window to Europe, Putin is hammering it up with rotten planks from the time of Ivan the Terrible.”