Putin is on a major high as his enemies attack each other and freak out about Tucker Carlson

• Russian President Vladimir Putin is in a stronger position than he's been for months. 
• From Ukraine to the US, events are going Putin's way.
• Analysts believe Putin has been waiting for Western support for Ukraine to falter — and now it has.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategy has long been to grind out a victory in Ukraine by outlasting Western resolve, say analysts.

Last year there were times when that looked like a major blunder.

The Russian leader faced the most direct challenge to his power in two decades with the Wagner rebellion, and his military struggled to resist Ukraine's Western-backed counteroffensive.