Winning or losing? MSM can't decide if Putin is all-powerful or failing miserably

Mainstream media reporting on Russia is not exactly known for its nuance – and, depending on who you ask, on any given day, the massive Eurasian state may be about to crumble to a pile of dust or take over the world. In this black and white universe, Russian President Vladimir Putin is either an omnipresent force, seamlessly controlling the workings of other nations with a horde of top-class hackers and spies by his side — or a man on the verge of defeat, who can’t even manage to control the goings-on in Moscow, let alone anywhere else.