Calling it an "unforced error on historic scale" is really just bitter Western cope on a historic scale.
It was a gamble and it paid off huge for Putin.
The West didn't do shit militarily and showed how weak and toothless they really are.
It exposed how insidious the Western financial system is and forced the biggest countries in the world (BRIC) to aggressively accelerate the set up of their own parallel financial and trade systems.
It pushed NATO out of Ukraine, reminded Ukraine who runs that part of the world and in no uncertain terms how that game is going to be played over there.
It dramatically boosted Russian nationalism and made Putin's approval soar at home.
It worsened American economic situation by further weaking the petrodollar and sending commodity costs skyrocketing. $7/g of gas for the first time in history.
The West is literally seething at Russia for daring to step out of line with their Great Reset, but more importantly it is seething at its own impotence to do anything about it after the last few years seemed so easy. <seething-wojak-behind-mask.png>