The famed Greek philosopher Plato’s lesser-known elder brother, Glaucon, had an interesting take on the subject of justice. He believed firmly that justice was only performed out of fear of punishment, and injustice was something only a few powerful people could practice. In the eyes of Glaucon, justice was a social contract among the relatively weak — ensuring that no injustice would be exchanged among the masses. Injustice would be practiced by every human if they could get away with it. If a person could have a taste of wealth, power and position, they would undoubtedly want more of that lifestyle. The few powerful, truly un-punishable, humans in history did not abide by the social contract of justice, and at the end of the day, they did not have to.

The clearest and most distinct example of Glaucon’s philosophy is personified in the Russian President Vladimir Putin — a man who cannot face punishment, a man who is the single power in the world’s largest country. In a nation where one single man not only runs the show but owns the theater as well, his power has no counterpart elsewhere in the world. Putin systematically eliminated all obstacles in the way of his supreme reign by gathering powerful supporters that allowed him to maintain power since the beginning of the 21st century. He overcame the constitutional barring of serving a third presidential term. Over the course of many years, he has surrounded himself with the ability to maintain unchecked power for however long he desired. To rule one of the most powerful countries under the title of president, but carry out the actions of a dictator which simply cannot happen in places like the United Kingdom or the United States.

Not only does Putin control the media in Russia, but he has been well-known to be exceptionally good at taking out any public rivals. He was not only a KGB agent for the Soviet secret police force previously but also served as the director of its replacement agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB). Its current director, Alexander Bortnikov, reports directly to Putin and the Putin-appointed leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, is one of the many arms that Putin employs to keep a strangle on opposition. Most notably in 2015, a famous critic of Putin by the name of Boris Nemtsov was assassinated on a bridge in Moscow. Zaur Dadayev, a Chechen officer, along with four others were charged with the murder. Although Dadayev denied involvement, Kadyrov praised him saying he was, “sincerely devoted to Russia, ready to give his life for the motherland.” One day later, Kadyrov was given the Order of Honour by Putin for “work achievements.” Clearly, there were enough degrees of separation between Putin and the assassination through an intricate system of espionage — no charges ever came to Putin or Kadyrov.

A giant among ants, Putin stomps through year after year, leading Russia on his own. While settling in his personal mansion, worth a reported $1.37 billion dollars, he managed to take out the newest political rival, Alexei Navalny. After recovering from a nerve agent attack in Berlin, Navalny returned home to Russia in January only to be swiftly thrown in jail. Since then, he has been suffering in jail as he tries to receive medical attention. A hunger strike has so far been his attempt to receive attention for the numbness in his legs and hands, as well as a plethora of other health issues. His personal doctor was also recently arrested outside of the prison where he is being held. Navalny is technically only in prison for violating parole from a previous conviction, which only happened because he was in Germany after being poisoned by a “banned Russian chemical weapon.” Navalny, now seen as Putin’s largest threat, is surprisingly still standing, but who knows for how much longer.

A famed supporter of Navalny, National Hockey League (NHL) star Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers, was the victim of another Putin smear campaign that went public on February 22, 2021. A simple Instagram story post in support of freeing Navalny resulted in a Russian state-owned media outlet publishing a report that Panarin punched an 18-year old Latvian girl in 2011 while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Russia’s top hockey league. The accuser? Known Putin supporter and former coach of Panarin’s, Andrei Nazarov. Nazarov openly told the tabloid that Panarin’s criticism of Putin made him come out with these allegations. According to the former coach, Panarin, who was 20 years old at the time, struck the girl many times in a bar in Riga, Latvia. Nazarov noted that Panarin bribed authorities with 40,000 Euros in cash. However, Panarin’s old KHL teammates from that time period insisted the accusations were totally false, with his ex-roommate noting in regards to the bribe, “we couldn’t have that kind of money.” Artemi Panarin has since rejoined the Rangers and has resumed play. It’s assumed he will not be considered for Russia’s Olympic team in 2022 as a result of his opposition to Putin.

Putin also signed constitutional amendments in 2020 that allows him to remain Russia’s president until at least 2036, when he will be aged 83. Along with that, he signed legislation allowing all former presidents of Russia to receive immunity from questioning, prosecution or any sort of legal action once they leave office. He is also granted a lifetime seat to former presidents on the Russian senate or federation council, ensuring immunity. Putin, although he may die as president, can now become a former leader as well, free from investigation or prosecution for all his actions.

No world leader can match the single reach of Vladimir Putin. No president of the United States could even come close, as we have the famed system of checks and balances to ensure no president turns into a dictator. Each branch of our government has its own independent powers and jurisdictions, which are designed to hinder one person or group from controlling the nation. At the very extent of checks and balances, the government has impeachment powers. Former President Donald Trump was impeached twice and acquitted twice, but nonetheless, those proceedings provide hope for citizens to remove unjust officials. Putin has accumulated an unknown amount of wealth, but judging by his mansion worth over $1 billion, he can very well be one of the richest individuals on the planet. He has covered his tracks and silenced critics with greater execution than there has ever been in history. With a nuclear stockpile estimated at over 6,000 warheads, control of state media, knowledgeable wealth and dictatorship over the world’s largest country for the foreseeable future, Vladimir Putin is the most powerful person on the face of the Earth. His power knows no bounds and his people fear him, as does the world.

Despite sanctions and phone calls from leaders of the free world, Russia acts on its own accord. President Biden has openly demanded Alexei Navalny’s release from prison, but the Kremlin is known for being very good at ignoring problems. No sanction or threat has put fear into Vladimir Putin, and its likely no sanction or threat ever will. All any country can do is ask Russia nicely to stop committing injustices because invading Putin’s world will not go well. He is a man above punishment, and a man above justice. The immense wealth, population and stockpile of weapons simply make Russia too powerful to fight. At the end of the day, no world leader will sacrifice their resources and citizen’s lives to free one man from prison or stop Putin from doing anything he does within his own nation. At any moment, however, Putin could launch a war that the world would not be prepared for. Russia would tear the world down if they were ever provoked because they very well can. It’s scary to imagine, but Putin’s Russia in its current state is a sleeping bear, and one that absolutely cannot be poked. We live in a world of powerful nations staring at each other across the schoolyard, except everybody has nuclear bombs in their pockets. The best thing for America, and for the world, is to keep sanctioning Russia, but never coming to actual blows with them. Any further action would have grave consequences for everyone involved. That alone is why Putin is so powerful — he is untouchable by his own people and by the rest of the world.

Declan Busche is an undeclared sophomore.