Depends on the context you bring up "failed state" - I was talking from the view of a political system and leadership fully in control of all the institutions o

Depends on the context you bring up "failed state" - I was talking from the view of a political system and leadership fully in control of all the institutions of governance. (For example, Pakistan is a failed state from that perspective as the Pakistan government lacks control over the military and the intelligence services, due to which Pakistan has often been under military rule). It is definitely to Putin's credit that Russia has enjoyed political stability and unity for the last 2 decades, despite the lack of credible economic growth.