Things seemed to be going so well for Vladimir Putin — at home and on the battlefield.

Now Russia is the battlefield, after Ukraine’s stunning assault across the border turned the tables on Putin’s war and left his army scrambling to retake its own land.

It’s a remarkable turn of events after a year of things largely going Putin’s way, from the short-lived mutiny he put down to his resilient economy and months of grinding gains on the front lines.

The Russian leader sounded almost…