I think Putin and Xi would like to believe that isolating themselves from the rest of the world is "Leading the world away from the west" as much as you do.

If your alliance is China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea while the other "side" is United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, and dozens of their closest friends there is no split.

It's not Leading anything. It's self-mutilation for propaghanda talking points. Self isolation is isolating, nothing else.

Especially when Russia and Iran are bleeding out 8 months into this mythical "separation" while China faces a gauntlet of potentially unsolvable economic and social problems in 2023.

It's like Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, and 2 minor league players quit baseball and you claimed that a new league must be forming.