Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is wrecking two countries
It is a tragedy, and it is a catastrophe
TO THOSE WITH long memories, Moscow currently feels oddly similar to the way it did during the attempted coup of August 1991. Admittedly, there are no tanks on the streets this time—they are occupied elsewhere. But the security forces of the FSB have a far firmer grip on the city, and the country, than their predecessors in the KGB had during their last-ditch effort to rescue the Soviet Union 30 years ago—an effort which precipitated its final collapse.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “A tragedy and a catastrophe”
From the March 5th 2022 edition
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