This week’s cover

Vladimir Putin’s behaviour never ceases to shock. This week a dam collapsed in Ukraine. Intelligence sources (and common sense) suggest Russian sabotage. Mr Putin appears to have borrowed an idea from Stalin, unleashing a flood to impede his enemies’ advance, never mind the tens of thousands of homes engulfed by raging waters. In a normal world this would be the headline of the year; yet it was not even the headline of the week.