Putin Is No Mad Man to Russians as Power Play Trumps Economy
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Western leaders may think Vladimir Putin is crazy for threatening to annex Crimea and invade other areas of Ukraine. Most Russians, still bitter about the Soviet Union’s demise more than two decades ago, couldn’t be prouder.
Putin’s approval rating, bolstered after Russia hosted its first Winter Olympics last month, reached a three-year high as he poured troops into Crimea amid the overthrow of the Kremlin-backed government in Kiev. The tensest showdown with the West since the fall of the Berlin Wall has proved to be good for the business of governing in Moscow.