Putin’s Strongman Image Is Fading as Ukraine Brings War Home to Russia
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Ever since coming to power more than a quarter-century ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin built a new state religion around May 9, the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and the holiest day in the Russian calendar.On Saturday, Putin will for the first time preside over a Victory Day parade held as his war on Ukraine has exceeded the length of the Soviet Union’s war on the Nazis.He has no victories to celebrate. Persistent Ukrainian drone strikes across Russia, including on the capital, have forced Putin to ask for a cease-fire for the duration of the festivities.
Parade organizers, citing security threats, have also dramatically downgraded the event, eliminating the display of armored vehicles and the march by military cadets. Cellphone and internet services are slated to be disrupted in Moscow for days.With the front line stalled, Russian casualties topping one million, the economy suffering and missile and drone strikes becoming commonplace, a deep sense of discontent has spread through the country in recent months.
It potentially poses the gravest challenge to Putin’s rule so far—and may be more insidious than the aborted putsch by warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023.Russian security services have responded with draconian new restrictions, blocking most online activity in an imitation of China’s “Great Firewall.” The restrictions, justified by the need to prevent drone strikes that continue regardless, are so severe that even nationalist loyalists supporting the war have started talking about a looming revolution. Rumors of alleged coup preparations and infighting between various parts of the security establishment swirl through Moscow salons.It doesn’t mean that
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