Intentions

More Hollywood-worthy circus from Putin’s inauguration, courtesy of ex-Ukrainian politician Oleh Tsariov. The man in red glasses is not a serviceman but maverick actor/director Ivan Okhlobystin. Dressed like a Game of Thrones character is Aleksander Zaldostanov, head of Night…

Holy murder

This is an important conversation: The promotion of democratic values is too conflated with the promotion of expansionist geopolitics. Post-Soviet civil society is too inorganic and elitist, too ridden with exact same types who jump on social lifts in Putin’s Russia. No wonder…

And finally, Batman arrives. Putin’s inauguration.

As they say in Russia on days like this -

The weather whispers: Borrow some cash and get drunk

Last time I was in Moscow for Putin’s inauguration, my morning involved being released from a police precinct. That was 12 years ago. I was arrested at Bolotnaya square on the previous night.

At that point, I thought Putin was a remnant of a bygone era and that his days were…

Steven Seagal at Putin’s inauguration. The man whose jester’s job at the court is to make Russians think that America is ridiculous.

Those were the times when Putin had a striptease stage and a casino in his palace. Now after a revamp he has a home chapel dedicated to a prince who captured Crimea, as revealed in the new investigation by Проект. and Navalny’s foundation.

youtu.be/TL0dSaqhfVs?si…