Putin ‘doesn’t care’ about Russians or Ukrainians: ‘Pageantry and symbolism’ over civilian lives

Rochelle Ferguson Bouyahi is happy to welcome the Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, Peter Zalmayev, to supply context & perspective on the battlefield dynamics and political theatre of Russia’s struggle on Ukraine. Whereas Russia invokes symbolic gestures tied to historic commemorations, beneath the floor of geopolitical spectacle, Zalmaev factors to a quieter revolution. “The reply is the drones,” highlighting it is effectiveness in an asymmetrical struggle. But, essentially the most revealing is Zalmayev’s portrayal of Putin’s inner state: “a renewed sense of worry for his life.”