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Why we still need Vladimir Putin on our side
So Crimea has voted. It was messy, ugly, but it is also undeniably true that the majority will of the people in Crimea has prevailed – so what does the west do now?
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President Putin pledges to do all he can to protect fellow Russians living in what he’s called “Novorossiya” – the historic name for part of Ukraine. How great a threat do his words represent?
Talks over how to deal with Russia begin, including possible expulsion from the G8, as Ukraine withdraws soldiers from Crimea and concerns grow that Moscow is planning further military incursions.
So Crimea has voted. It was messy, ugly, but it is also undeniably true that the majority will of the people in Crimea has prevailed – so what does the west do now?
As EU leaders decide their response to the situation in Ukraine, does “getting inside the head” of Vladimir Putin offer any hope of securing peace?
“We are crossing the line from corrupt plutocracy to police state,” says writer Boris Akunin criticising Putin’s occupation of the Crimea – but former Russian MP Natalia Narochnitskaya, disagrees.
“We are crossing the line from corrupt plutocracy to police state,” says writer Boris Akunin criticising Putin’s occupation of the Crimea – but former Russian MP Natalia Narochnitskaya, disagrees.
There is a rumour doing the rounds that President Putin is now in sochi. More than a rumour – a strong suggestion that he will be at the athletes village in person.
It is a version of mutually assured destruction preventing a full-scale trade embargo, and President Putin has planned in this way for years – Europe imports nearly a third of its gas from Russia.
Putin is no salesman for democracy – but for now “big bad Russia”, “big nasty Putin” and “poor heroic Ukraine” look a little too simplistic to me.
US Senator John McCain rules out military action against Russia in Crimea – but says diplomatic and economic sanctions could be imposed. “Putin views the United States as weak,” he adds.
As Pussy Riot are attacked by Cossacks for protesting at Sochi, Ana Matronic, of the Scissor Sisters, says while they are trying to provoke, no protester asks or deserves to be whipped.
Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay propaganda laws have sought to stifle homosexual expression – but Sochi’s opening ceremony featured some of the most prominent homosexuals in international history.
The Sochi Games are a vanity project for the country’s leader – and Vladimir Putin, convinced this is Russia’s return to the world stage, is unconcerned by the outrage over his anti-gay policies.
The iconic Apple Macintosh was launched 30 years ago today. Paul Marc Davis, who runs an Apple museum in London, demonstrates the machine and explains why it was a milestone in personal computing.
Russian President Putin tries, and fails, to reassure the world about his country’s treatment of gay people by saying they are welcome to the Winter Olympics – as long as they stay away from children.