Moscow

Taking Putin Seriously April 30, 2022—for two months Russian armed forces have been attacking Ukraine under the direction of President Vladimir Putin. They have targeted civilian population centers as well as military and strategic objectives. Fathoming why Putin would launch such an assault invites speculation about his motives, his state of mind, and his objectives. It also begs the question of what role a thousand years of Russian history may have played in his calculus. As the great American poet Maya Angelou famously cautioned, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” It is difficult to…