The Ukraine-Russia Culture War
One day, Russia may indeed become a genuine democracy where imperialist aggression is unthinkable. For now, the reality is different: Putin is an organic product of Russian society, and providing a stage in New York or Cannes for the culture that has shaped that society is not going to change facts on the ground.
https://prosyn.org/rjCWX9X
BERKELEY/KYIV – When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, few believed resistance would last longer than a few days. In both Russia and the West, Russian troops were expected to sweep into Kyiv, parade uniforms in hand, install a proxy government, and effectively end Ukrainian statehood.