Explaining Russia

WAR AND PUNISHMENT, a title which sounds hauntingly like "War and Peace" and "Crime and Punishment", is the title of a new book by Russian writer Mikhail Zygar, who tries to explain the Ukrainian war from the Russian point of view, and succeeds admirably. A definite thumbs up, a must read for the well informed. The work is so honest and insightful that Zygar left Russia to write it and probably won't go back. Putin will probably put a price on his head, no matter where he is. Not only is it devastatingly, negatively critical of Putin, his sycohants, associates, and political and military leaders, but is equally critical of Russian culture and the Russian people in general, which surprised me. My take has long been, and I have often told people this, that the nightmarish War in Ukraine is entirely to work and fault of one man, Putin himself, against whom the rest of the Russian government, civilian and military, and against whom the Russian people are powerless to act. Indeed this is Putin's war, the tragic product of his twisted far right wing views about recent Russian history, current situation, and necessary fate. Putin is another garden variety fascist, a regular Hitler and Trump rolled into one; our great nation was once great, but has been betrayed, sold down the river by those "accursed" (Hitler's term) enemies from within and from foreign enemy countries. Only I, Vladimir Putin, can make Russia great gaain, by restoring it to its former bloated empirial glory. Just like hitler, Trump, and all other far right athoritarian demagogue tyrannical bullies, past and present, Putin comes complete with all the phony historical narratives, the lies and false conspiracy theories and fabricated enemies. But, Zygar asserts, Putin wasn't and isn't alone. His warped view was and still is shared by many powerful people, and Russia's uber class of super wealthy oligarchs bought into Putin's crap, hook, line, sinker, lock, stock, and barrel. And this all draws from Russia's history, literature, and culture, which is full of heroic Russian stirving and perseverence against terrible odds, implacable foes and relentless invaders. Actually, thee is more than a hint of truth to this; Russia's history is indeed ful of all of the above,which any demagogue would easily distort and embellish andexploit for political gain, which people like Putin and Hitler do masterfully. Russian history and culture encourage Putin, and the Russian people in their current incarnation enable him by their timid assivity, content to swill the Koolaid and remains indoor. Yet, says the author, there is hope, becaues the profound, disastrous failure of Putin's War will and already has begun to inspire the necessary reationary within the military and throughout Mother Russia as to engender n ivevitable uprising against Putin. He will be in power no more than another year, says the author.