Moscow
Russia erupted in celebration this week for the 50th birthday of President Vladimir Putin. Newscasters on state-run TV gushed with praise for Putin’s firm leadership, and politicians sent lavish gifts, such as a crystal crocodile and a jewel-encrusted crown. One provincial governor wrote a three-page ode composed entirely of words that start with P, and one mayor delivered 16,000 birthday cards made by schoolchildren of his city. “What is happening around Putin dwarfs even the celebrations of Josef Stalin’s 70th birthday back in 1949,” sociologist Andrei Piontkovsky told the Los Angeles Times. Some of the enthusiasm may be manufactured, but many Russians sincerely view Putin as their first competent—and sober—leader since the fall of the Soviet Union. The cult of personality seems to be growing stronger: Putin biographies are now outsold only by Harry Potter novels.
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