According to Tikhon Dzyadko, a deputy editor with the independent Russian TV station DozhdTV, even Vladimir Putin doesn't know the answer to that question. In an insightful analysis of the Russian incursion into Ukraine over at The New Republic, Dzyadko writes:
It's enough to make your head spin, especially if you're trying to think of it as of a coherent policy. But it isn't. And there's been no logic in it, either. When it comes to Ukraine, there hasn't been any for years. [...]
There is a Russian proverb: "To spite mom, I will freeze my ears off." It refers to a child who won't wear a hat in the cold simply for the sake of disobeying his mother. Russian foreign policy functions exactly in this way: Again and again, Moscow makes decisions that are most detrimental to Moscow itself. Elegantly juggling various principles of international law, the Russian government has been steadily spoiling its relations with its international partners. [The New Republic]
Psychoanalyzing Putin's decision to send troops to Crimea has become the topic du jour in the last few days. But Dzyadko makes an interesting case that Putin more or less aimlessly blundered his way into this mess — and that his actions could backfire spectacularly.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs saySpeed Read
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign port
Speed Read
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'
Speed Read
-
The US will soon finish destroying its last chemical weapons
Speed Read
-
Putin and Prigozhin offer rival explanations for Wagner's brief rebellion
Speed Read
-
The future of the Wagner Group is murky
Speed Read
-
Wagner Group stops armed rebellion toward Moscow
Speed Read
