Where does the brutal violence that Russians experience themselves – and that they exercise in Ukraine – come from? And how does Vladimir Putin rely on this? Long-time Russia expert Julian Hans talks about a country that has struggled with violence for generations.
By Julian Hans
How much approval will Vladimir Putin have this time? Is 77 percent enough like in the last presidential election six years ago? Or does he dare to jump over the 80 percent mark? Any right-thinking person knows that these numbers are not honestly arrived at. Nevertheless, defenders and critics of Russia alike base their arguments on this. “At least Putin has a large majority behind him,” say some. The others not only want to see Putin in The Hague, but also want to write off an entire nation as war criminals.