At the Normandy summit in Paris on December 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed uncharacteristically reluctant to push hard against his novice Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, over security issues in the Donbas. Ukrainian journalists suggested Zelensky’s principled and assertive defense of his country’s interests had set Putin off-balance. It is more likely, however, that broader negative trends, including a poor economy reminiscent of the Brezhnev era, are the cause of Putin’s apparent caution.
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Dennis Soltys: There will be no ‘Moscow Maidan’
Opposition supporters holding the Russian Constitution books walk on Red Square to support opposition activist Konstantin Kotov, who was sentenced to four years in prison for repeatedly taking part in unauthorised rallies, in downtown Moscow on October 13, 2019.
