Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
James Nixey: What is the best way to tackle Putin?
Russia's President Vladimir Putin is seen through a video camera's viewfinder, as he speaks during his annual press conference in Moscow on Dec. 18, 2014.
You wouldn't know it to judge from Vladimir Putin's professional, experienced three-hour session with journalists Dec. 18, but it has been a disastrous week for the president, for his small but influential elite coterie and for the 144 million Russians beyond the Kremlin walls.