Timothy Garton Ash: There is another Russia, and eventually it will play a different role in the world
Russia has lost an empire and not yet found a role. Only the Russians themselves can decide what that should be, and it will take some time. The new Russia will certainly not arrive this 9 May, when Vladimir Putin's Kremlin celebrates the 70th anniversary of the end of what Russians call the great patriotic war. It may not emerge until 9 May 2025, or even 2045, but we should never abandon hope for that other Russia, and we must keep faith with the Russians who are working for it.