But something went wrong in Putin’s approach, and it wasn’t just the incompetence of his military, the bravery of Ukrainians or the intercession by the West.
In a nutshell, the problem is this: A monopoly on truth can be sustained only through a monopoly on violence.
Big Brother can tell the Big Lie only if he has the Big — and only — Gun.
But it creates risks, including the risk that someone from one of those centers of power will be willing to tell an inconvenient truth.
And it may be why he appeared to have been treated as a hero, almost a liberator, in Rostov-on-Don.
Persons:
what’s, Putin, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Ramzan Kadyrov, Prigozhin, ” —, ”
Organizations:
Newsweek, Ministry of Defense, NATO
Locations:
Ukraine, Rostov, Moscow