Approximately a year and a half ago Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the annexation of Crimea. Whereas the takeover of the Ukrainian peninsula proceeded swiftly and without many difficulties, the ensuing conflict in eastern Ukraine has proven much more difficult to contain. Although by waging its clandestine war, Moscow succeeded in thwarting Ukraine’s ambitions to integrate westwards – for now at least – Russia has been unable to limit the fallout for itself.
Rattled by sanctions, amplified by a catastrophic collapse in the price of oil, the prospects for the Russian economy look decidedly bleak. Seemingly undeterred by this perfect storm, Russia’s President looks set to continue on this course. In doing so, Putin may have maneuvered himself into a corner from where there is no escape writes Sijbren de Jong in New Eastern Europe. The full article can be read here.
A Polish language version of the article appeared on BiznesAlert.pl. The full article can be read here.
A Russian language version of the article appeared on Inosmi.ru on 1 September 2015.