Unsurprisingly, Vladimir Putin has won Sunday’s so-called ‘election’ for his fourth term as president of Russia. Since he came to power in 1999, Putin has defined and become synonymous with modern Russia. Back in 2014, first deputy head of the presidential administration, Vyacheslav Volodin, stated “If there’s Putin — there’s Russia, if there’s no Putin — there’s no Russia.”Putin would want nothing more than the West and the Russian population to agree. While Russia is broad and diverse, the country has become hostage to Putin’s persona and his emergent ideology. For a country that desires the status of a great power and civilisation rather than that of Putin’s personal fiefdom, Russia requires a mission statement — an ideology offering a distinct worldview.

Source: Irish Examiner March 20, 2018 00:01 UTC