@celinemancenido
It’s ‘Black August’ in Russia, but Putin is sweeping this summer’s crisis under the rug
The past summer in Russia has also been shaping up as a bleak season for Putin’s Russia. Progress on the contested front lines in Ukraine by Russian troops has been scant; the skies over Russian cities have been blackened by Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries and Amazon-style distribution centers; and long lines at the fuel pumps and rumors of a fresh wave of mobilization have Russians grumbling.
Is this another Black August?
Exiled Russian commentator Ilya Varlamov posted his thoughts on that question this week, saying recurring historical disasters in August were “a coincidence, of course.”
But, Varlamov continued, “many Russians await August with apprehension. Especially now, when the country is truly in crisis. … The fuel crisis has returned, prices are rising and have no intention of stopping, the ruble is falling, elections are coming and God knows what else.”
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