For the second time, we find ourselves with nothing more to say regarding Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Back in October 2011, we shut down activity on La Russophobe after Vladimir Putin announced he would return to power for a third term as president and the world simply acquiesced, clearly indicating it had no intention of listening to our warnings. Now, as Vladimir Putin has successfully rolled tanks into Ukraine and again faces no significant opposition from the outside world, it is again clear that Putin has won. Our warnings have fallen on deaf ears once again and there is nothing we can do other than what we did back in October 2011, simply shut down activity on this blog in silent protest. You win, Mr. Putin. It obviously requires powers far greater than ours to address the neo-Sovietization of Russia, and it is painfully clear that the people of Russia have no intention of doing so. In the past we have criticized Alexei Navalny for not stepping aside to clear the way for others when it was clear he was not the person to lead the Russian democracy movement, and we do not want to be accused of making the same mistake.
