
Russian president Vladimir Putin, dealing with sanctions that are economic signs in a legislation which will produce a ‘gambling area’ in annexed Crimea. But could their timing be any worse?
The old story about Roman emperor Nero fiddling while his city burned to the ground includes a mythic quality that could be used to Vladimir Putin today. Facing an international scandal after Russia’s seeming involvement in shooting a Malaysia Air passenger jet out of the sky, the Russian president has chosen now to ok a new gambling area in Crimea; a small region simply to the south of Ukraine, where in actuality the horrific incident took place last week.
Of course, unlike Nero, Putin continues to be firmly in control of all things Russian, and contains borne the brunt of surprisingly little outrage that is international the incident that was allegedly carried out under their military’s auspices.
Putin signed into effect a law this week that will transform the annexed territory of Crimea into a gambling zone for Russian holidaymakers. Within the light of recent events in Eastern Ukraine, Putin, faced with all the prospect of increased US/EU sanctions, could quite possibly have plumped for a more apposite moment to make this particular announcement, but he could be nothing if not bull-headed, and it’s clear he is determined to produce the region economically self-sufficient.
Russia took over the territory that is largely russian-speaking th Continue reading