Putin may be evil, but he is no genius

Re The western notion of Putin as evil genius,

Walkom, Dec. 4 Thomas Walkom’s use of the Cold War notion of “sphere of influence” is almost romantic. There was no such thing, just brutal totalitarian oppression under the Communist regime of the Soviet Union in which millions died. Just ask anyone who actually lived through it.

How exactly is Russia “reasserting its traditional spheres of influence” in eastern Europe and the Baltics, other than continuing meddling, bullying, intimidating, threatening, invading, occupying and waging war (including hybrid war) against its neighbours?

Is it an “alliance” with murdering dictator and compatriot Bashar al Assad that is boosting his image in the Middle East? In Central Asia, is it his instalment of criminal thug Ramzan Kadyrov, who serves at Putin’s will in Chechnya to continue an oppressive regime?

How about the long list of political assassinations and suppression of free media at home in Russia? Or is it his unleashing of cyberwar against Western democratic institutions?

Putin may be evil, but he is not unique nor a genius. He is an ex-KGB operative who laments the fall of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.

Those nations that were finally freed from the brutal shackles of communist terror regimes do not agree with Putin’s assessment and continue to fight for their sovereign independence. Around the world, people remain vigilant in their opposition to authoritarian autocratic leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump. Marijka Stadnyk, Toronto