From TNR, “Putin Is Using WWII for Propaganda Because It’s the Best Memory That Russia Has” by Tikhon Dyadko, assistant editor at DozhdTV, an independent station.

A joke is making the rounds among Vladimir Putin’s opponents in Moscow: His two main accomplishments as Russia’s president are Yuri Gagarin’s trip to space and Russia’s victory in World War II. This biting bit of sarcasm, which takes a swing at Putin’s populist rhetoric, actually gets at something much deeper. It reflects Putin’s vision of the country’s development as well as the style in which he communicates with his citizens and the international community. And yet, though people in Russia understand him, those in the West do not.

Very much worth reading for insight into the decadent use of historical memory and the collapse of Russian public discourse. Also, it has a phenomenal correction at bottom.

Confucius, Œc. Vol.

Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu.