(EDM) Last Friday (June 12), President Vladimir Putin made a rare public appearance at the Poklonnaya Gora memorial park in Moscow and delivered a short speech at the ceremonial raising of the national flag on the occasion of Russia Day. No public celebrations were held because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which continues to spread across the country, with nearly 9,000 new infections daily. Nonetheless, this “plateau” has been declared safe enough to stage a second and far grander show: the military parade rescheduled for June 24, after the postponement from the traditional May 9 (Victory Day). The expected boost to patriotic pride from this upcoming showcase is supposed to ensure the success of a third and, in political terms, the most important triumph of Putin’s current policy agenda: the public vote on the set of constitutional amendments, which he proposed at the start of the year. In an unintended way, these three events symbolize three inherent features of Putin’s rule: lawlessness, militarism and corruption. […]
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