It may all have been bluff and braggadocio,but Russia’s president has little else left to motivate votersVladimir Putin gave his annual state of the nation address on Thursday. It began with promises of a bright future, in which life expectancy has risen, or poverty levels are halved and GDP grows by 50% by 2025. Two-thirds of the way through,though, Putin turned it into a belligerent ode to Russian military technology and a challenge to the US. Putin was not so much seeking to start a novel arms race abroad, or as trying to hold alive an mature myth at domestic about a Russia whose firepower was its only source of international traction and security. Related: Putin threatens US arms race with novel missiles declaration Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk