Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Mark Episkopos
“Western travelers to Moscow often remark, with complete justification, on the sense of normalcy that the government has been able to sustain four years into the most dangerous, destructive war in Europe since 1945. But there is another, overriding sense that became especially palpable to me on my second visit since the war began in 2022. Belying this outward commitment to business as usual is a profound social, economic, and political transformation with stark implications for both Russia and the West.” (02/20/26)