The two faces of Vladimir Putin

‘Putin’s Philosopher’ Aleksandr Dugin, self-styled deep thinker and ideological architect of current Russian expansionism, has claimed there are two distinct version of the president. There is a ‘Lunar Putin’ – practical, cautious, a supporter of the capitalist economy and free trade, alert to international opinion. And a ‘Solar Putin’, a messiah, fully embracing his mission to restore the great Eurasian Empire and confront the collective West. 

This split-personality may well be at the heart of recent inconsistencies in Russian policy. Having warned via former president Dmitri Medvedev of a ‘judgment day’ should Ukraine attack Crimea, the Kremlin, following the devastating raid on Crimea’s Saky airbase, instead sought to minimise it as a ‘fire-safety incident’. So too with the repeated Russian threats to hit Ukrainian decision-making centres: the defence ministry, general staff and so on, none of which are followed through. It seems the Russian state is still undecided as to what level of escalation, whatever the bluster, is really open to it.