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Putin senses an opportunity

Balance of Power
Bloomberg

Vladimir Putin only had some second-tier heads of state today at his big military parade in Moscow's Red Square.

The Covid-19 pandemic deterred a few bigger names, and — with the 2014 annexation of Crimea still a sore point — some Western leaders stayed away. Croatia's president canceled at the last minute, saying his plane had broken down.

There was a big message nonetheless in the display of Russia's might in a parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the World War II defeat of Nazi Germany. It came ahead of a July 1 referendum that may open the way for Putin to rule until 2036.

The passage of the constitutional changes is not in doubt, even as officials will be eager for a high voter turnout.

Putin, 67, is not the only leader to seek extended rule. China's Xi Jinping basically has an open-ended mandate. Elsewhere, some leaders of theoretical democracies have such control of their media and have so cracked down on dissent that elections are largely for show.

But the prospect of Putin in power for years to come should give the U.S. particular pause.

Donald Trump has taken America out of key multilateral agreements, crossed swords with allies and pulled the U.S. from a leading role in geopolitical hot spots.

That's opened the way for Putin to build influence in Russia's western flank, the Middle East and Africa, and to tighten an alliance with China. The planes flying in formation today over Moscow are a reminder that others will be eager to fill the gap if the U.S. withdraws further.

Rosalind Mathieson

A color guard detachment during the parade today in Red Square.

Photographer: Sergey Pyatakov /Host Photo Agency via Getty Images

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The empty plinth in front of the Museum of London where the statute of Robert Milligan, a prominent slave trader, used to stand. It was removed on June 9 in the wake of protests.

Photographer: Olivia Harris/Bloomberg

 

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