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Leigh Ann Caldwell, Peter Hamby, Julia Ioffe, Marianna Sotomayor, John Heilemann, & Abby Livingston
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Sunday through Thursday
Puck’s daily political newsletter from Washington—featuring Leigh Ann Caldwell, Peter Hamby, Marianna Sotomayor, Julia Ioffe, John Heilemann, and Abby Livingston—on what’s really happening in this town, from the White House to the Pentagon to Capitol Hill, K Street, the campaign trail, and beyond.
THE LATEST ARTICLES
Julia Ioffe
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March 22, 2022
Hacking Through Putin’s Media Cult
Jean-Michel Scherbak, a young actor and model from Moscow, has turned into perhaps the most unlikely dissident hero in the current crisis. His Instagram posts, and now Telegram stories, are educating multiple generations of Russians about what’s really going on in Ukraine.
Julia Ioffe
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March 16, 2022
Inside Biden’s Ukraine War Room
Joe Biden’s former Ukraine advisor reveals how the White House assesses Putin’s military objectives, his sanity (or lack thereof), and the best- and worst-case endgames for the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Julia Ioffe
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March 10, 2022
Inside Russia’s Media Black Hole
Within Putin’s propaganda machine, where injured Ukrainian mothers are “crisis actors” and Zelensky is a neo-nazi stooge, polls show two-thirds support for Russia’s “special military operation.” But how much of the public’s consent is manufactured? And could a generational divide provide a sliver of hope?
Julia Ioffe
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March 8, 2022
The Death of Putin
The anniversary of Stalin’s death last week was a cruel reminder inside Russia that history frequently repeats itself—and that toppling Putin wouldn’t necessarily put an end to his totalitarian politics, either.
Julia Ioffe
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March 3, 2022
Europe’s 9/11
The unitary response from Europe has caught Americans off guard. But the invasion of Ukraine has touched a raw nerve on the continent, where the traumas of World War II are still keenly felt. Is the possibility of an “off-ramp” just a delusion of the always-optimistic American mind?
Julia Ioffe
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February 28, 2022
“The Image of Putin Has Broken”
The view from the ground in Kyiv, where the national resistance is growing, and rumors of a Russian kill list hang in the air.
Julia Ioffe
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February 24, 2022
Putin’s New Iron Curtain
Putin’s deranged, cynical invasion evidences his profound intellectual discontinuity: why must Russia start a new war when its leader really just wants to fight the past?
Julia Ioffe
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February 22, 2022
Will Putin Get His World War III?
Either way, foreign policy experts in D.C. are already discussing how this crisis could forever reshape the region—and the world.
Julia Ioffe
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February 18, 2022
Putin’s Quasi War Begins
Are we witnessing the outbreak of war in Ukraine? It certainly looks that way. But as with everything involving Putin, nothing is as it seems.
Julia Ioffe
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February 15, 2022
Putin on the Brink… of What, Exactly?
War? No war? War tomorrow? It looks like Biden has boxed Putin into a trap of his own bizarre design.