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‘This Is a Man Who, When Backed Into the Corner, Raises the Stakes’

FP columnist Adam Tooze on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine, and the West’s economic war against Russia.

By , a deputy editor at Foreign Policy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin toasts during a reception for military servicemen who took part in a Syrian campaign at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 28, 2017.
Russian President Vladimir Putin toasts during a reception for military servicemen who took part in a Syrian campaign at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 28, 2017.
Russian President Vladimir Putin toasts during a reception for military servicemen who took part in a Syrian campaign at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 28, 2017. Foreign Policy illustration/Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Russia’s War in Ukraine

The West’s sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are already leading to a crash in the Russian ruble that will affect the country for years to come. Those measures, specifically against the central bank, make it impossible for Russia to access the foreign currency reserves it had built up over the years.

Cameron Abadi is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @CameronAbadi

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