Putin's anniversaries mark dangerous degradation of his regime

The anniversary that looms large over all attempts to bring the tragic war to an end is the 25 years since the cruel destruction of Grozny in the Second Chechen War. The city has been rebuilt since, and Putin assumes that he achieved victory in the war that shaped the opening chapter of his long reign. The outcome is the dangerous mutation of the well-armed dictatorial regime in Chechnya, which constitutes a constant threat to the integrity of the Russian Federation. A more profound outcome is the maturing of the corrupt and aggressive autocratic regime in Russia itself, which constitutes a massive security threat to all European neighbors. No smart diplomacy or transactional deals can reduce the intensity of this threat, but the sustained support to Ukraine can keep it neutralized.