In Russia, Rumblings of Discontent Grow as Oligarchs Move to Plug Gaps

“Despite having created a highly centralized political system, he is not going to be the commander-in-chief of this war. Instead, he would rather force local leaders to take the tough decisions, demanding they both save lives and save the economy, while sniping at them from the sidelines,” according to Mark Galeotti, an analyst at Britain's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), and a columnist for the Moscow Times. “He is retaining real power, but handing his boyars the burden of coronavirus,” he adds.