Putin as monster? Maybe, but not such a big one so far

Current Affairs: The Future Is History, By Masha Gessen, Granta, €20

Vladimir Putin: reportedly worth $40 billion Pic: New York Times

Current Affairs: The Future Is History, By Masha Gessen, Granta, €20

Watching Vladimir Putin smiling serenely at last week’s 2018 World Cup draw in the Kremlin, the thought occurred that it was easy to forget how essentially bland a character he is. Undeniably dapper at 65 – and why wouldn’t he be, given his reported $40 billion fortune – but he is also seemingly a charisma vacuum, and so diminutive that he barely ...