By Lyle Goldstein
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine transforms the global order and a new "iron curtain" descends across Europe, those of us watching Russian media are both repulsed and saddened by the anti-Western vitriol now consuming the Russian airwaves.
However, now and then, light shines through the bitter morass of propaganda.
A powerful reminder that some Russian journalists retain their sophisticated rationality and a knack for much-needed critical thinking was amply evident in a spicy article published by the Russian magazine Military Review on 18 April under the reasonably innocuous title "The Three Phases of the Winter War" [Три Этапы Зимний Войны].
At the surface level, the piece is simply a reminder of the costly war the USSR fought against Finland for three winter months in 1939-1940. But reading between the lines, the article amounts to a bold critique of the Kremlin and may also offer clues to the future direction of the terrible conflict in Ukraine.
This piece was originally published in Insider on May 11, 2022. Read more HERE.