By Iryna Severin | UAObserver
Bilateral talks between Zelensky and Putin are a ritualistic fiction that allows Putin to derail sanctions, or at least postpone developments beyond August, as August is often a fatal month for Russia. Russians regard it with caution, even dread. Many speak in whispers of the 'Russian August curse,' a month when some of the nation’s most ominous events have unfolded.
From the failed coup of August 1991, which ended the USSR, to the financial collapse of 1998 that crippled Yeltsin’s presidency, and the dramatic events of August 1999 that ushered Vladimir Putin to power amid war in the Caucasus, the Kursk submarine disaster in 2000 and others ominous events, August have repeatedly proven to be Russia’s month of reckoning, when history bends sharply.
Putin has long been known for susceptibility to superstition and obsession with the occult, tendencies that grow sharper whenever Russia faces battlefield setbacks or economic strain, especially under the threat of sanctions.
Russian political culture has a history of mystics, magic, and ritualistic symbolism influencing leaders. Putin himself is said to make decisions according to astrology and numerology, seek ritual reinforcement, and frame geopolitical struggles in mythic terms. So, simply surviving August is a challenging task for Putin.
Moreover, there is a prediction that Putin will lose power in August, which makes him even more cautious. Therefore, after August is over, we can see a different, more aggressive Putin.
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