Newspaper Reader

Adam Roberts
Digital editor

Hello from London,

What consequences might flow from Friday’s terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow? Even—or especially—for an autocrat who just won a sham election, there is a risk of looking weak or wrong-footed after such a horrific event. Vladimir Putin, a spy by training, tends to stay out of the public eye when confronted by unexpected crises. Last year, for example, he was nowhere to be seen as Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, led a column of fighters towards Moscow. The Russian president took his revenge later.

This time, as our new article explains, Mr Putin hopes to pin the blame for the Moscow attack on his foes in Ukraine. I suspect he will struggle to do so. An affiliate of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, and it bore the group’s hallmarks. Russia has suffered from Islamist attacks on civilian targets before. Indeed, just a few weeks ago American intelligence warned of an imminent assault by such actors in Russia. Mr Putin dismissed their claims as blackmail. 

Nonetheless, Mr Putin will surely try to take advantage of the uncertainty. He might, for example, say that the terrorist threat requires more resources to be given to the security services. Perhaps he will try to mobilise another wave of conscripts to fill the ranks of his army ahead of an anticipated spring offensive for his needless war in Ukraine. Large numbers of young Russian conscripts are slaughtered there each week. Last month we published a grim article assessing how many Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the invasion two years ago.

Beyond Russia, we have published a new article on the American election: not the presidential race, but the contest for control of Congress. Republicans are within a whisker of losing control of the House of Representatives, just as Democrats may be forced to give up their grip on the Senate. After November, both chambers could see a change of control.

Last week I promised a slightly less fiendish set of questions for our weekly history quiz, Dateline. I believe we have delivered, but let me know how you get on with the new batch.

Spare a thought for the disjointed opposition in India as the election campaign gets under way in the world’s biggest democracy. Late last week the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, was arrested. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but it’s a bad look when opposition politicians are dragged off to jail and the bank accounts of their parties frozen, whereas figures in the ruling coalition are left alone. I knew Mr Kejriwal a bit, when I was a correspondent in Delhi a decade or so ago. His newish political party is finding ways to win over voters beyond the capital. Perhaps he is seen as a threat.

Here in Britain I expect to see more stories in the coming days about the royal family, after the Princess of Wales said she was being treated for cancer. Almost every family, including my own, knows how cancer can upend lives. This should be a moment for discussing how to reduce its prevalence and promote better treatment for everyone.

Finally, we have a new story on the boom in equities. The strength of America’s stockmarkets is remarkable, but some analysts are beginning to brace for a crash. Should investors hunting for value look further afield? 

Our inbox is crammed with your responses from last week on Israel and Gaza. Thank you for your comments—we read them all and enjoy most of them. This week I’d like you to tell me how you expect Mr Putin to respond to the Moscow terror attack—and what, if anything, it might mean for the war in Ukraine. You can reach us at economisttoday@economist.com.

Newspaper Reader