Ryan Bauer
It has been over a month since Ukraine began its offensive into the Kursk region in southwestern Russia. Russia’s media apparatus has continually downplayed the significance of the incursion and President Vladimir Putin has only publicly discussed it a few times. Putin’s relative silence on the issue suggests a lack of critical leadership qualities.
Putin’s failure to engage in trustworthy and transparent public communication is hardly surprising given his record of minimizing his public role in crises to skirt responsibility for failures and shift blame onto others. This time, however, Putin’s lack of response has led to criticism from supporters, suggesting cracks in his approach.
Throughout his presidency, Putin has repeatedly failed to project leadership qualities in times of crisis, particularly in recent years. One example is the 2004 siege of a school in Beslan by Chechen rebels. Survivors decried the mishandling of the hostage crisis and heaped criticism on Russian leaders including Putin, who sought to shift blame to regional leaders.
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