Thousands of kilometers to the north, another conflict showed no sign of resolution. According to the British newspaper Mirror, as reported by Greek media, Vladimir Putin has moved his two daughters — Maria Vorontsova, 41, and Katerina Tikhonova, 39 — along with their children, to the heavily fortified Valdai palace. The relocation was reportedly prompted by heightened assassination fears, internal betrayals, and the general instability generated by the war in Ukraine. The report characterizes Putin as increasingly “paranoid.”
A Guardian editorial published the same day offered a broader strategic view: Russia’s vaunted “spring offensive” is failing, and Ukrainian drones have brought the war to Moscow and other major cities. Putin last week dismissed an open letter from President Zelenskyy calling for face-to-face talks, declining even to mention Ukraine’s president by name at an economic forum in St. Petersburg. He insisted that all of Russia’s war aims — including full annexation of the Donbas — remained on track. The editorial argued that Europe must further strengthen Zelenskyy’s negotiating hand, noting Putin is now “in blood stepped in so far” that a ceasefire may feel more politically dangerous than continuing a war that has cost an estimated 500,000 Russian lives.
