The summer season night at a beachside nightclub within the Black Sea resort of Sochi resembled a contemporary model of a gladiator battle in imperial Rome. Russian fighters defeated a “world” crew in a combined martial arts competitors. Scantily clad ladies waved Russian flags and the group roared as the house crew claimed victories. The spotlight was the knockout of a 44-year-old American fighter.
It was August 2013 and sitting within the entrance row was Vladimir Putin, carrying a white shirt and flanked by safety guards and political supporters. Six months later, the Russian president set his nation on the trail to struggle by seizing Crimea from Ukraine and eventually launching a full-scale invasion subsequent week that’s getting into its third 12 months.