Russian President Vladimir Putin sat comfortably in a white armchair at an event of a prestigious discussion club in the city of Sochi, explaining in his constant ease how he rejects the values of the liberal West, and where, in the opinion of the veteran Russian leader, the line of disagreement between his regime and the EU And the United States.
The Russian president was targeting transgender people, or at least the Western willingness to allow children to hear the concept, which he called "crime against humanity."
Putin also attacked the culture of abolition of the progressive left, and surprisingly also the capitalism that characterizes the right and the libertarians.
The vision Putin proposed included "preserving our spiritual values and our ancient traditions."
Ironically, while Putin was talking in Sochi about tradition and spiritual values, in Moscow a piece of the Kremlin's ancient wall collapsed, in itself an insignificant but symbolic anecdote to Putin's Russia, in which history and tradition are discussed.
However, behind the rosy picture created by the government, the neglect and helplessness reach the highest levels.
Putin: "Ukraine's military development poses a threat to Russia" // Photo: Reuters
It is difficult to name the many achievements of Putin's two decades of rule on the front lines of the House in Russia.
Although the economic situation has stabilized since the days of wild inflation in the 1990s, Russia is far from flourishing economically and huge parts of it are faltering instead.
Alongside the economic shuffle are the corona plague that has hit Russia much harder than other countries, mainly due to the refusal of a large part of the population to get vaccinated, as well as growing political repression.
This is due to a series of laws that allowed the government to declare opposition organizations as "subversive organizations".
Despite this problematic record at the front of the house, Putin is making a force in the international arena.
Its Syrian Expeditionary Force has managed to salvage Bashar al-Assad's course regime and become a significant player in the region.
Kremlin support also managed to rescue Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko from a popular revolution that threatened his rule.
It has now succeeded in forcing Europe to significantly increase natural gas prices, with its country being the Union's largest supplier of this energy source.
Faced with the growing aggressiveness of Putin's foreign relations, the West is offering rather lukewarm responses.
Moscow refuses to transfer large surpluses of natural gas to northern European countries, including Germany, pending Berlin's approval to operate the Nordstream 2 pipeline - a project that would significantly increase the volume of gas Russia could export to Europe and eliminate the need to ship it through Ukraine, whose relations with Moscow are at least problematic. .
Germany's dependence on Russian gas, along with the growing division in the NATO alliance, led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are just some of the reasons for the West's lukewarm response to Putin's aggression. Estonia, a country deeply concerned about Russian involvement in its affairs, is Putin's way of working.
Putin and Biden, Photo: AP
"When he sees an opportunity, he takes it. That's how it was with the annexation of the Crimea, Georgia and Syria. He only respects messages of power and if we continue to show unity, he will continue on his own. The West wants to do ice skating with Russia, but Putin plays hockey." , Says the Estonian army man.
Indeed, Putin's success with the West stems from his ability to manipulate the various forces in the US and Europe, including the political ones within the countries.
President Biden himself, who was elected with a promise to send a strong message to a man in the Kremlin, has so far shown little willingness to confront him in reality.
Contrary to belligerent rhetoric, Biden called Putin a "killer" in an interview he gave last year, the US president has done little, if any, to curb Putin's ambition.
The separatist policy adopted by Biden reduces Moscow's fear of US military intervention in any region, and it may only be a matter of time before the Russian president recognizes an opportunity and amazes the world again.