A sea of troubles

摘要

VLADIMIR PUTIN is the world's saviour. So says a weekly prime-time show on state television, "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin." Its latest episode featured the Russian president heroically bringing peace to Syria over a lunch of lamb and raspberries with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Mr Putin being mobbed by women at a forum in St Petersburg; Mr Putin hitting a distant target at a firing range with a new sniper rifle. The aim of the programme is to boost the president's image. But as the past few weeks have shown, Mr Putin is starting to miss his mark.