Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008. He was also the Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012.
I’m a Trans Woman. Bullies Don’t Surprise Me, but Allies Still Do.
nytimes.comIn late March, President Vladimir Putin of Russia compared his country’s reputational plight to that of J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series.
In a speech railing against the West’s efforts to ostracize Russia, Mr. Putin groused about “cancel culture” run amok, pointing to what he called the cancellation of the author because she “did not please fans of so-called gender freedoms.” Ms.
Rowling was, understandably, not thrilled to learn Russia’s president, who began his brutal, deadly war against Ukraine six weeks ago, believed they were of common cause. “Critiques of Western cancel culture,” she tweeted, “are possibly not best made by those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or who jail and poison their critics.” She included a link to a BBC story on Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who has been poisoned and imprisoned.
Ms. Rowling was absolutely right to push back at Putin’s statement and to use her bully pulpit to redirect attention to Mr. Navalny’s story.
