Ivan Sukhov: Will Putin become a new Stalin?
This photo taken on July 28, 2014 shows a placard depicting Adolf Hitler (L), Joseph Stalin (C) and Russian President Vladimir Putin displayed on the Maidan camp on Independence Square in Kyiv.
Russia almost gave itself a new public holiday this week. A group of citizens proposed creating a day to commemorate the "polite men" who carried guns but had no military insignia when they appeared in Crimea shortly before it was annexed by Russia. And although the Crimean operation took place in March, this group proposed commemorating the event on Oct. 7, President Vladimir Putin's birthday.