The Kremlin Must Be in Crisis Putin’s erratic actions are not those of a secure leader. By Anne Applebaum The Atlaantic, September 21, 2022 About the author: Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic. If an American president announced a major speech, booked the networks for 8 p.m., and then disappeared until the following morning, the analysis would be immediate and damning: chaos, disar..