MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin and his Russia look more invincible today than at any other time in his 18 years in power. Since Putin last faced an election in 2012, Russians have invaded Ukraine, annexed Crimea, blanket-bombed Syria, been accused of meddling in the U.S. presidential election and claimed to have a scary new nuclear arsenal. "No one listened to us. You listen to us now," he said earlier this month, boasting about those weapons. Putin will overwhelmingly win re-election as president on March 18, again. So why bother holding a vote at all?  |