ABSTRACT
Since the collapse of the Soviet empire, Western observers have repeatedly had their illusions shattered by reality in the post-communist region. The first was the illusion of democratization: that the change of the political regimes in 1989–1991 would be followed by linear progress towards liberal democracy, and that any regime can be built on any kind of ruins of communist dictatorships. 1 In the case of Russia, Vladimir Putin was heralded as a consolidator of Russian democracy, described by Bill Clinton in 2000 as a leader “fully capable of building a prosperous, strong Russia, while preserving freedom and pluralism and the rule of law.” 2 Most recently, there was a widespread illusion in public discourse that war cannot happen: that the invasion of Ukraine, a European country, is unimaginable, especially as it is against the best interests of Putin’s Russia as well. 3
