Charles Grant,
New StatesmanThomas Hobbes described the life of a man as solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. The Kremlin's view of the world is dark and Hobbesian. But on a recent visit to Moscow, I was struck by the confidence of influential Russians in their country's ability to thrive in such a world. Approval ratings for Vladimir Putin have fallen to just above 60 per cent, their lowest level since Russia's intervention in Ukraine in 2014, but he is unchallenged domestically. Everyone expects the president to stay in charge at least until his current term ends in 2024, and probably for longer.