This bizarre brew appears to have been concocted in an effort to reconcile the irreconcilable: the current yearning for democracy with Russia’s despotic past. But, like any muddle, it is succeeding only in confusing Russians about themselves and their country.
这种奇怪组合的出现看来是为了调解不可化解的矛盾：带着俄罗斯专制统治的历史，在今日呼吁民主。但是，正如任何混乱一样，只有使所有的俄罗斯人对他们自己以及他们的国家感到无比困惑时，这种调解矛盾之道方能成功。奇怪的是，普京看来和其他人一样，都被这种混乱迷惑不解。