Hubris. Originally a Greek word, in its English and Russian forms it has come to connote arrogance, haughtiness and excessive pride. Perhaps the most apposite definition at a moment when the Russian people stare aghast at their president, Vladimir Putin, and the chaos he is causing would be “overweening presumption”. Whichever definition is preferred, all accurately describe the fatal flaw that has brought Putin, chief architect of the disastrous Ukraine war, to the perilous place he and Russia occupy today.
Facing an armed rebellion led by a man he once counted among his most loyal cronies, Putin seems barely able to believe what is happening in southern Russia. His hasty speech on national television, and the violent and threatening language he employed, well reflected the shock he appeared to be experiencing. How dare Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former Kremlin caterer risibly nicknamed “Putin’s chef”, challenge his authority so fundamentally? The depth of his incredulity is yet another measure of his hubris.
