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‘The West Has Lost Touch with Reality’
Putin’s hysterical Valdai speech yet again confirms who is running Russia

It is an indescribably tranquil spot on the planet Earth where, when not generously doling out the riches of the great and blessed Russian nation, the current czar spends much of his time communing with the small animals of the forest, sipping on tea with honey with his attractive ex-gymnast wife and playing an assortment of board games with his small brood of good-hearted, well-balanced children.
Where you ask, dear reader, is this place any of us would aspire to while away hours, if not years, of life? It is on the banks of Lake Valdai — pictured above. If you close your eyes and imagine any magical lands dotted with castles, wizards, and dragons from childhood fairy tales, this picture will surely edge its way into your subconscious.
The good leader, who goes by the name Vlad — Vlad the Conquerer, Vlad the Good, Vlad the Just, and to his enemies, Vlad the Vengeful — once a year invites the elite of Russia to come to hear him muse about their beloved nation.
Called the Valdai Discussion Club, it is located 2100 kilometers to the South of the magical forest hideaway — the good leader cannot take the chance of letting so many of his beloved subjects get too close to his pristine world — hordes of sycophants seeking additional favor flock to the discussion, which is little more than a typical Putinesque rant. This year’s monologue offered no surprises to anyone present but was memorable to many present and not present for its colorful reimagination of history.
"We did not start the so-called war in Ukraine. On the contrary — we are trying to finish it,” Putin told a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The West had caused the war because the United States was a “hegemon” that considered itself the only arbiter of truth on the planet, said the Kremlin chief (The West Has Lost Touch with Reality).
While not thunderous, the applause was substantial enough that Vlad the Colonizer had to pause and wait for the wave of noise to die down. Looking out over his subjects, he reached deep into his imagination and realized that anything he could or would say would…