Thus The Wall Street Journal today. “Separatists in eastern Ukraine decided to go ahead with a vote on independence despite Russian president Vladimir Putin’s appeal for a delay, as he supervised large-scale military exercises across Russia,” elaborates the newspaper. That is, he himself has become a victim of the angry mob (“Hoisted by His Own Petard,” March 17, 2014). I wonder, though. And very much so. Chances are that the whole operation is running perfectly smoothly and that Putin is only trying to look as sweet as possible under the circumstances. Many of the sanctions against Russia are in question, and a soft touch is most welcome at the moment. But Putin is not missing a beat. Against the cacophony from the so-called west, he alone has a part that is easy to follow. The whole show is his, anyhow. As for the final act, it is anyone’s guess, but Ukraine will be the same never again. Right now, it is his playdough.