Quotation

The Invention of Russia

From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War
The biggest event of Primakov's short term in office was the bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO forces. On March 23, 1999 -- the eve of the NATO strikes -- Primakov was in the air, on his way to Washington to negotiate financial aid for Russia, when he learned that the airstrike on Belgrade was imminent. In a powerful gesture, loaded with symbolism, Primakov ordered his plane to turn around over the Atlantic and fly back to Moscow. . . . Primakov's U-turn was not just an expression of the government's frustration with America's policy toward Serbia and its disregard for Russia's opposition to airstrikes. It captured something far more significant -- a general change in attitude toward America and the West among the Russian general pubic. . . .