To understand Putin’s Russia, you have to think of it less as a country and more as a crime family with nukes. Even the oligarchs operate like mafia capos, doing the bidding of the world’s most genocidal godfather. Patrick Radden Keefe in The New Yorker is basically the godfather of nonfiction writing these days. If I link to him enough, I’ll be a made man. In this case, it’s an easy place to direct a hit. How Putin’s Oligarchs Bought London. “The stark implication of ‘Putin’s People’ is not just that the President of Russia may be a silent partner in one of England’s most storied sports franchises but also that England itself has been a silent and handsomely compensated partner in Putin’s kleptocratic designs—that, in the past two decades, Russian oligarchs have infiltrated England’s political, economic, and legal systems.”

+ “In 36 days of fighting on Iwo Jima during World War II, nearly 7,000 Marines were killed. Now, 20 days after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia invaded Ukraine, his military has already lost more soldiers, according to American intelligence estimates.” NYT (Gift Article): As Russian Troop Deaths Climb, Morale Becomes an Issue. He’s murdering his own people, too. And faced with poor results, he’s lashing out at his own population in classic fascist style.

+ “No one knows how long Ukrainian defenders can hold. Russian forces have attacked with tanks, artillery and fighter jets, pummeling the city on three sides. Every day brings more death. But also defiance.” NYT (Gift Article): ‘I’m Not Scared of Anything’: Death and Defiance in a Besieged Ukrainian City.

+ “They had no orders for what to do if they are defeated. That, they didn’t plan for.” The two-day battle of Voznesensk dealt one of the biggest routs to Vladimir Putin’s forces since they invaded Ukraine.

+ Over 3.1 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russian invasion began. It’s incredible how much damage one sociopath can do.

+ WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia extended to May 19.