Russian riddles: What’s making Putin so jumpy despite Iran war boost?

“A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” That’s how Winston Churchill famously described Russia. The old Russian-ruled communist empire, to which the British statesman was referring almost a century ago, is long gone. But Russia’s ability to surprise and baffle even seasoned observers remains as potent as ever.

Just consider the following. The US-led war on Iran has been good for Russia. It sent the price of oil soaring, promising Moscow a financial bonanza. It has also meant that American weapons and munitions are badly needed in the Middle East, so they cannot be delivered or sold to Ukraine, which President Vladimir Putin has failed to subdue despite more than four years of fighting.