When the Kremlin announced that Vladimir Putin would hold a special session of his Security Council on July 22 to discuss the “safeguarding of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” observers around the world wondered what ace the cagey Russian president might have up his sleeve this time.
Since Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was fell from the skies over eastern Ukraine on July 17, Putin has faced increasingly angry calls to end his support for the rebels who are suspected of shooting down the plane. Would he take this opportunity to close the border with Ukraine and cut off the uprising from Russian volunteers and weapons? Or would he react defiantly, perhaps by starting a military operation in response to Ukrainian troops allegedly shelling Russian territory in recent weeks?
Alec Luhn 