Putin, RT & Soviet kitsch: Recipe for perfect magazine cover

What makes a perfect front page? It seems the British news magazine The Spectator knows the answer – and it’s all about Putin and Russophobic hysteria. RT explains:

The British conservative weekly The Spectator toyed with an iconic Soviet WWII poster on its cover this week – it features Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, in the guise of Mother Russia holding an iPad with RT’s logo on the screen. A catchy caption says: “Putin VS the World: He’s winning, in propaganda and on the ground.”

READ MORE: Putin & Russia ‘hysteria’ help to sell copies of Western media – Spectator editor to RT

The issue itself contains two long articles on Russia. A piece by Paul Wood elaborates on a common Russophobic fear – that Russia might invade the Baltic States and plunge the continent into a war. However, the second article by Rod Liddle urges bringing an end to the saber-rattling against Russia, asking what would happen if Western politicians go so far as to actually convince themselves that Russia is a real threat.

READ MORE: Between imaginary threats and hysteria: How Russia dominates Western headlines

While the magazine played up Western fears over Russia, its deputy editor, Freddy Gray, told RT that this madness helps sell copies, noting that the “hysteria” can be explained by “some deep psychic need for an enemy, which Putin is filling very neatly for us at the moment.”