Vladimir Putin, the head man in Russia, took his wife out to attend a ballet performance.  At the intermission, he was asked by a reporter, first, how he enjoyed the ballet and, secondly, if he was going to become divorced soon.  In a display of modesty for Vladimir Putin, he announced that he was indeed seeking a divorce from his wife who was standing by his side.
Most of the divorces in this country take place in a fit of anger.  But Mr. Putin was very matter of fact about his divorce.  There was no discussion about why the Putins had taken this course of action.  I suppose that these are subjects that the prevailing winds in Moscow tend to avoid.  The remarkable thing about it is that most divorces take place as a result of anger.  What is perhaps reassuring in the Putin divorce is that it is taking place in a sea of civility.
The fact of the matter is that Vladimir Putin and his wife appeared in public to announce a very painful decision that they did intend to be divorced.  I sincerely hope that Mrs. Putin is monetarily covered adequately in the divorce settlement.  But no matter how this is sliced, the fact is that Vladimir Putin and his wife appeared jointly at the ballet performance and announced that they were indeed heading for the divorce court.  Perhaps the Russians are setting a model for future divorces.
I do not know whether there is another woman involved or whether Mrs. Putin has her eye on a settlement.  Both matters are beyond my inquiry.  So I will let it go with the thought that Vladimir Putin invites his wife to attend a ballet performance with him and uses that event to announce that he intends to divorce her.  Perhaps the Russians have something here.  If everything is going as smoothly as it seems to be, I would say, “Hurray for Vladimir Putin and his wife ending their marriage in a sea of civility.”  If that is true, I applaud the Putins.  But if it is not true, as many facts from Russia seem to be, I apologize.  But it may be a model for those who do not love their spouses anymore. May I state that this seems to be a matter of great civility with both sides attending a performance of the ballet to announce that she was being pushed.  Who would have thought that the Russians would ever be full of civility in matters of the heart?
E. E. CARR
June 11, 2013
Essay 750
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The various commentaries on countries is one of the things that I can never quite figure out with some of Ezra’s Essays. For instance there is nothing that strikes me as surprising when it comes to Russians displaying civility.
If we believe the Kremlin then the whole thing was not staged, but let’s be honest here it seems like if it weren’t staged then he would not have answered.