Really, if Putin was the mastermind behind such a move, wouldn’t he come up with something that would unite more than just the base? Or at a more inconvenient time, say in two months when the debt ceiling vote (and potential economic disaster) is due? Sure, there’s political turmoil and hundreds of thousands of Americans are suffering right now, but the only way such a move makes sense is if he’s preparing to burn his asset in a ploy to cause greater damage that a potential debt default.