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This Happened

This Happened—January 23: The First COVID Lockdown

On this day three years ago, the Chinese government imposed a lockdown in Wuhan in what marked the unofficial beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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When was the first lockdown in Wuhan?

As a measure to stop the spread of COVID-19, first identified in Wuhan, the first lockdown was put into place on January 23, 2020 and lasted for 76 days ending on April 8, 2020.

What were the restrictions during the Wuhan lockdown?

During the lockdown, residents were not allowed to leave their homes or neighborhoods, and all public transportation was suspended. Movement within the city was also restricted, and all non-essential businesses were closed.

Did the Wuhan lockdown work?

The lockdown, along with other measures implemented in China, was effective in slowing the spread of the virus. However, the virus quickly spread to other countries, leading to a global pandemic.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

The Tyrant's Solitude: How Dictators Lose Touch With Reality

The fundamentally irrational decision to invade Ukraine was the final proof that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been living in a world of illusions. He may be best understood by retracing the steps of history's other tyrants, and gauging how their stories ended.

Photo of Vladimir Putin making remarks during a Victory Day military parade marking the 76th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, in Moscow's Red Square

Vladimir Putin in Moscow's Red Square

Sergiy Gromenko*

-Analysis-

KYIVFeb. 21, 2022. This wasn't just the day when Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine became inevitable. This was also the day that two critical parts of Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime were made clear: his unconditional dominance even over his closest, highest-ranking associates, and his complete immersion in the world of his illusions, where even his associates are forbidden to enter.

When both of these features lined up, the result was his suicidal decision to attack Ukraine.

Tyrants and despots style themselves as the most knowledgeable among mortals. Supposedly, they have access to detailed reports from the omnipresent, omnipotent special services, who never miss anything. That is why the despot seems to know everything better than the average person. There is no need to ask the people anything: the giraffe is tall — it sees further.

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This could not be further from the truth.

In fact, each person has their own worldview. The more authoritarian a person is, the stronger the conviction that their view is correct; the higher the person, the more they are inclined to believe that they are doing everything right.

Having risen to the heights of power, the dictator falls into a vicious circle.

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