Liberatus ASI

At times, President  Vladimir V. Putin  of Russia seemed to be limping and in pain this weekend, but as the  annual Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation  meeting wrapped up here on Sunday, the Russian leader showed some of his trademark swagger, hitting back at political opponents who mocked his latest stunt:  flying a motorized glider to help lead endangered cranes  from Siberia on their migration south.

Vladimir Putin, Russia’s stuntman President, donned a white helmet and coveralls Thursday and took to the Siberian skies in a motorized, white hang glider. It was a ruse designed to fool a flock of rare cranes into following him on a practice flight before they’re released into the wild. Today Mr. Putin will be in Vladivostok, Russia’s Pacific capital, preparing to introduce the city to 22 visiting leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit. Russia, he will try to convince them, is ready to play a bigger role in Asia, with Vladivostok ready to join Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo as one of the economic hubs of northeast Asia. At a quick glance – and that’s all Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the other APEC leaders will have during the 48-hour summit this weekend – Vladivostok looks ready for prime time. The APEC summit will be hosted on Russkiy Island, an isolated former Soviet military base that has been overhauled into the new campus of the Far East Federal Univer...