Letter: Putin directing the Republican party

Every day we hear of yet another absurd move by the Republicans who desperately try to gain points in public opinion ahead of the Nov. elections. And the closer we look, the more we recognize Putin’s handwriting all over the wall. Whether it’s the opposition to supporting the Ukrainians in their self-defense against Russian aggression, whether it’s the absurd attempts to impeach Pres. Biden, whether it’s the strategy to deny the outcomes of our elections, if not their manipulation, or whether it’s former Pres. Trump’s antics and gaslighting, we can recognize Russian influence. Putin is a former KGB man, and he knows that it is much more cost-effective to mesmerize or hypnotize the conservative masses in the USA than to confront our so-far still free democracy in military terms. Putin has his hands also in the pockets of many German politicians and others, but the buck should stop here. We can have disagreements, but any American supporting Putin is a traitor.