It is not unimportant to remember, in connection with the controversial Winter Olympics soon to be held in the Russian Federation, that President Vladimir Putin hails from St. Petersburg, the city (in the Soviet era known as Leningrad) created in the early 18th century by Peter the Great on the marshes where the Neva river flows into Baltic.
In the tsarist/imperial spirit that led to the making of this ex-nihilo new capital, Putin is reinventing Sochi into a winter-Olympics town -- located, of all places, in a sub-tropical climate on the Black Sea.
Granted, experts in Russian history might argue that Putin was following the example of Catherine the Great, in founding Odessa on the Black Sea in 1794.
But Catherine -- born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia -- a minor member of the German nobility who, thanks to her marriage to (and assassination of) Peter III, became empress of Russia (April 21, 1729 - November 17, 1796) -- was not from Russia like President Putin; the ex-KGB agent, however, did serve in then-East Germany.
And, arguably, Catherine was much more macho than Vladimir, whose "absolute" control on the country has recently been questioned, although Catherine the Great did have problems controlling her court (no wonder there were rumors about her attempting sexual intercourse with a stallion).
But let's go beyond the historical details/innuendo.
Both towns -- St. Petersburg and Sochi -- are close to strategically important seas, and are on the periphery of an essentially landlocked Russian empire/entity historically seeking security through more and more miles and miles of land/sea-walls.
Moscow, the historical Russian capital, which defended itself at great human cost to Napoleon/Nazi land invasions in our modern era, is at the heart of a geographically "undefended" Eurasian space. Hence the all-Russian rush to the sea, beyond undefended land, as a form of imaginary (?) defense, in the Cold War the sea being "space" (Sputnik).
St. Petersburg was constructed at great human and economic cost. So is the implementation of Putin's urban/sport/entertainment money-making utopia, a Russian "western adaptation" of imitating the West for the Russian elite's advantage.
Some would call Putin's pet project of communist crony capitalism (CCC without the P -- these are three of the cyrillic letters (CCC) for USSR (the cyrillic letter "P" in CCCP standing for "R" in "Republic") -- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).
The Venice of the North, as St. Petersburg has been called, was meant in part to be a bulwark against the Swedes in the 18th century. And, similarly, Sochi can be seen as a "defense" against separatism in the Caucasus, which could lead to the dissolution of the Russian Federation, I suspect authorities in Russia fear.
Both cities -- St. Peterburg, Sochi -- are/were meant to increase Russia's defense/international recognition/prestige. Not to speak of that of the image of their rulers at home.
After all, "History does not repeat itself but it does rhyme," to quote Mark Twain.
So how about, for new century, renaming Sochi St. Vladimirsburg?
Or, maybe, to keep up with the now-past 20th century, Vladimirgrad?
Or, simply, to be 21st century hip, "Like, I like VladCity"?
Sorry, make it simply "VladCity."
Image from