No matter what caused the fatal crash of a Russian airliner inEgypt, the answer will almost certainly hit Russia hard - but not President Vladimir Putin. There's no indication of a force-majeure cause such as freak weather, leaving terrorism or aircraft failure as the leading suspects. Either answer could challenge Russia's new self-confidence - but could also be used by Putin to advance his aims and reinforce his power. Since a Metrojet Airbus A321-200 crashed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula on Oct. 31, killing all 224 people aboard, Russian officials have assiduously refrained from speculating on the cause of the crash and upbraided the news media for doing so. Most of those killed...
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