India, July 5 -- Myth of Crimea as Putin's untouchable triumph looks shakier today than at any point in the past.

Crimea holds a major strategic, historical, and symbolic value for Russia, and there's a certain irony in watching this crumble, not through tanks or invasions, but through empty petrol stations and dark streets. That's precisely what's happening right now, and it might be the biggest headache Vladimir Putin has faced in years. Last week, Russian-installed officials in occupied Crimea declared a state of emergency, reflecting a fuel crisis so severe that petrol sales to ordinary residents were suspended entirely for a stretch in late June. This isn't the result of some dramatic battlefield breakthrough by Ukraine. It's the sl...