More from the OpEd...

... According to Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar, who had a guest op-ed published about it in The New York Times on Tuesday, "... it's not because Donald Trump is seen as a pro-Russian politician or even one of their own -- those illusions faded long ago," he says. "Nor is it the prospect of an advantageous peace deal in Ukraine, ruthlessly brokered by Mr. Trump ... the excitement comes from something else.

It's that to many in the Kremlin, a Trump presidency might bring about the collapse of the American state."

The idea that the United States is entering the final stage of its history has been kicking around Russia for some time, Zygar says.

"For years, it was confined to fringe voices. But since around 2020, figures from the Kremlin have been making the argument, too. Leading the charge was Nikolai Patrushev, a former director of the Federal Security Service and one of Mr. Putin's key advisers. Widely regarded as Russia's leading hard-liner, he was among the first to claim that America was on an inexorable path to implosion." ...