“Will Russia’s ruling elite splinter under Western pressure and push President Vladimir Putin toward de-escalation in Ukraine? The leaked transcript of a Moscow conversation about the nation’s soccer league embracing Crimean teams suggests not. Novaya Gazeta, a Moscow weekly, has published what it says is the transcript of a Russian Soccer Union executive committee meeting held on July 30. While the recording’s authenticity is impossible to establish, sports reporters in the Russian capital are convinced it’s genuine. While I tend to agree, it might be wise to treat the transcript as a play with characters based on actual personalities.” Bloomberg View