You are correct, and I was thinking more about his being a former correspondent for The Economist (which I read in the Dr.'s waiting room and inevitably end up even more ill by the time I am seen...) rather than the fact that the article was not published by The Economist or any other widely read publication (though was accessable via JRL).  

I am curious. What was the purpose of this piece?

And I think you just might be shocked by what "gets through" on the nightly news in America.  Op-ed is considerably more prevalent than the facts.  And forget serious investigative journalism.  So perhaps that is why I read this and felt it sounded just like every other piece I've heard on Russia...

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire