The defining event of Vladimir V. Putin ’s initial rise to power was the crushing of an Islamist insurgency in Chechnya, at the cost of human rights abuses and years of dictatorial rule there. The defining event since his return to the presidency two years ago was his hard-line response to the Ukraine uprising in February, with the invasion and annexation of Crimea and the incursion into southeastern Ukraine — while sneering at critics in the West. On Thursday, Mr. Putin was forced to contend with trouble on both fronts, as insurgents mounted a deadly attack in the Chechen capital of Grozny, and he was compelled in his yearly address to reassure Russians that his assertive foreign policy would not bring economic ruin. An overnight attack in Grozny left at least 20 people dead and shattered years of relative calm. Yet just as the attack reminded Russians […]