It seems like V. Putin is as firmly in place as any of his soviet predecessors were. Who would remove him? Street demonstrators? Angry voters? Truth-telling? Putin is not a one-man act. Does he not have plenty of powerful friends (fellow liars, thieves, knaves, and scoundrels) whose mutual interests are going to be protected all round?

Yes, one day Putin will be removed from office, perhaps by the undertaker. Or, maybe another crook will oust him and pick up where Putin left off. I don't expect a refreshing revolution and an outbreak of democratic virtue in the near term.

but with the pandemic the ground has shifted. Many protests are happening in various Russian cities: https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN29R10S

(...) but with the pandemic the ground has shifted. Many protests are happening in various Russian cities (...) — The Opposite

Also, he suffered a big electoral blow recently. He lost the White House.

:rofl:

Today hundreds have been detained in protests across Russia: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55778334

I guess he went to get the second dose of novichok.

nah

Truth-telling? Putin is not a one-man act — Bitter Crank

Sadly, Putin seems to be like tell'm-what-they-want-to-hear Trump, except with KGB spycraft. He seems to be popular with non-intellectuals, because he promises to make Russia great again : MRGA --- as in the Soviet Empire. But, unlike the US, Russia doesn't have an ingrained tradition of democracy to limit the populist persuasive power of ego-driven autocrats. :sad:

He seems to be popular with non-intellectuals — Gnomon

putin and co also fearmonger to attempt to get the populace on side:

And I am very happy about the demonstrations. Can public resistance bring Putin down? Given big enough demonstrations that continue long enough, and with at least tacit cooperation from at least some of the powers that be, Putin might be brought down, or at least humiliated (egotistical thugs like Putin and Trump hate that).

But then there is the Hong Kong example, where massive demonstrations and tacit cooperation from some of the powers that be, the apparatchiks didn't crumble. Of course Russia and Hong Kong are vastly different.

it's high time these protesters were armed.

high time these protesters were armed. — The Opposite

They just need horns and animal skins.

if they were hicks and fighting for the complete opposite reasons.

Messenger: "The people are revolting."
King Hanover: "Yes, they certainly are."
Messenger: "What shall we do?"
King Hanover: "Release the hounds."

Has anyone watched this video by Navalny — The Opposite

Yep: as I write this it's had over 79 million views :grin:

Has anyone here watched — The Opposite

Yep: as I write this it's had over 79 million views :grin: — jamalrob

Fixed

what are your thoughts on the protests? Did you join in?

what are your thoughts on the protests? Did you join in? — The Opposite

I think they're entirely justified and I hope it has some momentum, although it's difficult to see how at the moment. And no, I stayed well away from the city centre. Getting arrested or kicked out of the country is something I want to avoid at all costs. Not only that but I don't feel like it's my fight, or maybe, I don't feel I know enough about it. I think on balance that Navalny is to be admired and supported right now, but his apparent past support of ethnic Russian nationalism isn't something I could get behind.

But that last point isn't all that significant here. Obviously the protesters were not nationalists in that sense; they were protesting against authoritarianism and corruption. Really it's just that I can't risk getting kicked out.

Where do you think this is heading? Will (can) putin ever be removed? — The Opposite

Of course, but I'm not so sure about it. Yet quite high numbers of arrested.

Remember Belarus? The mass demonstrations there? For what I know, Lukashenka is still President.


You see, there's a pattern. Russians do have protested against Putin for a long time.
Moscow protests in 2019:


Moscow protests in 2016:


Demonstrators in Russia mourn and protest the death of Boris Nemtsov 2015:

Who remembers Boris Nemtsov?

Moscow protests after Putin's re-election 2011:


And there may be many large demonstrations against Putin that I miss here.

So what's new now? Russians will try to copy Americans?

Or that the US doesn't have Agent Trumpov in the White House to praise Vlad, but this guy below?

At least Alexei Navalny was against the banning of Trump on Twitter.

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Saturday criticized Twitter for banning US President Donald Trump from the social platform following Wednesday's attack at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.

In a Twitter thread, Navalny said he thinks the ban is "an unacceptable act of censorship. - This precedent will be exploited by the enemies of freedom of speech around the world. In Russia as well. Every time when they need to silence someone, they will say: 'this is just common practice, even Trump got blocked on Twitter,'" Navalny wrote. "

but his apparent past support of ethnic Russian nationalism isn't something I could get behind — jamalrob

Source?

So what's new now? — ssu

Social media; apps like Tiktok are helping mobilize Russia's younger demographic against putin's regime.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.rferl.org/amp/protests-russia-navalny-tiktok/31063626.html

Plenty of information around. Just look for it yourself. Not that it's significant in the present context.

had a quick butcher's. Looks completely farcical compared to putin's instrumental use of nationalism.

Navalny is illegally detained right now and Russia might lose the only recognizable opposition politician who isn't fake, already emigrated or dead.

The US got rid of it's tyrant. Time for Russia to do the same.