Looks completely farcical compared to putin's instrumental use of nationalism. — The Opposite

If I was a Russian liberal opponent of the regime I'd be troubled that the only guy I could support once attended far-right marches, and during the short war between Russia and Georgia referred to Georgians as rodents, and urged the government to take more drastic action:

Russia should take the following steps (at least):

1. Provide serious military and financial assistance to South Ossetia and Abkhazia (to the extent that Abkhazia is ready to actually fight in South Ossetia).
2. Declare South Ossetia a non-flying zone and immediately shoot down all aircraft that are in this zone.
3. To declare a complete blockade of Georgia. Stop any communication with her.
4. To expel from the Russian Federation all citizens of Georgia who are on our territory.

In the future, act according to the situation, but at the same time be aware that of course you really want to fire a cruise missile at the general staff of rodents, but the rodents are just waiting for this. — Navalny, 2008, through Google Translate

https://navalny.livejournal.com/274456.html

"Rodents" ("grizuny"), was a known ethnic slur against Georgians. He has since apologized for the slur but stood by the rest of it.

Generally it looks like he was somewhere around the xenophobic end of the Russian political spectrum, with a less-than-accommodating attitude to immigrants from the former Soviet republics of the Caucasus and Central Asia.

But as I've implied, I think this could be set aside in the fight against authoritarianism and corruption, and it's possible he has moderated his views. I'm certainly impressed by him at the moment. I'm not trying to cancel him as the pro-Putin tankies are no doubt spending all their time doing as I write this (I wasn't surprised to see the socialist Monthly Review peddling the idea that Navalny's return is a CIA plot).

As for Putin's nationalism, what exactly are you referring to? He's a pragmatist when it comes to issues of ethnicity, and more often than not emphasizes the multi-ethnic nature of Russia: one of the things he has always been afraid of is the country falling apart.

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

Wasn't social media around during the Arab Spring? Russian youth have had the net for a long time.

One fact to notice is that actually the Russian Opposition to Putin aren't actually very Pro-Western, or at least aren't politically correct when viewed from the West. It shows the distrust or suspicion Russians do have towards the West. Nemtsov had been a deputy prime minister during the Yeltsin years and an outspoke critic of Putin, while Navalnyi I think hasn't held office. Yet I think both Navalny (and the late Nemtsov) are obvious signs that there truly is an opposition towards Putin and Russians don't fear so much the government. Soviet times have gone and Putin cannot rule like a Soviet leader.

(Navalnyi and his wife with the late Boris Nemtsov, who was murdered in 2015)

One fact to notice is that actually the Russian Opposition to Putin aren't actually very Pro-Western, or at least aren't politically correct when viewed from the West. It shows the distrust or suspicion Russians do have towards the West. Nemtsov had been a deputy prime minister during the Yeltsin years and an outspoke critic of Putin, while Navalnyi I think hasn't held office. — ssu

As far as I can tell, Nemtsov was actually quite pro-West. For example, unlike Navalny he was against the annexation of Crimea, and supportive of Ukraine's closer ties with the West.

Yes, Nemtsov was in the camp of being basically Pro-Ukrainian. And coming from the Yeltsin camp he was quite pro-Western, but only up to a point (as was Yeltsin himself).

Nemtsov was the only Russian politician who stood together with Ukrainians in the frosty Maidan of 2004 together with the then leaders, Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko. For some Ukrainian politicians, his engagement with this country was even too much. In 2005, Oleg Tyagnibok, then a little-known right-wing politician, proposed to the Verkhovna Rada a measure that would prevent Nemtsov from continuing to serve as an official adviser to the president, since this position would be tantamount to interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine. Nemtsov was among the first critics of the Minsk agreements as inoperative, and called for Ukraine to wall off the breakaway regions in the Donbas.

In short, the simple thing is that the Russian opposition towards Putin aren't stooges of the West and if (a big if) they do come into power after Putin, it won't be all dancing on roses for the West.

More Orwellian scenes from putin's Russia:

Russian opposition towards Putin aren't stooges of the West — ssu

putin and by extension RT seem to think so.

Good old Radio Free Europe. :up:

I think it's just actually that 20 years is far too much of one leader in one country...if the people aren't Finns, I might add. Putin simply couldn't retire with Dmitri Medvedev taking the helm after him. At least that would have kept the thin veil, or rather facade, of democracy in Russia. Now there isn't any.

Until now, the first and last Russian leader to peacefully retire:

putin should be electrocuted (in the chair)

if the people aren't Finns, I might add. — ssu

What do you mean?

Over half of protesters have reportedly said this is their first protest:

Russia's political majority

What do you mean? — The Opposite

We had a President from 1956 to 1982 and only when totally incapacitated of old age did he retire. He won four terms in free elections and one extension of a term (the third). And wasn't a dictator, no demonstrations against him, no secret police hounding dissidents. Of course, he (a centrist btw) was the main man of the Soviet Union and a good friends with the Soviet leadership. Yes, he was the embodiment of Finlandization. He died in 1986 at the age of 86.

Some politicians argued that he should run for the sixth Presidential term. Afterwards my country opted for two-term limits. Whopee!


Yes, Finns are a bit different. Saatana!

Navalny gets 2 years and 8 months. In a "penal colony", which always makes me think of the Gulag.

does Saatana mean satan?

now he's a living martyr

Yes.

Wonder if he gets a cell mate with tuberculosis or/and Covid-19.

.

More waves of protests across Russia. Navalny dieing. putin with his horde of morons on the Ukrainian border.

putin needs to be taken out already.

The military junta in Myanmar's murderous crackdown and repression seems a dress-rehearsal – along with Putin's recent military build-up on the Russia-Ukraine border, a diversionary pretext – for what the Kremlin will have to unleash on its own people in the near-term to keep that kleptocratic gangster regime in power. Just my 2 пиздец rubles.

Does it have to?

It seems that restraint in the use of deadly violence (yet otherwise maintaining a large crackdown), persistence and not backing down DOES make it. At least the Western media will get bored with it and not report it, so out of sight, out of mind.

How is the situation now in Hong Kong? I think that the Chinese authorities are now in control.

How is the situation now in Belarus? - Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was last month calling for 2nd wave of protests from excile. I haven't noticed huge demonstrations anymore though.

The situation is far more bleak than you portray it: the totalitarian regimes don't have to unleash a wave of all out violence like some desperate Ghaddafi clinging on power and bring the country into total anarchy, their security machines are working well.

:chin: