MOSCOW -- Political crisis in Moscow is not over after the local elections. Opposition protests seriously undermined the ruling party United Russia. All eyes are at Putin
MOSCOW -- Political crisis in Moscow is not over after the local elections. Opposition protests seriously undermined the ruling party United Russia. All eyes are at Putin
Source: Vijesti
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Tanjug, Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Yegor Zhukov, Moscow student, published a video-blog on August 1st, depicting how the members of Russian security services had taken up all the power in Russia, using protests re: local elections as an excuse.
"Russia will inevitably be free, but we may not experience it if we let fear win, because when fear conquers, silence ensues ... silence disturbed by the squeaking of the black police van's brakes and the deafening doorbell, which divides life into the before and after", he wrote, as Podgorica Vijesti reported.
Eight hours later, in the middle of the night, police rang the doorbell. He sent another message: "They came for me." He was taken away after hours and charged with involvement in "mass riots" during summer protests. The charges were fabricated. Not only were the protests peaceful, but Zhukov was also misidentified in a recording used by police.
But his arrest, as well as the arrest of numerous other activists, was not accompanied by silence. Students and academics signed open letters, bloggers and rappers came to support him in court, and at the next major protest on August 10, about 50,000 people took to the streets. Zhukov was released and remained in custody after a month in detention, with the original charge reversed to a somewhat milder degree for "extremism".
Putin's running out of non-violent methods
Britain's "Economist" writes that protests in Moscow have shown that Russian President Vladimir Putin is running out of non-violent means of maintaining power. However, they also showed that ordinary Russians were no longer prepared to suffer terror and that this change in the mood of the people made it difficult for the Kremlin to terrorize them.
The current crisis has been fueled by authorities' fear of losing local elections in Moscow, according to the British newspaper, adding that for many Russians, those elections turned into a battle for the Kremlin itself.
Authorities were initially quite restrained. However, when several tents were spread out in the center of Moscow, officials feared it could be the beginning of a Ukrainian-style rebellion, so they sent special units.
They beat unarmed protesters, including women, and arrested about 1,400 of them. So what began as a protest against electoral fraud, turned into a human rights movement.
One poll showed that 41 percent of Russians, and half of the Moscow residents, thought the use of force was excessive and cruel, while 32 percent said it was justified. The Economist states that many people who once considered the state a guarantee of stability and growth, now see it as a threat.
The police carried out mass raids yesterday. This time, the target being supporters of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny throughout the country, which is described as the largest showdown of its kind in Russia's modern history.
Russian state security services have carried out simultaneous nationwide raids on the Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s regional headquarters four days after pro-Putin candidates suffered massive losses in the Moscow city assembly elections.
The operation, involving more than 1,000 officers in at least 200 individual raids and ostensibly in connection with money-laundering charges Navalny says are politically motivated, was carried out across 40 Russian towns.
“Putin is very upset,” Navalny said in an online video. He said the raids were larger than any operation Russian law enforcement agencies had ever carried out to tackle corruption, drug-smuggling or terrorism. “It’s clear that only Putin himself could give the order for such a large-scale operation”, he said.
Show me an example of your model where you "get replaced" and it makes a difference. Are you talking about the US LOL.
What is the difference when you have a Presidential candidate who promises to stop wars but when in office they continue and in fact they create situations where more conflicts could be opened up?????
Where is this democracy of yours at work???? Didn’t Trump promise to stop these wars? And what? Nothing!
Do you for a moment think that in the US the corporations don’t control; the President? If not then you must be one of the most gullible people on earth. Why do you think they want to replace Putin? The big end of town wants another Boris Yeltsin in office in Russia so they can run the show.
You don t understand what democracy is let alone how it should operate.
(sj, 16 September 2019 11:23)
Perhaps the Russians should establish two political parties and like the Democrats and Republicans in the US rule for 180 years all the while calling it democracy LOL.
As far as Putin going anywhere, there is an old saying that goes like one swallow does not make it a summer.
(sj, 15 September 2019 12:06)
The point of democracy is not how you get elected, it's how you get replaced.
There are normal, ordinary Russian people, who are not prepared to let go of proper democracy and so will protest. It is sad that the state is so afraid of its people that it doesn't trust them and has to resort to brutality and abuse of law to keep itself in power.
It's sad that so many Serbs don't see Putin as a weak person, and instead think he is some kind of hero. Surely there are other Russians that could be as good or better than him? This 'President for Life' expectation he has is not good.
(Bob, 15 September 2019 04:20)
Order will be restored. I don’t think Russians will put up with this nonsense the way we do in the west
Specifically what are their issues? Aside from vague generalities such as human rights, freedom of expression and so on
A good example of this nonsense can be seen in Serbia today with the so called “ opposition “ who stand for nothing except chaos
(Sam D, 13 September 2019 20:31)
This Zhukov guy has nothing better to do than playing the hero of fridom and demokracija old tale? Stupid youngsters who go behind a discredited clown - Navalny. They came for you??? They came late unfortunately because I would have come first for your parents. Study at school, go to lesson at university, be a good student and tomorrow a good citizen and stop spitting on Russia. What about a rieducation program for young criminals Mister Putin?
(Skenderbeu 1444, 13 September 2019 19:31)
I give the little Armadillo faced rodent 9 months at best, after that, his ass will be borscht. The major indication that Putin is losing his grip on power is that his efforts to interfere in other nations’ elections have lost their influence.
(Free Man, 13 September 2019 19:19)
I give the little Armadillo faced rodent 9 months at best, after that, his ass will be borscht. The major indication that Putin is losing his grip on power is that his efforts to interfere in other nations’ elections have lost their influence.
(Free Man, 13 September 2019 19:19)
Order will be restored. I don’t think Russians will put up with this nonsense the way we do in the west
Specifically what are their issues? Aside from vague generalities such as human rights, freedom of expression and so on
A good example of this nonsense can be seen in Serbia today with the so called “ opposition “ who stand for nothing except chaos
(Sam D, 13 September 2019 20:31)
This Zhukov guy has nothing better to do than playing the hero of fridom and demokracija old tale? Stupid youngsters who go behind a discredited clown - Navalny. They came for you??? They came late unfortunately because I would have come first for your parents. Study at school, go to lesson at university, be a good student and tomorrow a good citizen and stop spitting on Russia. What about a rieducation program for young criminals Mister Putin?
(Skenderbeu 1444, 13 September 2019 19:31)
The point of democracy is not how you get elected, it's how you get replaced.
There are normal, ordinary Russian people, who are not prepared to let go of proper democracy and so will protest. It is sad that the state is so afraid of its people that it doesn't trust them and has to resort to brutality and abuse of law to keep itself in power.
It's sad that so many Serbs don't see Putin as a weak person, and instead think he is some kind of hero. Surely there are other Russians that could be as good or better than him? This 'President for Life' expectation he has is not good.
(Bob, 15 September 2019 04:20)
Perhaps the Russians should establish two political parties and like the Democrats and Republicans in the US rule for 180 years all the while calling it democracy LOL.
As far as Putin going anywhere, there is an old saying that goes like one swallow does not make it a summer.
(sj, 15 September 2019 12:06)
Show me an example of your model where you "get replaced" and it makes a difference. Are you talking about the US LOL.
What is the difference when you have a Presidential candidate who promises to stop wars but when in office they continue and in fact they create situations where more conflicts could be opened up?????
Where is this democracy of yours at work???? Didn’t Trump promise to stop these wars? And what? Nothing!
Do you for a moment think that in the US the corporations don’t control; the President? If not then you must be one of the most gullible people on earth. Why do you think they want to replace Putin? The big end of town wants another Boris Yeltsin in office in Russia so they can run the show.
You don t understand what democracy is let alone how it should operate.
(sj, 16 September 2019 11:23)
Order will be restored. I don’t think Russians will put up with this nonsense the way we do in the west
Specifically what are their issues? Aside from vague generalities such as human rights, freedom of expression and so on
A good example of this nonsense can be seen in Serbia today with the so called “ opposition “ who stand for nothing except chaos
(Sam D, 13 September 2019 20:31)
I give the little Armadillo faced rodent 9 months at best, after that, his ass will be borscht. The major indication that Putin is losing his grip on power is that his efforts to interfere in other nations’ elections have lost their influence.
(Free Man, 13 September 2019 19:19)
This Zhukov guy has nothing better to do than playing the hero of fridom and demokracija old tale? Stupid youngsters who go behind a discredited clown - Navalny. They came for you??? They came late unfortunately because I would have come first for your parents. Study at school, go to lesson at university, be a good student and tomorrow a good citizen and stop spitting on Russia. What about a rieducation program for young criminals Mister Putin?
(Skenderbeu 1444, 13 September 2019 19:31)
Show me an example of your model where you "get replaced" and it makes a difference. Are you talking about the US LOL.
What is the difference when you have a Presidential candidate who promises to stop wars but when in office they continue and in fact they create situations where more conflicts could be opened up?????
Where is this democracy of yours at work???? Didn’t Trump promise to stop these wars? And what? Nothing!
Do you for a moment think that in the US the corporations don’t control; the President? If not then you must be one of the most gullible people on earth. Why do you think they want to replace Putin? The big end of town wants another Boris Yeltsin in office in Russia so they can run the show.
You don t understand what democracy is let alone how it should operate.
(sj, 16 September 2019 11:23)
Perhaps the Russians should establish two political parties and like the Democrats and Republicans in the US rule for 180 years all the while calling it democracy LOL.
As far as Putin going anywhere, there is an old saying that goes like one swallow does not make it a summer.
(sj, 15 September 2019 12:06)
The point of democracy is not how you get elected, it's how you get replaced.
There are normal, ordinary Russian people, who are not prepared to let go of proper democracy and so will protest. It is sad that the state is so afraid of its people that it doesn't trust them and has to resort to brutality and abuse of law to keep itself in power.
It's sad that so many Serbs don't see Putin as a weak person, and instead think he is some kind of hero. Surely there are other Russians that could be as good or better than him? This 'President for Life' expectation he has is not good.
(Bob, 15 September 2019 04:20)