Not everyone in Russia is happy with Putin.

[neverfail]

Russia arrests thousands amid unprecedented pro-Navalny protests

Supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny demand his release, defying bitter cold and a ban on protests.

In the video, a woman – identified as Margarita Yudina – is seen asking three policemen in full riot gear why they were detaining a young unarmed protester. One of the policeman than kicks her in the stomach.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/2 ... nys-arrest

Nice guy eh!. Truly a gentleman.

[Sertorio]

Russia arrests thousands amid unprecedented pro-Navalny protests

Supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny demand his release, defying bitter cold and a ban on protests.

In the video, a woman – identified as Margarita Yudina – is seen asking three policemen in full riot gear why they were detaining a young unarmed protester. One of the policeman than kicks her in the stomach.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/2 ... nys-arrest

Nice guy eh!. Truly a gentleman.

Compared to what has been happening in Catalonia, this is nothing, but I never saw you bothering about freeing Catalan political prisoners. Why is it? Fighting against Russia is more important than fighting for human rights in any other country?...

[neverfail]

Compared to what has been happening in Catalonia, this is nothing, but I never saw you bothering about freeing Catalan political prisoners. Why is it? Fighting against Russia is more important than fighting for human rights in any other country?...

Well, at least you did not try to deny that the arrests in Russia took place. Well done Sertorio!

[Milo]

Russia arrests thousands amid unprecedented pro-Navalny protests

Supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny demand his release, defying bitter cold and a ban on protests.

In the video, a woman – identified as Margarita Yudina – is seen asking three policemen in full riot gear why they were detaining a young unarmed protester. One of the policeman than kicks her in the stomach.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/2 ... nys-arrest

Nice guy eh!. Truly a gentleman.

Compared to what has been happening in Catalonia, this is nothing, but I never saw you bothering about freeing Catalan political prisoners. Why is it? Fighting against Russia is more important than fighting for human rights in any other country?...

I don't recall the Spanish government poisoning any Catalans!

[Sertorio]

Russia arrests thousands amid unprecedented pro-Navalny protests

Supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny demand his release, defying bitter cold and a ban on protests.

In the video, a woman – identified as Margarita Yudina – is seen asking three policemen in full riot gear why they were detaining a young unarmed protester. One of the policeman than kicks her in the stomach.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/2 ... nys-arrest

Nice guy eh!. Truly a gentleman.

Compared to what has been happening in Catalonia, this is nothing, but I never saw you bothering about freeing Catalan political prisoners. Why is it? Fighting against Russia is more important than fighting for human rights in any other country?...

I don't recall the Spanish government poisoning any Catalans!

I don't recall Russia poisoning any Russians either. Unnecessary when there are so many quick, discrete and efficient ways to kill them, if so wished. In any case, you seem to think that putting people in prison for their political ideas is just fine... By the way, when was it the last time you protested against the way Julian Assange is being treated?...

[Milo]

Russia arrests thousands amid unprecedented pro-Navalny protests

Supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny demand his release, defying bitter cold and a ban on protests.

In the video, a woman – identified as Margarita Yudina – is seen asking three policemen in full riot gear why they were detaining a young unarmed protester. One of the policeman than kicks her in the stomach.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/2 ... nys-arrest

Nice guy eh!. Truly a gentleman.

Compared to what has been happening in Catalonia, this is nothing, but I never saw you bothering about freeing Catalan political prisoners. Why is it? Fighting against Russia is more important than fighting for human rights in any other country?...

I don't recall the Spanish government poisoning any Catalans!

I don't recall Russia poisoning any Russians either. Unnecessary when there are so many quick, discrete and efficient ways to kill them, if so wished. In any case, you seem to think that putting people in prison for their political ideas is just fine... By the way, when was it the last time you protested against the way Julian Assange is being treated?...

Playing dumb doesn't become you and it may help you on some of your other IRA assignments but not here/

[neverfail]

I don't recall Russia poisoning any Russians either. Unnecessary when there are so many quick, discrete and efficient ways to kill them, if so wished. In any case, you seem to think that putting people in prison for their political ideas is just fine... By the way, when was it the last time you protested against the way Julian Assange is being treated?...

Playing dumb doesn't become you and it may help you on some of your other IRA assignments but not here/

Well, bear in mind, Milo, that Sertorio may not be attempting to voice his viewpoint as push a dialectic.

[Sertorio]

Playing dumb doesn't become you and it may help you on some of your other IRA assignments but not here/

I am starting to get a bit tired of your idiocy. The fact that you are a mercenary who only defends people or points of view if you are paid to do it doesn't mean that other people are as intellectually corrupt as you.

[neverfail]

https://www.watoday.com.au/world/europe ... 56ybf.html

In Russia, the struggle is between a fake democracy and a movement for hope

Russians have been convinced that, however imperfect, what they have is about the best they can hope for.

They have also been sold the idea that there is no point in politics. In a stage-managed fake democracy, the “opposition” parties are toothless and ugly, so why vote for them? If change is impossible, why risk persecution by working for it?

This is what makes Navalny a problem for the old men in the Kremlin. By continuing to organise and campaign, by putting his devastating exposés of official corruption on the internet where the Kremlin cannot suppress them, and now by voluntarily putting himself into his persecutors’ hands, Navalny doesn’t just undermine Putin’s own claim to be working for the good of his people. He also reminds Russians that they still have choices, and that real politics may not be dead, just resting.

[Sertorio]

https://www.watoday.com.au/world/europe ... 56ybf.html

In Russia, the struggle is between a fake democracy and a movement for hope

Russians have been convinced that, however imperfect, what they have is about the best they can hope for.

They have also been sold the idea that there is no point in politics. In a stage-managed fake democracy, the “opposition” parties are toothless and ugly, so why vote for them? If change is impossible, why risk persecution by working for it?

This is what makes Navalny a problem for the old men in the Kremlin. By continuing to organise and campaign, by putting his devastating exposés of official corruption on the internet where the Kremlin cannot suppress them, and now by voluntarily putting himself into his persecutors’ hands, Navalny doesn’t just undermine Putin’s own claim to be working for the good of his people. He also reminds Russians that they still have choices, and that real politics may not be dead, just resting.

The problem with Russia is a very different one.

The reason the West doesn't like Putin is because in Russia political power dominates economic power, not the other way around. While Yeltsin was ready to put all Russian assets in the hands of people willing to play the western oligarchs game, Putin decided that in Russia economic power would be subordinate to political power and would be forced to serve the state's strategy, not the international oligarchs strategy. That is what upsets the US and some European governments. Navalny is just the most recent tool in the hands of the West to subvert the power the Russian government has over all economic decisions. Putin tries to have economic power serving the common good, not the interests of the US and its dominant oligarchy. That's what the US cannot forgive, and that's why Russia is treated the way it is. As long as the Russian economy grows and diversifies, and the standard of living of the common Russians gets better, Putin's rule will be safe and no Trojan horses like Navalny will have any chances of success.

By the way, this is also the reason why the CCP is the target of American attacks. With the CCP, the US and the international oligarchy will never control China's assets and economy, and that oligarchy's power - served by US imperialism - will be vulnerable. That's why I am such a supporter of Putin and of the CCP.