General News Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead

Wow, Putin's secret police strikes again. I bet Putin will blame "hooligans" for the shooting.

 

Alexander Litvinenko

 

Aye yie yie

 

It is not said whether Putin is responsible for this, but many will likely think so either way. And of course, saying he has nothing to do with it is not really credible.. The "I'm afraid Putin will kill me" gives me the shivers, it really does.

 

My first thoughts exactly.

At the very least it is highly suspicious, as with Litvinenko. A critic to the regime, fearful of Putin, just about to attend a peace rally criticising the actions of the government. Hmmm.

And if that doesn't raise eyebrows this certainly does:

Well at least there will be an impartial and completely fair investigation, we can all relax now! I'm sure some perfectly rational, non-Putin-incriminating explanation will be found!

 

You're definitely right, it is highly suspicious. Like you say, a critic of the regime (who is fearful of Putin) and then that person gets killed..

The scary thing is, that if Putin is indeed in a way responsible for it, then he doesn't really care about the way we view him, right? He does various "remarkable" things (such as giving a Kalashnikov to the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi). Does he not care how others see him? It's a very strange situation, I think it's because quite some countries are dependent of Russia. They simply can't do much against it.

 

I don't personally have any doubts. And under Putin's rule there have been bucket-loads of critics who have had untimely deaths, ‎Anna Politkovskaya being one. Now perhaps one isolated case could be dismissed as just conspiracy talk, but in these numbers? I don't think so.

What adds to the evidence in my mind is the Russian governments refusal to cooperate with extradition requests for the prime suspects of the Litvinenko assassination. If the state had nothing to do with that crime, why on earth would they take such a obstructive stand?

I think you are right that he is unfortunately very much "above the law". He could probably go out and shoot someone himself in broad daylight and filmed by international news channels and nothing would be done. Just last week Russia made the threatening move of invading British airspace with fighter jets with no provocation, purely to "send a message". Its "rule by intimidation" and unfortunately is works - both Russia and the wider world are terrified.

I do think thats a real problem with International Law - if you hold enough clout you can literally get away with murder*. Look at all the atrocities committed under Mugabe's rule - any consequences for him? Nah! Pol Pot? Pinochet? Were they ever truly brought to justice? Nope.

*Theres a separate debate here too of how nuclear weapons essentially give states the power to go uncriticized.

 

I couldn't help but laugh when I heard this. When I saw this on the news last night, the reporter couldn't resist saying it with just a hint of attitude, as if to say, "This is a complete joke".

But seriously, what's he going to do, handcuff himself?

 

I think you are spot on.

Its a sly way of saying "this is what I can do, and this is what I can get away with. Look, I am accountable to no one."

That level of power is truly terrifying, but I guess that is what dictatorship is.

Probably truth in there. I am sure even if the election were results of 2012 were genuine (questionable), they do indicate some dissent and a fall out of favour.

I also think in someways Russia is similar to China (or Japan many years ago) in that it is beginning to become more "Westernized" - the advances in technology are facilitating this. Ordinary citizens can now see for themselves that the grass actually is greener on the other side.

And on that note you have the looming recession which will only further affect the country's mood.

To be honest I'm surprised nobody has, perhaps that is under the impression he in untouchable - he has gotten away with so much and for so long, why would the future be different? Perhaps its grand delusions and he really does see himself as godlike?

My only worry would be that if anything happened he would either be turned into a martyr and things will continue as they are in his memory, or alternatively it would create dangerous instability and international conflicts (Russia accusing foreign states). It could end up like the cold war all over again which is scary.

Sometimes I like to imagine all this doesn't exist and to just black it out, but unfortunately those in Russia don't get the same opportunity to switch off.

 

Public's not going to rebel against Putin, they love him. He could declare himself president for eternity and his approval rating would go up ten points.

This is a guy who annexed part of a sovereign nation and judging by the reaction of the public you'd think Russia had won the World Cup. This is a guy who isn't even bothering to adopt a pretence of democracy in Russia and the general public just do not give a crap. This is a guy who has dropped the economy into the toilet and the public just blame Western sanctions.

He's practically untouchable politically.

 

They loved him because he used to deliver the goods, so to speak. Long, smoldering military campaigns going from debacle to debacle, economic crashes and foreigners treating Russia like a third-rate power with delusions of grandeur, nukes or no nukes, and its leaders as ridiculous rubes were exactly the things he promised Russians they'll never see again. And up to and including Crimea, he mostly did just that.

Now, however, he increasingly looks like Yeltsin who prefers working out to look good in photo ops to vodka.

 

Hmm, as I can see, people love ( not loved ) him because life of average Russian becomes really better! After collapse of the USSR people used to live in deep deep shit. Now it's okay. I have never seen as such the rise of patriotism among Russians as now.

Is it? Now it's better than it used to be

I don't like some of Putin's solutions but really? Gosh, no one can be worst than Yeltsin.

 

putin does have a lot of experience in heading investigations where he is the main suspect.hes been doing it since he was deputy mayor.

 

Putin is likely not to blame.

He's a KGB agent. His methods are different, and much more subtle. There have been assassinations made by his regime before, and they were much less obvious. He usually just arrests people and makes them rot in jail.

Let me explain Russian politics to you: Nemtsov is, and was, a nobody, with little political power to speak of. He is not even the poster boy of the liberals; Navalny is, and he has been arrested already. Putin would not benefit from his death at all.

Another power is behind these killings. It is quite possible someone wanted to spur the liberal protests.