The Russian opposition

Putin fields a question from an “oppositionist”

I personally found the questions from Ksenia Sobchak (daughter of the ex- mayor of St Petesburg who was accused of corruption) that can be broadly characterised as "oppositional", of interest - and Putin's response. 

By the way the translation is rather bad - "rasprava" which is translated as "massacre" really means "harsh treatment" which might explain a lot.

The piece starts at 1'20"

At the end of the first question Putin jokes with Dmitri Peskov, "Why did you give her the floor" but goes on to answer her questions in full.

The question came up more than once: what is the difference between "opposition" and "fifth column"

The basic question is this is the action of a tyrant!?

Can you imagine Obama fielding similar questions.

The best thing I can think of is Stephen Cohen - the Russians run things from "their own narrative"

Listen to the next segment which is from a Russian Reuters correspondent.

Glamorous TV presenter who grew up with Putin says Russia’s young elite are fleeing the country because of his hardline policies

• Ksenia Sobchak fears that Putin's hardline policies are bad for Russia
• Her father Anatoly was Putin's mentor after the former spy left the KGB
• Ms Sobchak said that many of her friends wanted visas to flee Russia 
• Ms Sobchak has known Putin since she was a young girl in St Petersburg
• Now she fears she may be arrested for supporting Putin's opponents 
• Ms Sobchak said she is staying in Russia because she has nowhere to go 

Daily Mail,

7 November 2014

A glamorous TV presenter with close family ties to Vladimir Putin claims well-to-do young Russians are desperately fleeing the country due to his authoritarian policies.

Ksenia Sobchak, who has known the Russian president since she was a child, said growing numbers of people are leaving Moscow, seeking citizenship, residency or visas for western countries.

Ms Sobchak's father, Anatoly Sobchak, was a political mentor to Putin and introduced the ex-KGB officer into the world of politics.

  

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Ksenia Sobchak, daughter of Vladimir Putin's mentor Anatoly Sochak said many of her friends were actively trying to flee Moscow because of the Russian President's hardline regime and the economic slump 

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Vladimir Putin, attending the funeral of Anatoly Sobchak with Mrs Sobchack and her daughter Ksenia

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Putin, holding flowers, was very close to Ms Sobchak's father Anatoly, whom he regarded as a mentor 

Sanctions imposed by the West over the Kremlin leader's annexation of Crimea and military threats to Ukraine have led to major economic turmoil with the rouble plunging to its lowest-ever level, slashing the savings of many people.

Ms Sobchak said: 'This is the main society talk in good restaurants in Moscow. It is either getting citizenship, or residence permits, or the like.'

She said she would join new anti-Putin protests even though she is 'scared' of being sent to prison.

'My friends, all they are talking about is visas.'

She said: 'They keep sending me these messages, like "Ksenia, there is Bulgarian citizenship", "nine other options open until the end of November" or "I got mine in the Czech republic", or "I got mine somewhere else".'

Anatoly Sobchak, centre, was the Mayor of St Petersburg and taught Vladimir Putin law after he left the KGB

Putin, left, was one of the most prominent mourners at Anatoly Sobchak's funeral in February 2000

Ms Sobchak is the daughter of Putin's mentor Anatoly Sobchak, former mayor of St Petersburg, who gave the strongman his first political post after he quit as a KGB spy when the Soviet Union collapsed. Earlier he taught law to Putin at Leningrad State University.

A grieving Putin stood alongside Ms Sobchak and her mother Lyudmila at his funeral in 2000.

Ms Sobchak, pictured, said she was willing to join anti-Putin protests but was afraid of going to prison

Ms Sobchak, pictured, said she was willing to join anti-Putin protests but was afraid of going to prison

Putin was so close to the family that earlier it was widely thought he was godfather to Ms Sobchak, though this is denied.

Ironically, in 1997, Putin helped Anatoly Sobchak flee Russia to Paris when he faced a criminal investigation.

The 33-year-old celebrity said in an interview with Echo Moscow radio that she had 'nowhere to run' and would stay in Russia, unlike many of her friends.

Her comments came as new statistics show an alarming surge of Russians leaving their country with the highest ever figure of 203,000 in first eight months of the year. Many believe it is an underestimate.

Many of those deserting Russia are the wealthy seeking to preserve their fortunes from the boom years, but also include 'qualified specialists' in management, technology and science, who are vital for the economy.

Capital flight - sending money abroad - is expected to hit a staggering £60 billion this year further crippling the Russian economy.

In a blistering critique of her father's protege, she criticised the increasing personality cult around Putin, arguing it was driving Russia to ruin.

'Our passion for relying on big personalities is what - sadly - is killing us,' she said.

Ms Sobchak - who also owns a magazine and a restaurant - said she is ready to join new street protests against Putin, even though state TV channels boycotted her after she took part in earlier demonstrations.

She also faced a probe of her finances.

'I can lose my magazine, my restaurant, I'm prepared to take these risks,' she said.

'I won't be going to set cars on fire with you, and I am not ready to go to jail for my beliefs.

'I am ready to lose my job, money, my social status, but there is a bit of an internal borderline. Mine is that I am not ready to go to jail.'

She admitted this could be seen as 'my weakness, cowardice'.

Anatoly Sobchak greets Prime Minister John Major right, while Vladimir Putin looks on in the background, third right, in 10 Downing Street on September 20, 1991, less than two years after he had left the KGB 

She warned: 'In every normal Western country, any person who is not prepared to go to jail can be politically active and even think about a political career.

'In our country everything is too tough. In other words if you are ready to be jailed, to be like Mandela, then you can claim a right to become the next president.

'And if you are not ready, then don't even try.

'This is why I am not doing it, and I honestly say I am not ready to experience a Russian jail even for my beliefs that are important for me. I am scared.'

She alleged Putin has 'so much money' that he is no longer interested in 'building another house in Crimea or getting another yacht'.

She did not say where the alleged money came from. Last year his official salary was around £65,000, a drop in the ocean compared with oligarchs who have made fortunes in his presidency.

The Kremlin has denied claims that Putin is once of the world's richest men.

He thinks of himself as a 'big patriot' and he seized Crimea because he believed the West 'let him down' by meddling in his sphere of influence in the former USSR, added Ms Sobchak.


If Ms. Sobchak is an "opposition figure" then Aleksey Navalny is definitely "fifth column" He is bought and paid for by the United States

Russian Navalny is "a corrupted anti-corruption activist".

Prosecutors seek 10yr jail sentence for opposition figure Navalny

RT,

19 December, 2014

Russian prosecutors have asked that prominent anti-corruption activist Aleksey Navalny be sentenced to 10 years in prison for embezzlement from cosmetics giant Yves Rocher and laundering the money.

On Friday a district court in Moscow ruled to prolong Navalny’s house arrest to till January 15, but allowed him to send letters to state agencies and courts, including international ones.

The activist has remained in his apartment since February this year with a ban on using the internet and other means of communication, but continues to update his popular anti-corruption blog by proxy of his wife.

Prosecutors also sought to sentence Aleksey Navalny’s brother Oleg, who is suspected of being the main accomplice in the alleged scheme, to eight years behind bars.

They told the court the request for such harsh punishment was motivated by the “cynicism” of the crime and by the fact that it had been allegedly committed by an organized group.

The official charges are based on the statement made in 2012 by several senior managers from Yves Rocher. According to that record, Aleksey Navalny, along with Oleg, a senior manager in a subsidiary of the state enterprise Russian Post, tricked them into signing a transportation contract with their own company at inflated prices.

This company allegedly never provided the services, but instead relied on a subcontract executed by other firms. The scheme worked for four-and-a-half years. The overall amount of money paid by Yves Rocher to the brothers exceeded 55 million rubles (over US$1.6 million at the time) and the pocketed margin was over 20 million rubles ($600,000), according to the claim. Additionally the brothers are suspected of allegedly laundering the money with the help of a different family enterprise.

Both suspects have pleaded not guilty, saying that the scheme was an ordinary go-between business. They also repeatedly called the trial a political process instigated by the authorities as revenge for Aleksey Navalny’s constant and sharp criticism of senior officials and top managers of state corporations.

Read more: Investigators search Navalny allies within election fraud case

On Friday, defense lawyers again demanded that the court ruled the suspects not guilty on all charges saying that the process was politicized and prosecutors’ evidence was insufficient to prove their claims.

Alexey Navalny also expressed the disagreement with the court position on Friday by posting the following bitter tweet: “Terrific! Today is the last day of court and prosecutors want to prolong the house arrest!”

Alexey Navalny        ✔ @navalny

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Офигенно. Сегодня последний день суда, а прокуратура требует продлить домашний арест.

9:48 PM - 19 Dec 2014

He also said in his court speech that he considered it possible for the court to pass the sentence before January 15, 2015.

In mid-2013 Alexey Navalny already received a five-year probation sentence for taking part in a graft scheme involving a state-owned timber company in central Russia’s Kirov Region.

Russian Facebook blocks event page for opposition rally

Page inviting Alexei Navalny’s supporters to attend a rally on the day his case’s verdict is announced is blocked to Russian users