Politics

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Road Repair
March 03, 2021

Road Repair

“Our city is famous now, maybe they’ll make some roads.”

– A resident of Pokrov, the village near the penal colony where Navalny has been transferred to serve the two years and eight months of his sentence.

Tipping Point?
March 01, 2021

Tipping Point?

Just over a decade ago in Moscow, I interviewed Alexey Navalny, who was then only beginning to carve out his profile as a blogger, activist, and politician. It was May of 2008.

Mikhail Gorbachev
March 01, 2021

Mikhail Gorbachev

The rises and falls of the esteem in which Russians have held Mikhail Gorbachev over the years have been dizzying.

Skiing Buddies
February 24, 2021

Skiing Buddies

“I hope we will be able to spend a little time together, relax after today's working hours. I would like to invite you to go skiing.”

– Another productive meeting this week with Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko on February 22nd. The pair discussed their work together on the energy sector of Belarus, Putin particularly noting Lukashenko’s support for the country’s nuclear power plant. He followed up with an invite to ski.

Love in the Time of Protests
February 17, 2021

Love in the Time of Protests

“…there was no direct violation of the law. Yes, individual people went out with flashlights. Fine. Maybe someone was in love. There was someone, maybe, who was protesting something. Someone was there just for company, not understanding the need to light a flashlight. But most importantly, they didn’t break the law. And so everything was calm.”

– Dmitriy Peskov spreading the love to Moscow activists on Valentine’s Day 2021.

War of the Potties
February 10, 2021

War of the Potties

“Shocking! You don’t say – a toilet, right in the home! And a double-sized bed. Even Putin sleeps more modestly, and has to go out into the yard of Gelendzhik [to do his business].”

– On February 7th, Twitter user Kön de Labre, Inostrannyj Agent, Jr. (@KStatator) bled concern for Putin’s modest living.

No Beating Around the Bush
January 27, 2021

No Beating Around the Bush

“These promotions are illegal. <...> Of course, we must talk about the illegality of the actions, not about detentions. I don't see any violation at all. What is it, are these our first arrests? These are not the first uncoordinated rallies. Usually this ends with someone drawing up a complaint of administrative offense and then they are released. I am sure that now, if there are no provocations or clashes with the police, the same will happen.”

– The refreshing honesty of Valeriy Fadeyev, the Head of the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia, calling it like it is in the midst of massive anti-corruption protests rocking Russia.

Opposition, not Operation Barbarossa
January 20, 2021

Opposition, not Operation Barbarossa

“Don’t feel sorry for us, we’re simply working. We adequately “met” the airplanes from Germany in 1941, and we will meet all aircraft in the year 2021. This year we will be 80 and we have already seen and survived a lot.”

– The Twitter account of Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, on the controversy surrounding the detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny upon his arrival, drawing parallels to the Second World War.

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