PUTIN'S ACCESSION
The accession to the throne of Russia of Vladimir Putin shows
that Russian political elite only plays in democracy. Economically
Russia now is a country with state-owned economy, but this state-ownership
is masked by capitalist titles and signboards. Russians originality
now lies completely in the sphere of linguistics. Communist newspeak
absorbed the capitalist vocabulary. Economically Russia lives
on gas and oil export. Majority of population "works" in bureaucratical
structures, in the army or in the military industry. This makes
the system self-supportive and opposed to any real changes.
The reaction of media on Putin’s accession shows that freedom
of speech is nearly exterminated in Russia. 90% of news-papers
and 100% of televisions are controlled by the government. Journalist
deliberately lie, stating that the war in Chechnya and Putin as
leader of Russia are supported by the vast majority of population.
The result of presidential elections will be falsified as well
as the results of parliamentary elections. What is more important:
real democrats for the last 5-7 years are pushed aside from political
scene. They have been discriminated by numerous bureaucratical
tricks, while Communist, Nazis and pseudo-democrats (like Gaidar,
Yavlinsky, Kiriyenko) receive financial support.
People who have chosen Putin to be Yeltsin’s successor hope that
he will be humbly following their course. But Russia is weak economically
and ideologically now, and I think in this conditions the crisis
inside ruling elite will be inevitable, leading to inner struggle,
transformation of Putin into autocrate dictator and the loss of
those tiny liberties which still exist in Russia.
Certainly, Putin’s regime will be closer to Brezhnev’s reign
than to Stalin. Those who love liberty will have some tiny possibilities
to preach and create it.
January, 1, 2000
