While invading Ukraine, the dictator has imposed a new era of Soviet-style oppression at home. He’s been building to this moment for a decade. During a documentary interview in 1996, back when he was a little-known political functionary, Vladimir Putin offered an eerie warning about Russia’s future. “However sad and however frightening it may sound, I think that in our country a return to a certain period of totalitarian rule is possible,” he said. “The danger,” he added, “is not to be found in the organs that provide order, the police or even the army. It is a danger at our summit, in the mentality of our people, our nation.” Well over a decade later, while speaking as president during a nationally televised Q&A in 2012, Putin once again mused about the possibility of totalitarian rule. This time, though, his remarks sounded distinctly more like a threat—or a promise. “If I believed that a totalitarian and authoritarian system is the most preferable for us, I would simply change the constitution,” he said. (…) Since Putin declared his “special military operation” at 5:45 a.m. two weeks ago, his government has sought to stifle dissent with a broad crackdown on the remnants of Russia’s free press as well as social networks and public protesters. The Kremlin forced off air Echo of Moscow and Dozhd, the last independent, liberal radio and TV stations. It blocked the magazine New Times for reporting on military casualties in Ukraine. Most foreign news sources with large Russian coverage and readership are also now blocked, including BBC Russian, Voice of America, and Deutsche Welle. Some publications have responded with self-censorship: Novaya Gazeta, a newspaper famous for its investigative reporting, chose to abandon its war reporting rather than risk retaliation.
Categories: Rechtsextremismus