It appears that Russian President Vladimir Putin is using the crisis in Ukraine to accomplish some long-sought domestic goals in Russia, namely, totally eliminating any possible challengers to his dictatorial rule.
The number one thorn in Putin’s side is Alexei Navalny, a citizen journalist who had the audacity to uncover Putin’s billion-ruble vacation house in Crimea. It was a huge embarrassment and put a bullseye on Navalny’s back.
As with other Putin critics, Navalny’s life is under constant threat. It is strongly suspected that Navalny was poisoned by FSB agents in August 2020. He received treatment in Germany then was arrested after landing in Russia for violating the terms of his parole. He was promptly sentenced to prison, where he has reportedly been subjected to beatings and other torture.
But Navalny remains a popular figure. And this Putin cannot abide. He must not only defeat his enemies, he must destroy them utterly. Even though no opponent could ever win an election against him given his iron control of the election apparatus in Russia, Putin appears to have a need to eliminate those who expose his corruption.
Russian authorities have added imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny and some of his top allies to the country’s registry of terrorists and extremists, the latest move in a multi-pronged crackdown on opposition supporters, independent media and human rights activists.
Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic, and eight of his allies — including top aides Lyubov Sobol and Georgy Alburov — were on Tuesday added to the registry by Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service. The law requires that the bank accounts of those on the list be frozen.
Navalny and his associates are only the most prominent victims of Putin’s anger. Over the years, at least a dozen journalists have been assassinated.
Lately, Putin is targeting human rights groups.
Russian authorities have also ratcheted up pressure on independent media and human rights groups in recent months. Dozens have been labeled as foreign agents — a designation that implies additional government scrutiny and strong pejorative connotations that discredit the recipient.
Some were declared “undesirable” — a label that outlaws organizations in Russia — or were accused of links to “undesirable” groups, and several were forced to shut down or disband to prevent further prosecution.
Putin’s targets include Memorial — the oldest human rights group in Russia. Memorial began in the waning days of the old Soviet Union and boasted leaders such as their first chairman Andrei Sakharov, the great physicist who became a human rights champion.
Related: Putin’s Waited 30 Years to Sort Out Ukraine
Right now in Russia, there is no difference between how the Communists ran the government and how Putin runs it. Putin, the former KGB officer, studied Communist techniques and has actually improved their effectiveness in many respects. And he’s left a trail of bodies from one end of the country to the other to prove it.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member