Half the country is in prison and the other half is guarding it
You will often hear the line “opposition in Russia has never existed”. There were only temporary opposition sentiments that never turned into real opposition, because the repressive system constantly adapts to nip them in the bud by all possible means. Starting with the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the terrorists attacks in Beslan and “Ryazan sugar”, and the culmination with the “show” murder of Boris Nemtsov, the only person who could be called a real Russian opposition leader. This turning point consolidated the full control of the security forces over the country. However, the processes in societies, especially looking back in time, are always complex and take too long to describe and understand. They are controversial and often subjective. They are subject to interpretation and rethinking. Our opinion of the main actors themselves is developing, and today, there are new opposition forces at the feet of Putin’s power and new energy for change.
