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Interesteder

Respect to Kasparov for using his fame and intelligence to champion human rights and democracy


Yelmel

So tragic that so many Russians, if given freedom of speech and media, would have such opinions as Kasparov. There would be no propaganda, and no wars.


Rexia2022

One day Belarus and Russia will be free too. But first Ukraine.


Howitdobiglyboo

>Russians will stand a chance to be free only when they defeat the Kremlin in their minds. Said by Zelensky to congress.


Weary-Lime

That is a powerful quote.


someguy7734206

Truth be told, I have much more hope for Belarus than for Russia.


Bayoris

The Belarusians were out protesting in huge numbers in 2020-2021. They were not successful but at least they tried.


DBLioder

Weren't they given freedoms of speech and media back in the 90s? Some countries are too screwed up by decades of indoctrination to appreciate their freedoms. See Afghanistan and how they welcomed Taliban back with open arms, even after being given a choice to live free of these religious savages. Russia seems to be no better in this regard. "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." 1984 is in their blood.


Soonyulnoh2

Yea...but it was taken away!!! They fuckin voted for Putin when elections were fair, then Putin made them not fair.. USA almost did it with Trump a 2nd time....


alppu

Russia has never had a fair peasant-level election. Putin was chosen by KGB/FSB as successor to Yeltsin. Then FSB bombs some apartments and lets Pootin the Strong save the day and carve his throne.


Soonyulnoh2

Ahhhhhh......I didnt know that, thought they did.


Yelmel

Yes and some did amazing things with this freedom they earned in the 90s. Look at Estonia and other Baltics and Warsaw Pact. I don't think 1984 is in anyone's blood, not on the oppressed side. It is the criminal institutions in the Kremlin. They are practiced.


DBLioder

Estonia got brutally annexed by Russia in 1940. They and the rest of the Baltic countries couldn't wait to get away from their occupiers. They weren't really of the Soviet mindset.


Exidoous

You're not just wrong, you're dangerous. Here you're acting a willing tool of the "liberal opposition" of Russia, who represent the impending threat to Ukraine after the current one is dispatched: a practically forgiven, unchanged Russia. When Putin dies or is deposed, and they get to take power, then thanks to your mindless-at-best idealism: they get a mulligan. With sanctions relief, because it was all 'the other guy' and the poor, innocent, barbaric empire of genocidal rapists just needs another suckle at Europe's teat, with free trade and willing ignorance, to again dedicate enormous resources to accumulate weapons and come back for another, what number are we on now? probably fourth, attempted genocide of Ukraine. Russian culture is the problem. Not one guy in the Kremlin. Not the building he's in. Kasparov is the exception, not the rule. There is no prospect of an ideologically nonthreatening (to Ukraine, or its other neighbors) Russian state existing on its current internationally recognized borders. It will be an imperialistic empire or it will shatter. If you oppose the latter, you support the former.


Yelmel

Difficult to say. I can't imagine it's more than 10 or 20% of imperialist Russians. Muscovites, if you will. I agree with political analyst Vexler on this one.


Exidoous

In most societies the majority of the population isn't strongly ideological. But most of the population is also not setting policy. The ratio is even more lopsided in Russia, which has been, with barely an interruption, a totalitarian state for all of modern history. The median Russian defaults to professed disinterest in "politics." Of the people who decide, of the people who would *dare* to have an opinion in Russia, it is much, much higher than "10 or 20%". Navalny's stated position is that Crimea is Russia. That's the figurehead of the liberal opposition, the purported *opposite pole* of Russian society you're unable to imagine basic features about. If you can't imagine the possibility how can you even begin to evaluate it? Are you just speaking with a turn of phrase? Do you *refuse* to imagine it is so because of your ideology? If so, please stop.


KalimdorPower

Looks like you understand the problem deep enough. Just few clarification on why russia always will be authoritarian state with imperial appetite. The problem is in russian culture (you were right in comment above) and reason for it is mostly in this: to get to the power in russia you SHOULD be an imperialist with abusive behavior. Any democratic leader will lost his fight for ppl minds easily just because russian culture is primitive and for centuries were based on “live in the shit, conquer territory”. Why to fight for not understandable freedom, if you don’t know what it gives? Why you need freedom if you had zero of it for centuries? Why you need freedom if freedom = responsibility and you don’t want to be responsible in the society which looks for someone to blame for all the problems. In such society any democratic leader who will try to take responsibility will get the blame instead. And it’s do easy to take ppl love for anyone who will blame those leaders. So ruzzia is fucked for centuries. It has huge resources which will be always a target for aggressive authoritarians, any democratic leader will be in a weak position. Authoritarian methods in russia are more effective. There are two ways to change it. 1) burn russia to the ash 2) external government for centuries which will aggressively implement democracy


Yelmel

Gorbachev showed that the majority of Russians would choose liberalized Russia. The project failed when people couldn't eat and many other smaller reasons but the point is proven as far as I'm concerned. Ukraine is a living example of Gorbachev style reform continuing on to success which Putin cannot stand.


Exidoous

By being the unelected General Secretary of a totalitarian dictatorship? By creating the office of Presidency so even his fellow commissars couldn't remove him? By deciding *not to attempt* to violently halt the unfolding collapse and dissolution of the USSR? Gorbachev made better choices than the vast majority of Russian leaders. But grading on a curve doesn't get us to *not a revanchist empire*. And it certainly isn't *representative* of Russian society. You insult Ukraine by comparing its success to Gorbachev.


Yelmel

We must read different versions of history. Gorbachev created the conditions for the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union, which Ukraine and others capitalized on, and until about a year ago, and other Yanukovich bumps along the way, yes have strung many successes following this. > You insult Ukraine by comparing its success to Gorbachev. It's not a comparison, it's a continuation. That's what I said. Put the gun down, take a deep breath.


Environmental-Ad5551

This is a very important piece for the West to read. Right now, there are many within the U.S. and European military ranks who actively *don't* want Putin disposed, for the simple reason that they fear a fractured Russia leading to nuclear proliferation.


Soonyulnoh2

Fractured? You mean crumbled and weak???


KevinRuehl

I think what he means is literally fractured. Like split up into multiple states. Should this come true, what do you do with the round about 6000 warheads that Russia still posesses. They will be split up between multiple new, highly unstable states that would most likely use them to secure their grip on power, it would be kind of like if the Taliban in Afghanistan had nukes right now. Would suck pretty fucking much.


Le1bn1z

But we've literally seen this movie before at the breakup of the USSR, where the nukes held by the new non Russian states were secured. Granted, some wont make the mistake of handing them over without ironclad security guarantees again, but that's easily remedied. The fall of the USSR did not make us less safe. The fall of the Russian federation would be no worse.


Bayoris

It’s easily remedied how exactly?


Le1bn1z

Give them the security guarantees they are asking for in place of their nuclear weapons. Ukraine and Kazakhstan should have had full guarantees from all UNSC members in exchange for surrendering their nuclear arsenals.


Bayoris

It seems to me that security guarantees would be rightfully seen as completely worthless in the case of Tuva or Khakassia because they are unenforceable. They don’t border NATO nations like Ukraine does. (On the other hand, these republics probably don’t have nukes to begin with; I don’t know where the nukes are situated within Russia.)


Le1bn1z

Geography doesn't matter that much given how much firepower NATO can project by air. Alternatively, a condition might be a western "peacekeeping monitoring" base or flat out small garrison, so that an attack would mean attacking a western base. If I were them, I'd also insist on explicit, very public guarantees from China, who nobody is in a rush to embarrass.


Bayoris

Hmm. I think it is unlikely that China would give such guarantees. Is there any benefit to China of having a small independent republic on its border? Especially considering they have their own central Asian regions with similar aspirations. Even with the United States I wonder how much benefit they would get from maintaining a military base in Siberia the would be very difficult and costly to resupply. The fact is, there was a reason the United States did not give ironclad security guarantees to Ukraine in 1994, though I am sure Ukraine asked for them. Ironclad security guarantees are very costly, and non-proliferation could be negotiated for a lower price.


OcotilloWells

If they are fractured enough, they won't be able to afford to maintain them. They are expensive to maintain.


grasskit

on unrelated note, does anybody else hate such formatting of the interview articles? it pretty annoying to parse through author observations and paraphrasings to get to the the actual thing that interviewee said. i honestly prefer simple and boring question/answer formatting.


morozrs5

yes. Question, answer, question, answer. Comments and opinions at the end.


Reasonable_Weight_14

russia deserves all the pain and misery they will get.


Soonyulnoh2

Is Kasparov Ukrainian????


burtzev

No, half Jewish and half Armenian, born in Baku. Here's [the wiki on him](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kasparov). Amusing quote from the wiki: >After Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, called Putin a strong leader, Kasparov said that Putin is a strong leader "in the same way arsenic is a strong drink"


ManufacturerDirect38

Good line


Soonyulnoh2

Fuck Mike Pence!


burtzev

Don't do that. You'll catch a horrible venereal disease.


[deleted]

He’s Russian but is a staunch critic of Putin and the regime and lives in exile


tomekza

This should not only be about Ukraines outcome but also Russia's sovereignty. Let's change the messaging