Moscow - Москва - Moskau / Russia

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• Putin not a friend but a challenger?

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  Chris Helmbrecht    Premium Member   Group moderator   Ambassador

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  Putin not a friend but a challenger?

  Here is an article that comes in this weeks Economist issue (I like the cover design):
  
  http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?Story...
  
  You can read it online and its free (apart from other content of the Economist)
  
  I have always valued and enjoyed to read the Economist, because of its objectiveness and good journalism. So is Putin an autocrat?
  
  "Businessmen in Moscow say that, far from Mr Putin's new order helping to squeeze out corruption, it is now more pervasive than in the worst of the Yeltsin years. Corruption lies at the heart of many of Russia's most intractable problems, from the poor state of the army, to the war in Chechnya, to its ineffective policing and counter-terrorism. Mr Putin has admitted that many Russians might fear the police more than they do criminals."
  from Economist Dec 9th 2004
  
  Is it really that bad? Where are the Russian opinions here?
  
  By the way, I agree with the following "Mr Putin has admitted that many Russians might fear the police more than they do criminals."
  
  I hope that I will not get shot in the head for posting this. Like this poor kid who had to witness the rape of his girlfriend in a metro (subway) police station this spring. He decided not to back down quietly, but do something about it (call for help in the local press), which ended with a shot in his head. The 19 year old kid is still alive (but heavily disabled, half of his brain got damaged) and now living in a secret location in Lithuania. Authorities still investigate the case. No arrests have been made (to my information). That gives me a really good feeling when I take the metro these days (especially accompanied by my girlfriend).
  
  • 10 Dec 2004, 09:26 am
  Chris Helmbrecht wrote: > Here is an article that comes in this weeks Economist issue (I like > the cover design): > > http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?Story_ID=3471877 > > You can read it online and its free (apart from other content of the > Economist) > > I have always valued and enjoyed to read the Economist, because of > its objectiveness and good journalism. So is Putin an autocrat? > > "Businessmen in Moscow say that, far from Mr Putin's new order > helping to squeeze out corruption, it is now more pervasive than in > the worst of the Yeltsin years. Corruption lies at the heart of many > of Russia's most intractable problems, from the poor state of the > army, to the war in Chechnya, to its ineffective policing and > counter-terrorism. Mr Putin has admitted that many Russians might > fear the police more than they do criminals." > from Economist Dec 9th 2004 > > Is it really that bad? Where are the Russian opinions here? > > By the way, I agree with the following "Mr Putin has admitted that > many Russians might fear the police more than they do criminals." > > I hope that I will not get shot in the head for posting this. Like > this poor kid who had to witness the rape of his girlfriend in a > metro (subway) police station this spring. He decided not to back > down quietly, but do something about it (call for help in the local > press), which ended with a shot in his head. The 19 year old kid is > still alive (but heavily disabled, half of his brain got damaged) and > now living in a secret location in Lithuania. Authorities still > investigate the case. No arrests have been made (to my information). > That gives me a really good feeling when I take the metro these days > (especially accompanied by my girlfriend).