It is possible to believe, as I do, that Putin did not personally order the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, while regarding the Russian president as overlord of a culture which legitimised it. Putin cannot shrug off a simple truth about his society: his friends and supporters walk the streets in safety and wealth; his foes perish in horrible ways, with dismal frequency. The murder of one Russian journalist critical of his regime might be dismissed as mischance. The deaths of 20 mock Kremlin protestations of innocence.
Worth reading the article for some analysis of how things shape up with Russia in the picture. And while it's not surprising to read this,
At the heart of Putin's policies is a determination to restore the old Soviet Union's might and influence. It is hard to see how these would be exercised towards ends that the west would consider benign.it is disturbing to see it spelled out in black and white by serious commentary.
The comments are interesting too ...
Corruption, violence and vice have triumphed in Putin's Russia | Guardian daily comment | Guardian Unlimited:Filed in: Russia, dissidents, journalists, kleptocracy, policy, culture
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