There seem to be an extension of Vladamir Putin’s reign over Russia for another six years beginning tomorrow as worthy opponents of the Russian Leader are either dead, jailed or, mysteriously missing.
Despite an atmosphere of repression not seen since the Soviet era, there have been sprouts of internal dissent and external attacks ahead of the election that have pierced the picture of unity and stability the Kremlin has cultivated.
According to Nikolai Rybakov, chairman of Russia’s liberal political party, he says “The results have been announced in advance,” he further stated during his contact with reporters that, “It’s painful, unpleasant and shameful but you have to admit that you can’t influence the results right now.”
Nikolai also added “We see that people have an internal demand for peace and changes for the better. But it’s hard for people to resist the ever-present propaganda of hate and anti-Westernism. And on the other hand, people see what criticism of the government can lead to, People are afraid for their lives and the lives of their loved ones, and you can’t blame them.”
With the death of opposition leader whose mysterious death is causing controversies in the Russian media, Navalny, it is clear that there is no one to oppose Putin in the forth coming election.
Yekaterina Duntsova, a former regional legislator and journalist said “The political field has been cleared out.”
“Russian society is at a point right now where it’s experiencing the largest scale of political repressions — particularly for expressing one’s opinion or exercising one’s rights and freedoms,” said Denis Shedov, a board member for the Memorial Human Rights Defense Center.
