2024-03-20 08:22:01
image copyrightGetty Images / BBC
picture explanation,
Current Russian President Vladimir Putin recently won the presidential election and was elected to a fifth term.
2 hours ago
Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeded in his fifth term, laying the foundation for him to remain in power until at least 2030. In his presidential victory speech, Putin claimed that his victory would allow Russia to grow into a “stronger, more effective” country and enjoy prosperity.
In the recent election, Putin’s vote rate was a whopping 87%. This record surpasses Putin’s record of 76.7% in the last presidential election.
Of course, because the Kremlin strictly controls the political system, media, and elections, there were virtually no serious competing candidates.
Many Western leaders raised their voices in criticism, saying the election was neither free nor fair. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin is “a dictator drunk on power” and “a person who is willing to commit any evil to maintain personal power.”
Putin (71), who first became the leader of Russia on December 31, 1999, is already the longest-serving ruler in Russian history since Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin, and is expected to surpass Stalin’s record as he succeeds in his fifth term.
Russian citizens are dying in the Ukraine war, now in its third year, and Russia is isolated due to Western world sanctions once morest Russia. Nevertheless, we looked at three reasons why Putin is more powerful than ever.
Censorship and elimination of dissent
image copyrightGetty Images / BBC
picture explanation,
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who fiercely opposed Putin, died in prison before the presidential election.
“Putin knows how to suppress any kind of political discussion in Russia,” explains Andrey Soldatov, a former journalist who has lived in exile in London, England, since being forced to leave Russia in 2020. He added, “And he is good at repression and eliminating political opponents.”
There were only three candidates running in this presidential election, and none of them might pose a real threat to Putin. All of the remaining candidates explicitly expressed support for Putin and the war in Ukraine.
Those who actually threatened Putin’s position have already been imprisoned, killed, or otherwise eliminated. Of course, the Kremlin insists it was not involved.
A month before the presidential election, opposition leader Alexei Navalny (47), who had voiced the strongest opposition to Putin, died in a prison in the Arctic Circle. He was serving a lengthy prison sentence on charges of fraud, contempt of court and extremism, accusations of politically motivated repression.
“Putin is very dismissive of his opponents,” Soldatov said. “Even when a politically important person is killed, Putin’s reaction is either ‘It’s no big deal’ or ‘Why am I killing them?’ when he has widespread support.” He said, “The Kremlin is good at making excuses like this.”
Many famous people who stood up to Putin, from politicians to journalists, have already lost their lives.
First of all, last year, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the private mercenary company ‘Wagner Group’, died in a plane crash just a few months following the attempted rebellion.
In 2015, Boris Nemtsov, a politician who had publicly criticized Putin, was shot dead on a bridge near the Kremlin Palace.
Earlier, in 2006, journalist Anna Polikovskaya, who had been very critical of the Chechen war, was found shot to death in Moscow.
“It is very scary to live in a country where journalists, politicians and civic activists are killed or imprisoned,” Soldatov said. “It is also very psychologically uncomfortable, so ordinary people choose to accept the Kremlin’s story. “It’s not because I believe in it, but because I want to find a way to live,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Putin also tries to control dissent among the general public. Starting in 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin introduced new censorship laws to suppress anti-government sentiment. Under the law, acts that “discredit the Russian military” are defined as crimes and can result in up to five years in prison.
Also during the election, President Putin said that protests had “no effect” and that all “crimes” would be punished following the vote.
“I’m not talking regarding BBC reports or radio broadcasts like ‘Free Europe’,” Soldatov said. “People see something on the street and immediately post it, and it gets shared by millions of people.”
“Putin believes this country is very vulnerable. So he believes that all kinds of dissent should be suppressed as best as possible. Because a protest between two or three girls on the street might turn into the next revolution.”
ukraine war
image copyrightGetty Images / BBC
picture explanation,
The war in Ukraine is now three years old.
At a press conference following the election, President Putin pledged to continue the invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukraine war, now in its third year, did not lead to victory as quickly as many Russians had hoped, but Dr. Ekaterina Shulman, who studies Russian politics in Berlin, Germany, points out that Putin is using the war to his advantage. did.
Dr. Shulman said, “When the war started, it was expected to proceed similarly to the Crimean Peninsula. “It was just bigger,” he said. However, “as you can see, the war did not end in a short period of time or without any casualties. “It also affected the way Russians viewed themselves, the outside world, and their leaders.”
Dr. Shulman said that Russians did not feel that the invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, was a big event compared to the outside world. “The atmosphere was friendly in the spring and summer,” but “as the mobilization order was issued in September 2022, anxiety soared, and the Russian people became very fearful.” And support for the war also fell.”
Soldatov also argued that Putin had changed the narrative as support for the war in Russia declined.
Soldatov said that Putin changed his words to say, “It is no longer a war with Ukraine,” adding, “Now this war is a war with the West, and many Russians are proud of this. “Because their military is not fighting once morest a small country, but once morest a much larger enemy,” he added.
In his annual State of the Union address on February 29 this year, Putin warned the West not to send troops to Ukraine and argued that Russia must further strengthen its defense as Sweden and Finland join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“Russians, including me, are taught in school that the Russian Empire is the only empire in the world founded by peaceful people,” said Soldatov. “We are taught that everyone wants to attack us, so we are told that NATO is advancing toward our borders.” “You can sell a narrative,” he explained.
Soldatov also pointed out that the West did not properly explain to the international community why the war in Ukraine was important. “For example, people in Africa or South America don’t understand why they should care regarding this war. And Putin is taking advantage of this gap.”
“Putin is good at leveraging the legacy of the former Soviet Union. “So the African continent is becoming increasingly important, and some African countries are providing infrastructure and military support.”
Growing Russian Economy
image copyrightGetty Images / BBC
picture explanation,
Central Bank of Russia in Moscow
Despite unprecedented sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has surprised many economic experts by boasting the fastest economic growth rate in Europe.
“The Russian economy is working well,” said Alexey Kalmykov, business correspondent for BBC Russian News. In many ways, this economic situation has helped Putin’s popularity. “Because Putin is once once more portraying himself as someone who fought once morest the West’s massive attack on the Russian economy.”
Instead of the size of the economy shrinking as many expected, the Russian economy recorded a growth rate of 2.6% despite Western sanctions, including freezing assets worth $300 billion (approximately 400 trillion won), according to estimates by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
However, not all of the world is participating in sanctions once morest Russia. Russia continues to trade freely with China, India, and Brazil, and neighboring countries, including Kazakhstan and Armenia, are helping Russia avoid Western sanctions.
Reporter Kalmykov said, “Russia’s economy is huge,” and pointed out, “To collapse the Russian economy, you would have to impose comprehensive sanctions for decades and make it not run properly internally, but at the moment, none of this applies.”
In addition, Reporter Kalmykov said, “Russia makes money by exporting goods, and is basically free to sell whatever it wants,” adding, “Sanctions on (Russian) oil exports are just for decoration. “Natural gas, grain, nuclear fuel, etc. are not sanctioned at all by the EU, which is Russia’s main buyer,” he added.
Dr. Shulman also emphasized that although prices in Russia are “four times more expensive” than before, it is still more important that they are still readily available.
“Russian people are used to rising prices. Russians’ main national fear is not rising prices but shortages. “We are most afraid of a situation where there will be a shortage of products on the shelves, a situation reminiscent of the late Soviet Union.”
Reporter Kalmykov agreed, saying, “It’s all a matter of perspective,” and “Putin is taking advantage of this for his own propaganda.”
‘This too will come to an end’
Meanwhile, Dr. Shulman warned that although Putin currently appears to have more power than ever before, this too will eventually come to an end.
First of all, as the constitution was revised through a referendum in 2020, Putin will be able to serve at least two more six-year terms as president. That means he will likely be president until 2036, when he will be 86 years old.
Dr. Shulman said, “We are considering the possibility of retirement,” adding, “The ideal scenario (for Putin) is that he dies during his term as president, and then someone with the same dictator mentality becomes his successor.”
However, Dr. Shulman is of the opinion that it may not go this way. Russia’s system is “aging” and is “led by an individual who will no longer get younger or stronger.”
The conclusion is that in Russia all “social stability” is currently centered on “one person who cannot live forever.”
1710930928
#reasons #Russias #Putin #powerful
