Russian dissident poisoned with Novichok due to be "disappeared".

Soldato
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Someone will "off" Putin eventually, you dont go around making big waves without cast iron shields - and i doubt pootings got enough to see him through forever.
Yes, Putin is in trouble. There is no obvious succession, no easy exit strategy where he enjoys his ill-gotten billions in peaceful retirement. He has too many enemies and the resulting power struggle to replace him could be messy.

This podcast is worth a listen:
Putin: Prisoner of Power
 
Man of Honour
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Yes, Putin is in trouble. There is no obvious succession, no easy exit strategy where he enjoys his ill-gotten billions in peaceful retirement. He has too many enemies and the resulting power struggle to replace him could be messy.

This podcast is worth a listen:
Putin: Prisoner of Power

Yeah dunno what happens if he retires - one of his potential retirement properties, if actually defended, would take a [not so] small army to invade it if defended as intended - though the reality tends to be a bit different.
 
Soldato
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He is arguably safer in the hand of the Russian state, and is indisputable more dangerous to Putin.

If he's on the run they could assassinate him anytime and deny responsibility despite the world knowing who did it.

If he's he's held captive, the Russian are responsible for his safety but he is a powerful political prisoner.
 
Soldato
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Still think he will die from 'complications' suffered from the failed attempt.

Darwinism or bravery or both you have to say he has balls of steel to stand up to someone who has the power that Putin does, kudos for wanting better for his Russia as well.

Perhaps killing him now will make him a martyr and spark something bigger.
 
Soldato
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He was crazy going back. Obviously they would try it again.

Its funny reading the comments on the state backed/owned news sites, like RT. The Putin bots must be working overtime on this one. But they are only preaching to themselves.
 
Soldato
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Clearly a man who believes in his cause and willing to put his life on the line for it, gotta respect that in today's world.
 
Soldato
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Forgot I'm in GD, yes I obviously do because there's no differentiation between a man who is a political opponent in a country with a dicatator, who opposes state level corruption and had an assassination attempt against him, and religiously motivated terrorists attempting to bring their respective countries back to the stone age.
 
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A Bulgarian Bellingcat researcher (Christo Grozev) claims that the Russian dissident Alexei Navalny who was poisoned, allegedly by having Novichok placed in his underpants, was tracked around Russia by "Intelligence" assassins. Using Russia's black market Grozev was able to buy phone data and flight records to prove how often and who was involved.

Despite this, Navalny is flying back into Moscow today where he will be arrested for failing to answer a bail hearing while in a coma - SAY WHAT :confused:

Putin is much admired by the soon to be the American ex-President.


. . . and lo! It came to pass on that day . . .

Novicok ?
 
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Navalny isn't going to overthrow Putin. I don't think people in the west understand that any politician we support in Russia is automatically labelled as western puppet. Many still remember how we helped Yeltsin and what it meant for Russia. In more recent memory, the whole pro-european project in Ukraine failed so miserably that many have a bad taste of such thing happening in Russia.

Putin is losing his edge though, in his younger years I'd think he'd just let Navalny be. The more attempts to silence him, more trouble it brings. Looks like he has become out of touch with reality.

As law goes, lets be honest. Most likely Navalny does receive paychecks from US and Europe for his activities. Same as Russians line pockets of certain politicians in the west.
 
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Caporegime
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Forgot I'm in GD, yes I obviously do because there's no differentiation between a man who is a political opponent in a country with a dicatator, who opposes state level corruption and had an assassination attempt against him, and religiously motivated terrorists attempting to bring their respective countries back to the stone age.

So you only respect them if you agree with their cause.

Got it!
 
Soldato
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Yeah I mean that's how it works for most things...

Definitely remember why I stay away from this cesspit of a subforum, but go on then, present your counter argument for how Navalny is the Russian equivalent of ISIS and Taliban.
 
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So you only respect them if you agree with their cause.

Got it!
Yeah I mean that's how it works for most things...

Definitely remember why I stay away from this cesspit of a subforum, but go on then, present your counter argument for how Navalny is the Russian equivalent of ISIS and Taliban.

Well its a matter of perspective isnt it. If you are hardcore Islamist, you probably support struggle of Taliban and the ISIS. Meanwhile we in the west, do not. Now lets imagine the US was a hardcore Islamist country, I'm sure we'd be bombing pro democracy countries and installing 'sharia laws'.

We in the west think we have moral authority because we're right. When in reality, we have this authority because of our superior economic and military's power. The situation would be same if we had same power but a whole another ideology. Like I said, if we in the west were fundamental islamists, we'd be bombing other countries and spreading islam.

I assure you that if in next 100 or so years we move on from current economic and government system - US and its activities will be remembered in same way as British Empire with slave trade.

Reality is that centuries have changed but methods remained the same. How were crusades much different to the current idea of 'spreading democracy'. People truly believed in it then as they do now that they are on the right side.

The issue is that we in the west think we know better than anyone and everyone how to live. Reality is that there is no such thing as ultimate good and evil, its all relative. Imagine if those islamists are somehow right and due to our life-style in west we are doomed to spend eternity burning in an oil pit after our death. Meanwhile their followers get virgins or whatever. Imagine if that was actually true. All of the sudden our regime in west is sentencing people to eternity in cauldrons meanwhile ISIS is liberating and providing virgins. Obviously I do not think this is true.
 
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Caporegime
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He was crazy going back. Obviously they would try it again.

Its funny reading the comments on the state backed/owned news sites, like RT. The Putin bots must be working overtime on this one. But they are only preaching to themselves.

Navalny knew what would happen, I doubt that was the point though.

The point is to make Putin look weak, it was already embarrassing when he failed to kill him (multiple times at this point) and so to have him show up back in Moscow knowing full well that Putin would again throw the state at him... I can't know for sure what Russians think, but on a purely instinctual level I'd say the strongman image is faltering somewhat when Navalny appears rather modest in comparison.

Mind you Putin benefited greatly from the mess in Washington, so you know... swings and roundabouts.
 
Soldato
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Most of the Russians I've spoken to dont like Putin, but some of the other candidates (the ones not dead or in prison) are genuinely mental. His fans are a bit like Trump followers. Except he successfully rigs the votes so they cant get rid of him.

Its difficult to get them to be honest online as they are paranoid the state is watching (they are a lot of the time).
 
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