No, and that's the point. "I can do what the fxxx I like, when I like. What are you going to do about it? Sorry, can't hear you. I said "what are you going to do about it?""
Alexei Navalny dies in prison
- Thread starter les24preludes
- Start date
tones
Tones deaf
gez
pfm Member
Sorry to say this, but the guy was naive or stupid. They poisoned him, he was taken to Germany where he recovered, yet despite believing that Putin had tried to kill him, he returned to Russia. Sorry that's just stupid behaviour in the extreme in my view. Staying alive trumps all other considerations, even your nation being liberated from a dicator.
They tried to kill him when he was abroad they could do it again. Dying in Russia might have done his cause more good that dying abroad. He knew his cards were marked. Not naive, nor stupid; brave, incredibly brave.
Video said to be from yesterday showed Navalny looking quite healthy and in good spirits considering his circumstances. Today it is said he went for a walk and keeled over and died. Why the sudden haste to kill him? Not to deflect attention from that ludicrous TV interview surely? That's already yesterday's news.
gez
pfm Member
Nothing brave about death.
We'll have to differ about his bravery.
Edit: Anne Applebaum article here The Atlantic · 4hWhy Russia Killed NavalnyBy Anne Applebaum you will need to paste it into 12ft.io if paywalled. “If Navalny is showing his countrymen how to be courageous, Putin wants to show them that courage is useless.”
Edit 2: the Navalny video about Putin's palace is here
The Russians have a habit of declaring a special prisoner dead so the world just thinks he's dead. They can then do whatever they want with him whenever they want to.
TheDecameron
Unicorns fart glitter.
Yes, exactly this. There’s a brazenness which seems to take people in the west by surprise. The signature assassinations on British soil were a signal enough that he didn’t give one about Western pearl clutching. He probably timed this one for Tiny Tuckers visit.
mykel
Perpetual Hack.
Not sure Mick.
Hopefully the next round of Russian Roulette will land on an empty chamber.
That is if we survive this round...
MVV
pfm Member
Nob head on the news saying Putin killed him, **** off he is a bit sharper than that. This is exactly not the time to kill him because the package of US military aid for Ukraine will now probably pass the House Of Representatives.
No doubt the conditions were there but me, I'd have had him in a nice warm suite with 'assisted shower' facilities, well stocked mini-bar and a big telly.
No doubt the conditions were there but me, I'd have had him in a nice warm suite with 'assisted shower' facilities, well stocked mini-bar and a big telly.
TheDecameron
Unicorns fart glitter.
“Is my colleague from the WSJ going to suffer the same fate in prison Mr.Putin” or more likely “This caviar is excellent Mr.Lavrov, can you send some over to me when I get back?”.
PsB
Citizen of Nowhere™
Elections coming up soon. Gotta show who’s boss.
mykel
Perpetual Hack.
...and here I thought it was Cucker. Silly me.
tones
Tones deaf
A nice tribute from Masha Gessen:
www.newyorker.com
The Death of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Formidable Opponent
The opposition leader, who died in prison, had been persecuted for years by the Russian state. He remained defiant, and consistently funny, to the very end.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
Journalists at Agenstsvo report that a bot network operating to boost the Kremlin’s media narratives on Vkontakte and 𝕏 has started publishing comments on posts about Alexey Navalny, arguing that the Russian authorities don’t benefit from his death and claiming that the blood clot that allegedly killed Navalny (as reported by Russia Today) could have been caused by his hunger strike in early 2021. Numerous accounts have repeated claims already voiced openly by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin that the West is responsible for Navalny’s death because they stand to “gain” the most.
tones
Tones deaf
It doesn't occur to them that poisoning him, arresting him on his return, sending himn to jail, increasing the sentence and then sending him to a prison somewhere in the Russian Arctic might have something to do with it? Joe Stalin was renowned for his cynicism, but he apparently has a whole country full of heirs (but lacking any sort of graces).
One (this one anyway) starts to wonder whether Western-style democracy with accompanying freedom of speech is basically unsuited to the Russian character, and that they will always need a "strong man" (or woman - Catherine the Great) in charge.
One (this one anyway) starts to wonder whether Western-style democracy with accompanying freedom of speech is basically unsuited to the Russian character, and that they will always need a "strong man" (or woman - Catherine the Great) in charge.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
I know what you mean but I'm also a bit wary of blaming a population for the shits that rule them or putting it down to national character.
"Of course the Prime Minister is avaricious and utterly corrupt, the British character is completely unsuited to having honest leaders..."
tones
Tones deaf
Completely agree - I'm also wary of attributing specific national character to an administrative division on a map (it's a bit "chicken and egg"), but, given the long and tragic history of what we now call Russia, what with the original Rurik (a Viking pirate), the Mongols, the Poles and Lithuanians, I start to wonder whether this has left some sort of permanent imprint. Almost a bit like the nature v. nurture argument in bringing up children!