Putin's Russia
Alexey Navalny continues to be a democratic thorn in the side of Vladimir Putin who suffered a bloody nose in the recent Russian elections.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/vladimir-putin-s-united-russia-party-suffers-record-losses-in-moscow-elections-dqhtskcnp
Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party suffers record losses in Moscow elections
By Tom Parfitt - The Times
Vladimir Putin voting in the election. The United Russia party, which backs him, suffered a setback in the poll - MIKHAIL METZEL/ALAMY
The opposition has dealt a heavy blow to President Putin’s ruling United Russia party and its allies, which have lost a third of their seats in elections to Moscow’s parliament.
There were also large defeats for United Russia in the far east of the country. The results preface a 2021 national parliamentary vote and the battle for the presidency three years after that.
Several activists who were officially barred from the Moscow ballot on Sunday had urged their supporters to follow an “intelligent voting” plan laid out by Alexei Navalny, the prominent Kremlin critic, and the strategy appears to have borne fruit: Communist candidates and others seized 20 seats in the 45-member legislative chamber, dealing United Russia its biggest setback in the capital.
The opposition has dealt a heavy blow to President Putin’s ruling United Russia party and its allies, which have lost a third of their seats in elections to Moscow’s parliament.
There were also large defeats for United Russia in the far east of the country. The results preface a 2021 national parliamentary vote and the battle for the presidency three years after that.
Several activists who were officially barred from the Moscow ballot on Sunday had urged their supporters to follow an “intelligent voting” plan laid out by Alexei Navalny, the prominent Kremlin critic, and the strategy appears to have borne fruit: Communist candidates and others seized 20 seats in the 45-member legislative chamber, dealing United Russia its biggest setback in the capital.
Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader, shakes hands with his daughter Daria they cast their votes in the poll - YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA
Mr Navalny had appealed to voters in each of the capital’s constituencies to back whichever candidate had the best chance of beating the United Russia representative, no matter which party they were from. “This is a fantastic result for ‘intelligent voting’,” Mr Navalny said yesterday.
Support for Mr Putin dropped sharply last year after he approved a controversial raising of the pension age. His party’s losses in the capital were the latest sign of its fading fortunes: among those defeated was Andrey Metelsky, the leader of United Russia in Moscow.
In the run-up to the vote Mr Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation conducted investigations into the affairs of senior United Russia figures. Mr Metelsky was said to control a property portfolio, including three hotels in the Austrian Alps, worth more than £100 million. He denied any wrongdoing.
The Moscow duma was previously dominated by 28 United Russia deputies and ten members of the assembly who were allied to them. Candidates from the party ran as independents on Sunday to disguise their affiliation after a fall in its ratings. United Russia should still muster a majority in the chamber with 25 deputies who back Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, a Putin loyalist.
Mr Navalny had appealed to voters in each of the capital’s constituencies to back whichever candidate had the best chance of beating the United Russia representative, no matter which party they were from. “This is a fantastic result for ‘intelligent voting’,” Mr Navalny said yesterday.
Support for Mr Putin dropped sharply last year after he approved a controversial raising of the pension age. His party’s losses in the capital were the latest sign of its fading fortunes: among those defeated was Andrey Metelsky, the leader of United Russia in Moscow.
In the run-up to the vote Mr Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation conducted investigations into the affairs of senior United Russia figures. Mr Metelsky was said to control a property portfolio, including three hotels in the Austrian Alps, worth more than £100 million. He denied any wrongdoing.
The Moscow duma was previously dominated by 28 United Russia deputies and ten members of the assembly who were allied to them. Candidates from the party ran as independents on Sunday to disguise their affiliation after a fall in its ratings. United Russia should still muster a majority in the chamber with 25 deputies who back Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, a Putin loyalist.
Dmitry Gudkov, one of the would-be opposition candidates who was refused registration, said that voters had “said no to the special operation masquerading as an election”. He added: “In conditions of repression and police terror, Muscovites showed they were not prepared to put up with this.”
Opposition forces will now try to use their toehold in the city duma to build support before elections to the state duma, the national lower house of parliament, in two years’ time.
United Russia dominates the state duma but an erosion of its control could affect Mr Putin’s ability to pass legislation as he approaches a turbulent period up to 2024, when he must leave the Kremlin and find a successor to secure his legacy.
The intelligent voting strategy was opposed by some anti-Putin activists because it meant voting for the likes of the Communists, who often support Kremlin initiatives and whose leaders condemned recent street protests over the barring of reformist candidates. Mr Sobyanin claimed that the Moscow election had been the “most emotional and truly competitive in recent history”, adding: “The passions were full on. The duma has become more varied, which in all, I hope, will be to the benefit of the city parliament.”
Russians voted to choose new governors in 16 regions, including the city of St Petersburg, and members of legislative assemblies in 13 regions, including the Moscow duma. About 56 million voters were eligible to take part, with 47,000 seats or posts up for grabs.
United Russia fared better in the regions: pro-Kremlin candidates and interim leaders were expected to win in all 16 gubernatorial elections.
Alexander Beglov, backed by Mr Putin, won the election to become the new governor of St Petersburg, Russia’s former imperial capital, but there was a crushing defeat in Khabarovsk region, where the nationalist Liberal Democratic party swept to victory in regional and city chambers.
Golos, an independent election monitoring group, recorded a slew of alleged attempts to skew the vote, which matched tactics frequently employed at Russian elections to bump up figures for government-backed candidates.
Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party, gave an unusually forthright assessment for an establishment politician of United Russia, saying that “whatever they say now about their successes, they don’t have a single thing to offer on any serious question”.
He added: “Without honest elections it will be impossible to drag the country out of crisis. Continuation of these policies under the leadership of United Russia, which is bankrupt at all levels, will mean complete failure.”
Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin’s spokesman, sought to play down the results, insisting the elections had been “highly, highly successful for United Russia”.
From Russia with Love (21/07/18)
Donald Trump made a terrible horse's ass of himself at the Helsinki summit, but he's now doubled down on this diplomatic disaster by inviting Vladimir Putin to visit the White House.
Old Foghorn and Putin's Russia (01/02/18)
Donald Trump's favourite world leader must surely be Vladimir Putin because while the American president he has sounded off against democratic allies and friends in the UK, Germany, France, Australia and Mexico - 'Old Foghorn' has nothing much to say about the goings on in Russia.
Even when President Putin's repressive state tries to silence the opposition leader Alexei Navlany who has been the subject of a vile campaign of harassment and intimidation by Kremlin thugs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42850198
Russian presidential elections: Navalny freed after day of protests
Media caption - The BBC's Steve Rosenberg: "We were standing right next to Mr Navalny... it was very dramatic"
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been freed after detained by police at a Moscow rally in support of a presidential election boycott.
His lawyer told the press that he had been released without charge but will have to appear in court at a later date and may then face charges.
Earlier, police raided his offices in Moscow, reportedly seizing equipment.
Mr Navalny - President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critic - is barred from standing in the 18 March election.
BBC footage showed him being wrestled to the ground by policemen during the arrest.
Soon afterwards the opposition leader tweeted to urge others to join protests across the country. "The detention of one person is meaningless if there are many of us. Someone, come and replace me," he wrote (in Russian).
Protest rallies were held in a number of Russian cities. In Moscow and St Petersburg they were not sanctioned by authorities.
More than 180 people were detained across the country, reports say.
Earlier on Sunday, Russian police raided the property of Mr Navalny's anti-corruption organisation in Moscow. A YouTube clip showed a broadcast recording from the office being interrupted.
A spokesman for Mr Navalny said the officers used a power tool to break into the office, adding that they said they were investigating a bomb threat.
More than 180 people were detained across the country, reports say.
Earlier on Sunday, Russian police raided the property of Mr Navalny's anti-corruption organisation in Moscow. A YouTube clip showed a broadcast recording from the office being interrupted.
A spokesman for Mr Navalny said the officers used a power tool to break into the office, adding that they said they were investigating a bomb threat.
Image copyright - GETTY IMAGES Image caption - Alexei Navalny has said that the upcoming Russian presidential election is "dishonest"
The demonstrations come after weeks of pressure on Mr Navalny's supporters across Russia, who have faced detentions and had leaflets in support of the rallies confiscated.
The demonstrations come after weeks of pressure on Mr Navalny's supporters across Russia, who have faced detentions and had leaflets in support of the rallies confiscated.
Image copyright - REUTERS Image caption - Mr Navalny's supporters attend a rally in the city of Vladivostok calling for a boycott of the election
Mr Navalny, who insists he would beat Mr Putin in a fair fight, is barred from running in the ballot over a criminal conviction that he says is politically motivated.
The opposition leader led mass street protests against Mr Putin in the winter of 2011-12 and was arrested three times in 2017 for organising unauthorised anti-Putin protests.
Mr Putin, who refuses to mention Mr Navalny by name, retains a massive approval rating in Russia and is widely expected to win a fourth six-year term in office.
Mr Navalny, who insists he would beat Mr Putin in a fair fight, is barred from running in the ballot over a criminal conviction that he says is politically motivated.
The opposition leader led mass street protests against Mr Putin in the winter of 2011-12 and was arrested three times in 2017 for organising unauthorised anti-Putin protests.
Mr Putin, who refuses to mention Mr Navalny by name, retains a massive approval rating in Russia and is widely expected to win a fourth six-year term in office.
Putin's Russia (30/09/17)
Sky News reports on the latest attempts to silence opposition leader Alexei Nalvany inside Putin's Russia.
I suspect we shall not hear Donald Trump raising his voice in protest, nor that of the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn whose official spokesperson, Seumas Milne, is a long standing admirer of of President Putin.
http://news.sky.com/story/russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-detained-on-way-to-rally-11060193?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny detained on way to rally
The longtime critic of Vladimir Putin has tweeted from a police station that he has been detained without charge.
Image:Alexei Navalny is arguably Russia's best-known opposition leader
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been detained by police on his way to a political rally in Moscow.
The activist posted a video to Instagram in the early hours of Friday morning, saying officers were outside his home and summoning him to a police station.
The following afternoon he tweeted from a police station to say he was being held without charge.
Mr Navalny, the head of the politically centrist Progress party, which campaigns against corruption, is one of the country's most prominent critics of President Vladimir Putin.
He had planned to run against the country's longstanding leader in December's presidential elections, but was barred from standing in June after being found guilty of embezzlement earlier in the year.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been detained by police on his way to a political rally in Moscow.
The activist posted a video to Instagram in the early hours of Friday morning, saying officers were outside his home and summoning him to a police station.
The following afternoon he tweeted from a police station to say he was being held without charge.
Mr Navalny, the head of the politically centrist Progress party, which campaigns against corruption, is one of the country's most prominent critics of President Vladimir Putin.
He had planned to run against the country's longstanding leader in December's presidential elections, but was barred from standing in June after being found guilty of embezzlement earlier in the year.
Image:Mr Navalny has called for nationwide protests
He had planned on Friday to travel to the city of Nizhny Novgorod for the latest in a series of regional demonstrations in support of his opposition bid, against corruption and in protest at United Russia, the ruling party to which Mr Putin belongs.
In his tweet on Friday afternoon Mr Navalny said the Kremlin viewed him as a "huge threat".
"They were saying for so long that opposition has no support in the regions, and it now pains them to even look at our rallies," he said.
He had planned on Friday to travel to the city of Nizhny Novgorod for the latest in a series of regional demonstrations in support of his opposition bid, against corruption and in protest at United Russia, the ruling party to which Mr Putin belongs.
In his tweet on Friday afternoon Mr Navalny said the Kremlin viewed him as a "huge threat".
"They were saying for so long that opposition has no support in the regions, and it now pains them to even look at our rallies," he said.
Image:The activist has suffered chemical burns after being attacked with a mystery green substance
In recent months the activist has been targeted by authorities on numerous occasions.
He was sentenced to 30 days in jail after being arrested on his way to an anti-Kremlin protest in June, and has had green liquid thrown into his faceby unknown assailants.
The rallies have attracted thousands of people, and have recently focused on broadening support for opposition politics in more remote regions of Russia.
Some 10,0000 people showed up to a recent St Petersburg rally, and at one Moscow demonstration 800 were arrested.
But the Kremlin has dismissed Mr Navalny's political campaign, branding him a cosmopolitan out of touch with the needs and desires of ordinary people.
The Russian interior ministry said in a statement on Friday that it had detained the activist on account of his calls for unsanctioned rallies.
In recent months the activist has been targeted by authorities on numerous occasions.
He was sentenced to 30 days in jail after being arrested on his way to an anti-Kremlin protest in June, and has had green liquid thrown into his faceby unknown assailants.
The rallies have attracted thousands of people, and have recently focused on broadening support for opposition politics in more remote regions of Russia.
Some 10,0000 people showed up to a recent St Petersburg rally, and at one Moscow demonstration 800 were arrested.
But the Kremlin has dismissed Mr Navalny's political campaign, branding him a cosmopolitan out of touch with the needs and desires of ordinary people.
The Russian interior ministry said in a statement on Friday that it had detained the activist on account of his calls for unsanctioned rallies.
Putin's Russia (02/05/17)
The BBC reports that Alexei Navalny, a vocal Russian opposition leader and an arch-critic of President Putin continues to be intimidated by his political rivals.
While Navalny tries to make light of his situation with his 'Mask-like' Jim Carrey pose there is nothing funny about what's going on here and given the propensity for critics of President Putin to die mysterious and untimely deaths -the warning signs are clear.
How odd it is that Donald Trump should have such warm words for President Putin whose authoritarian, gangster-style version of capitalism Trump seems to admire.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39735867
Russia opposition leader Alexei Navalny attacked with "brilliant green" dye
BBC Europe
Image copyright - @NAVALNY Image caption - It is the second time Mr Navalany has had dye thrown on him this year
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been taken to hospital after an antiseptic green dye was splashed on his face in Moscow.
It is the second time he has been attacked with zelyonka ("brilliant green" in English) this year.
The dye is a common antiseptic in Russia and has been used in protests there and in Ukraine.
"It looks funny but it hurts like hell," Mr Navalny tweeted.
It is not clear who carried out the attack, which happened near the offices of the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK) that he founded.
According to one report (in Russian) he was diagnosed with a chemical burn to the eye.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been taken to hospital after an antiseptic green dye was splashed on his face in Moscow.
It is the second time he has been attacked with zelyonka ("brilliant green" in English) this year.
The dye is a common antiseptic in Russia and has been used in protests there and in Ukraine.
"It looks funny but it hurts like hell," Mr Navalny tweeted.
It is not clear who carried out the attack, which happened near the offices of the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK) that he founded.
According to one report (in Russian) he was diagnosed with a chemical burn to the eye.
Navalny: Russia's vociferous opposition leader
Mr Navalny is one of the foremost Russian critics of President Vladimir Putin and has announced his intention to run for president himself.
But his intentions may be thwarted - he has been convicted of embezzlement, which would bar him from running for office, although he denies it.
A new weapon of choice - Vitaliy Shevchenko, BBC Monitoring
A mild antiseptic known as "brilliant green" has recently become a weapon of choice against government critics in Russia.
Media caption - Footage from March appears to show Mr Navalny being attacked with a green liquid
Mr Navalny has been doused with it twice this year. One of Russia's most popular bloggers, Ilya Varlamov, had it thrown at him twice on the same day on 26 April. And pro-Western politician Mikhail Kasyanov had it splashed in his face at a rally commemorating murdered opposition activist Boris Nemtsov.
So why brilliant green? It stains the skin and is hard to wash off, which can be a problem if you want to take the media spotlight. Also, it doesn't do any lasting damage, which means attackers will not be facing charges of grave bodily harm.
But the attackers don't always have the last laugh. When Mr Navalny was last doused he turned his green face into an internet meme and was imitated by his supporters.
Mr Navalny was among 500 people arrested after organising an anti-corruption rally last month. Rallies across the country were the biggest opposition demonstrations in Russia in several years.
He has said repeatedly that he wants to challenge Vladimir Putin's control of the Kremlin and expose what he claims is the "myth" that Mr Putin commands more than 80% popular support.
Meanwhile a separate opposition group, Open Russia, says its office has been raided by police, a day after the group was blacklisted by the authorities.
Activists said more than 20 riot police raided the office and removed computer equipment and 100,000 flyers for an unsanctioned rally planned for this weekend.
Open Russia was founded by former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who lives in exile after spending 10 years in a Siberian prison on fraud charges, which he says were politically motivated.
Tycoons and Oligarchs (08/04/17)
The Herald reported a remarkable story the other day claiming that shell companies in Scotland were used to money launder billions of pounds out of Russia and the former Soviet Union by the business figures and 'oligarchs' who have grown rich beyond their dreams under President Putin.
Now Scotland doesn't emerge from this sorry tale very well, but nor does the likes of Donald Trump who clearly admires the way President Putin does business - unencumbered by a free and independent press that is capable of holding the government to account.
If you ask me, Trump's 'fake news' strategy is an attempt to discredit and neutralise the media so that he can run the White House along the lines of a business empire - which is how the Kremlin operates under Vladimir Putin.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15183346.Scots_shell_companies_used_to_launder___4_billion_out_of_Russia/
Scots shell companies used to launder £4 billion out of Russia
Scots shell companies used to launder £4 billion out of Russia
By David Leask - The Herald
SCOTTISH shell firms were used to move at least £4 billion out of the former Soviet Union as part of what is thought to be the world’s biggest and most elaborate money-laundering scheme.
In a dramatic blow to the country’s global image, The Herald can reveal Scotland played a key role in the so-called “Laundromat”, a giant criminal conspiracy enabling Russia’s elite to funnel a minimum of $20bn out of their country.
Oligarchs Love-In
Share of wealth held by top 1%
Russia: 74.5%
India: 58.4%
Russia: 74.5%
India: 58.4%
Indonesia: 49%
Brazil: 48%
China:
43.8%
US: 42%
Mexico: 38%
(Credit Suisse)
Who knows why Donald Trump admires Russia and President Putin so much?
But these figures from Credit Suisse might help provide a clue as to how President Trump aims to Make America Great Again.
But these figures from Credit Suisse might help provide a clue as to how President Trump aims to Make America Great Again.
