Backlash to Russian opposition: lessons for us

[@VladVexlerChat]

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[@xlukas93]

Vlad, with all due respect. I watched the whole video and still do not understand why those people are being called russian opposition. By what standard are they an opposition to current russian regime? If this is all the russian opposition has to offer, then we have to pursue different strategy. Yes, many of them are martyrs, but that does not make them automatically political figures, and it is pretty clear to me, that political figures they are not. There is no plan or even vision or anything of substance as real political movement. They criticise current russian government, yes, but so do we, and this does not make us russian opposition leaders, does it? Yes, they do have more legitimacy than us, for their principal stance as they are real victims of political purges etc... but that does not mean it is real opposition. Many people left North Korea and criticise that regime, are they korean opposition? Are we going to pretend that those people will replace kim dynasty? I just dont see the leap from activism or victims of political persecution - to politician. And i am not criticising those people, what i am saying is that this is ineffective strategy, if we are going to pretend that they are political figures who could lead russia after putin, or anything similar to that. I dont see how being a victim of some power hungry paranoid autocrat makes one automatically an opposition leader. Yes they are activists, and yes their experience is valid, but they clearly lack any real political power, at least what it looks like to me. I just cant figure out why people in the west treat those people as possible replacement of putins regime, i just dont see this as realistic scenario. It looks more like a group of poets rather than some organisation. Yes they bring real sentiment along, which many russians can align with, but that is not enough for real life practical changes i am afraid. We can pad each others back and recite poems in our basements and praise each other how moral and ethical we are, and how this and that is bad... but i dont think this brings real danger to the autocrats of the world. It is more like a reddit group, a hobby if you will, rather than some actual competent political organisation. I have been involved in political movements since my teenage years, i am a lefty. But i was frustrated (and still am) by those "activist" or political people on the left in general. It is very performative without no real substance - it is going nowhere. They pad each others back, have very idealistic ideals they are unwilling to compromise. One part naive harmless castro wannabe cosplayers, and another part radical angry antisystem fighters. Both lack any realistic vision and unwilling even discuss the need for such vision or plan - just concentration of virtue signalling, buzzwords, anger and frustration. And this will never leads to any real change, it can not, unless those people start to focus on real solutions to real problems. This seems similar - there is no agency, there is no plan, not even ideals or vision. It is no more than barking. Just like the dog chasing a car, and once he gets there, he does not know what to do. This is not political but religious movement. Magical thinking that something good will happen if we just wait long enough and pad each others back hard enough, and once we get rid of the bad people in charge, good people will be in charge and everything will change from bad to good. There is a word for this phenomenon we expect - a miracle. And i am old enough to know, that the most effective strategy of political organisation (or anything really) can not be based solely on miracles. And i am really not that old!

[@Mrblazed420]

Wonder what are your thoughts on starlin starmer comments on "FAR right" protests and how he's fuling the fire not putting it out just wonderd i do like your way of thinking just different from most people and you make more sense than most and you are level headed and don't let emotions direct your opinions hope you do a video talking about it all as we need some rational thinkers before everything kicks off we're at boiling point and it's about to boil over into real hatred and violence

[@russetmantle1]

"And why does it sound like they're talking about sanctions as though the appropriateness or inappropriateness of sanctions is a matter of moral principle as opposed to a matter of political necessity?" I think this is the absolute heart of the matter. Well expressed, thank you.

[@karabenomar]

To put it differently: How would you even go about limiting sanctions to the regime and leave the populace unaffected while still maintaining economic pressure? It can't be done. Yet here they are, demanding just that, and with a straight face. They've lost touch with reality.

[@xoxo9970]

The sign reveals the Kremlin's true intentions. The West must listen to the alarms from the Baltics. Russia's goals in Ukraine are something completely different than what the Kremlin wants us to believe. In the Capricorn house on Domberget, in the middle of Tallinn, sits the government of Estonia. From the terrace, the view of the Old Town and the Gulf of Finland is magnificent, but it is two inconspicuous marble paintings on the facade facing the alley that make the biggest impression. It contains the names of 66 former Estonian ministers, 10 of them heads of government, who were murdered by the Soviet Union after the invasion in 1940. Some were quickly executed, others died in Siberian prison camps after years of starvation and hardship. After a couple of the death dates there is a question mark. It is still not known when Jaan Tõnisson, prime minister and later also head of state, was killed. His burial place is unknown. The terror in Estonia struck wide; between 1940 and 1953 over 35,000 residents were deported. But it didn't hit completely blindly. The Soviets first targeted the young republic's elite. High-ranking politicians, diplomats, civil servants and military personnel - as well as their families - were imprisoned, executed or put in train cars bound for Russia. Russians traveled in the opposite direction, to settle in Estonia. In some places it happened after an almost total ethnic cleansing of Estonians, such as in the city of Narva. The goal was to crush all possibilities of building a future independent Estonian state. ■ ■ ■ History repeats itself. The Soviet Union does not exist anymore and since 1991 Estonia has been independent again. But in Ukraine, Russia is reusing the old Soviet methods of terror against the population. The horrific testimonies from the town of Butja - of torture, rape and executions, carried out by Russian forces - were spread around the world at the beginning of the war of invasion. But the violence has not only been randomly bestial. In the areas they occupied, Russian troops have systematically targeted prominent Ukrainians. Even before the invasion, there were ready-made lists of officials, journalists, mayors, politicians and activists that the Russian authorities wanted to get hold of. Many of them were imprisoned, tortured or executed already at the beginning of the invasion. Deportations are also used again on a large scale. As the war rages, it is difficult to determine exactly how many Ukrainians have been sent to Russia. The grotesque movement of kidnapped Ukrainian children has received the most attention. Ukrainian authorities have identified nearly 20,000 children who have been forced to travel to Russia without their parents. Many of them have been adopted away to Russian families. But the real number is believed to be significantly higher. To that must be added the information that a much larger number of Ukrainian citizens from the occupied territories have been forced to leave their homes for Russia - not infrequently in the Far East. At the same time, the Kremlin is trying to get Russians to move into the Ukrainian territories that are now occupied. The chilling stories about population transfers and deportations to Siberia that you can take part in at the Occupation and Freedom Museum in Tallinn are thus being repeated in Europe in 2024. It is important to point to history here. Russia may have been less successful on the battlefield than Putin planned. But his excuses for the war have spread widely even in Western debate. It has been said that Russia only wants security guarantees, that NATO has come too close to the country's borders or that they only want to protect the Russian-speaking population. Many have found it desperately difficult to understand that, now as then, it is about an imperialist state that tries to subdue its neighboring countries, kill the leaders, crush the culture and displace the people. Debaters in the West who blithely call for Ukraine to make peace with Russia seem to think that it doesn't really matter what government is in a country. Anything is better than war, they think. But peace does not automatically mean an end to terror. The largest wave of deportations from Estonia occurred four years after the end of World War II. On the other hand, in the states that themselves experienced the terror of the Soviet Union, Russia's intentions were understood early on. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania sent advanced weapons to Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion. It helped that Kiev could hold its ground and that Russia's planned purges of the Ukrainian leadership in the capital could not be implemented. Therefore, we should listen extra carefully to the Baltic leaders - like the president of Latvia this week - when they warn that the West is not doing enough to meet the threat from Russia. They know exactly what they are talking about. And we should not go by the strange arguments from the left that NATO membership has meant an end to Sweden's aspirations for peace and solidarity. It is difficult to imagine a more solidarity-based task for Sweden than to contribute to Estonia's blue-black-white flag continuing to fly on Domberget.

[@martavdz4972]

It's Toompea, not Domberget.

[@ChristinaMuzzu]

Thank you for this context. I wish it could be heard from every rooftop. I am STILL hearing that it's Ukraine or NATO's fault in Germany... I suspect bec. thinking it isn't and still not doing anything would create cognitive dissonance too uncomfortable for the excusemakers to bear.

[@silviuvirgil12]

Are you on Twitter?

[@derpderpenstein3691]

😮

[@signorasforza354]

Thank you

[@richardoldfield6714]

In other news, a Russian sub that was previously attacked, damaged, and was under dry-dock repair, has now been attacked again and this time sunk.

[@peterd9698]

I expect they invested a bunch in repairing it, so this is an additional win, not just the one we thought we already had.

[@OttoKreml]

@@richardoldfield6714 And a sub is actually a part of the navy that matters.

[@youtubewatcher2]

The Rostov under the Don

[@Nebris]

@@youtubewatcher2 LOL

[@Ptahamria]

@@youtubewatcher2 бот кремлевский

[@Crazykitty6554]

Greetings from the 1% of your viewers from Ukraine!

[@Ptahamria]

есть мы в Атеш , в украинском Крыму--партизаны.

[@charlesmartin1121]

We will only miss democracy when it is gone, by which time it's too late.

[@thomasmaughan4798]

"We will only miss democracy when it is gone" Perhaps by then someone can define the word.

[@eddybrevet6816]

goodwill versus cynical

[@VajrahahaShunyata]

Individual rights as opposed to the slavery of collectivism

[@thomasmaughan4798]

@@VajrahahaShunyata "Individual rights as opposed to the slavery of collectivism" Democracy is neither. There is no "individual" in democracy and slavery will be limited to the 49 percent. But in the real world, how many Democrats voted for Kamala Harris to be the Presidential candidate? None, zero (but I might be mistaken). The PARTY chose Kamala and Kamala chose Kamala.

[@svr5423]

Democracy is already gone in many western countries. In Europe, the lobbyist organisation of the EU has taken over. And many other countries don't allow people to vote on actual issues, only on corrupt, pre-selected people. And here lies the problem: If you participate in the system to "win", you will become as corrupt as they are. Because it's a prerequisite to winning.

[@happyfelix1440]

The problem I see is that the war in Ukraine is not about Russia's security. It's about imperialism vis. D. Trenin. Putin wanted his sphere of influence for Russia, where he can do whatever he wants. That's what great powers do. The problem is that a state whose economy is equal to two Swiss economies cannot be a great power. Russian elites do not want Russia to be equal, but more equal than others.

[@Ptahamria]

война с 2014 не в Украине, между агрессивной РФ и Украиной.

[@ccabanita1]

I have to say something about the future of Russia that pertains to my political experience with my country, Portugal. It had, until the 25th April 1974, a fascist regime 48 years old who was fighting three colonial wars, in Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau), Angola and Mozambique. I was 21 years old then. The political, social, economic and military situation was dire, but if an hypothetical Levada Center would conduct opinion polls then, they would conclude, without a doubt, that the people supported the regime. People were a bit uneasy, but they accepted the official propaganda that the country extended all the way to the reaches of the colonial empire, was surrounded with enemies and "our soldiers are fighting for the fatherland", against "turras" (terrorists, as the called the anti-colonial liberation movements). Then a military coup happened, fueled by officers' discontent. But the coup became an instant revolution, as massive crowds took to the streets. What's funny is that almost every Portuguese that the night before had more or lesse supported the fascist regime was now (and had always been) a passionate antifascist. Opinion polls during a dictatorship are irrelevant. So, Russians can change overnight, as I saw the Portuguese change. In a revolutionary situation, the exiled politicians can come from abroad and practically be enthroned as the new leaders of the country.

[@juliakocich9404]

How fair is it to put microphones in front of people who were in solitary confinement until, what, 72 hours ago max., and demand insights into what is happening and what their plans are? They didn't know if they were being taken to their execution!

[@VladVexlerChat]

I think the human empathy is missing at the moment, because most people are reacting algorithmically. At the same time, I do think that the apolitical dimension will remain there - year from now and so on. I’ve met people who have been political prisoners and tortured too, not in Russia, and I know what big stuff that is. It’s huge.

[@Ptahamria]

@@VladVexlerChat это шоу мены из русо рейха, которыйе сами его и взрасти за долгие годы участия в политик в режиме путлера==гитлера. Они даже не говорят о войне РФ с Украиной, это некий конфликт в Украине. Их амия и власти--народец==коллективный путлер : ракеты по людям , действия в Буче, в с. Ягодном, в Мариуполе, в Ирпени. и многих других городах оккупированных Русо рейхом. Чеченцы тоже подали в трибунал на РФ армию в Раду Украины-- с. Самшки и в ноль стертый Грозный. Воняют все росияне коричным, кроме РДК и Легиона.

[@janetmaddock3941]

Very fair. When they consider the Russian people as victims, I'm sorry, they lose my support. Instead of being grateful and holding their tongue for a while, they have mocked America, Germany, and other states that sacrificed the release of others. Specifically, the american teacher held for years. It was a slap in the face to the west including Ukraine.

[@anzelmasmatutis2500]

Sanctions were introduced due to aggression against Ukraine. How many times 3 oppositioners mentioned Ukraine? ..none? 3 oppositioners are BLIND to WHY Sanctions were introduced.

[@voornaamachternaam771]

My first thought was: "did we let a murderer walk for this???"

[@arekkusub6877]

@@voornaamachternaam771 We did

[@vetXerius]

“Some people have gotten to a dynamic where inadvertently they’re destroying their own democracies, AND we don’t blame them for that” I think that is an extremely important facet of addressing decline in western democracies. In order to improve our current situation there is no room to exclude other viewpoints as simply irrational or just plain wrong. Rehabilitation of those who feel disenfranchised in current democracies needs to be included in the process of healing democracy. How will we do that? I’m not sure, but we’ll try

[@VladVexlerChat]

These citizens need more democracy and not lectures about moral improvement, yes!

[@hybridarmyoffreeworld]

yes, 'Breaking up Moscow empire is the only way to end its imperialism', And I don’t mean Putin´s imperialism, but Moscow imperialism in general , from Solzhenitsyn and Brodsky to Yeltsin and Dugin.

[@eveningtsar]

If someone says something I don't like, I won't get bent out of shape. But I reserve the right to say I don't like it. And if I think it's important, I'll explain why I don't like it.

[@Ptahamria]

они плоть от плоти русо рейха. все такие рабсияне, кроме РДК и Легиона.

[@dayoubalimi286]

I can hardly believe what I'm hearing here. I'm nearly 92 years old, and never once before in my life did it even cross my mind that I might someday find myself in this situation and have to say what I'm about to say. I'm shocked and appalled - shocked and appalled, I tell you - to see my dear friend Barry from Seattle mocked in this way. Barry is a sensitive but very decent guy, and that thing that happened back in the early '90s was completely blown out of proportion. Shame on you, Vlad, for singling him out for this kind of public opprobrium.

[@DSJALLDAY]

😚

[@VladVexlerChat]

I think it’s just a bad day for Barry, but he is committed to personal development!

[@leighsanders8825]

It was a hilarious skit! Vlad: a scholar, a communicator, an actor and a comedian! 😁

[@psychologianiestacjonarna6558]

I'm Polish. And I'm aware how the sanctions work. Very very slowly. Russian economy adopts, learns how to evade them (take the example of Iran sanctioned for decades). The sanctions mostly effect ordinary people of RF (making them despise the West even more) but they don't effect that much the ones on the top of russian society (just go to France, Italy etc, you'll see how many privileged rich russians travel there regularly having good time) All of that said, I strongly support the Ukrainian point of view. The lack of expressing real solidarity with the suffering "brotherly" Ukrainians by swapped oppositionists is very disheartening

[@suzannstrohmaier2578]

Yeah exactly...the rich can always avoid sanctions easy...middle class...poor ...have no way to escape .

[@robertclive491]

Wrong. In affecting ordinary people they harm the Russian economy, hampering their ability to wage war.

[@xfom4008]

As a Russian - why the fuck would I be going ahead and trusting people who put Ukranians over Russians? Why the fuck should I choose ukranians over myself when ukranians will never again reciprocate? Why should I feel guilty over the decisions of a fucking dictator that I hate personally and that has been in power for longer than I've been alive on this godforsaken planet? Please tell me.

[@volshebnikozz]

Yashin was sentenced for the video about Bucha, Kara-Murza for the speech in US about Russian atrocities in Ukraine. Just need to be pointed out. And I don't think Kara-Murza was saying about economic sanctions, but more about humanitarian: student visas, scientist visas, humanitarian visas, export of medicine, cancellation of flights

[@АндрейПаяс]

Iran has population similar to russia but its gdp is 5 times lower. In Ukraine we would be ok with russia weathering sanctions as well as Iran. The important part is that Iran doesn't have the strength to destroy its neighbors.

[@sebastianlahns8023]

What these three showed me is that there is no russian opposition that can help to bring peace back to europe. If even they do not understand that russia and its people have to change than they should go back.

[@martavdz4972]

Yeah, I know Russians who know this, but they're not in the political opposition, they're in exile.

[@tamasgyorffy1]

sadly, same opinion. that empire has to fall to change.

[@dmitriyb5206]

INSANE One phrase out of 1 and a half hour interview and you want person who was almost killed THREE TIMES to be sent back to his killers. I hope you get treated that way in your life too

[@alexmashine]

If you whant ti be truly oposite to regime you'll die, there no otjer way, so funny in the west people so niave

[@sebastianlahns8023]

@@dmitriyb5206 These people want back, thats what they said themselves. I do not want them to loose their lives. I do not want a murderer to run free. I want the russian people to see themself in a mirror and understand that they are part of the problem.

[@faizanrana2998]

hello VERY BEAUTIFUL COMUNITY

[@VladVexlerChat]

Hello!!

[@EricDMMiller]

Do you mean shhhhhhhhkelkho?

[@RodWilliams-m7r]

Well said.

[@suzannstrohmaier2578]

Hello there 😊

[@VladVexlerChat]

@@suzannstrohmaier2578 💛

[@henriikkak2091]

The reason Barry is upset is because he thought that the Russian opposition thought like us

[@alena.709]

No. Because he hoped that the russian opposition can stop the war. He now sees, it can't.

[@VladVexlerChat]

And that they are candy he gets to buy

[@henriikkak2091]

​​@@alena.709 That's even sillier at this point in these proceedings

[@TheDotBot]

I'm a bit surprised tbh, since the last election the opposition was obvs curated by the dictator. As if there was a civil society left in Russia to support a real opposition, even if it was allowed.

[@MarcinPetruszka]

I'd argue that Barry is upset partially because of frustration of knowing what the West and Western media is going to do: focus on ruzzian opposition and draw the attention away from Ukraine. Because Barry knows some important people in the West are going to say: see, we told you, listen to those good Russians. And this will lead to a lot of wasted time and effort, the quarrels between parties and so on. So Barry sees them as a troyan horse planted to disrupt the western effort of supporting Ukraine. Other than that I agree with Vlad and wish I could be so detached emotionally to provide the clear insight. Barry's acting does little to actually improve the situation.

[@sanewitch8036]

I thought they mean in the first place that russians who are not Putin's oligarchs should be able to leave Russia without being punished from the both sides.

[@Lord_Flashheart_Woof]

Unfortunately, in order to save Russia it has to be destroyed. There will be no change and no redemption until that happens. The Russian opposition is useless and will get nowhere with talking points, they need to un-exist Putin and dismantle his regime. Giving Putin the Mussolini treatment will also send a message to other wannabe authoritarians in the West. We became content and lazy and took our democracies for granted in Europe. I pray we didn't react too late. /Doom. Sorry for ranting.

[@OttoKreml]

Violent political acts have a bad track record in Russia. Trust me when I tell you it can get worse than the Tzar.

[@danielwalker5682]

So true.

[@Ptahamria]

да . запад должен уменьшить демократию, как в Украине, из-за гибридных войн русо рейха.в мире.

[@waldlaeuferinunterwegs6841]

People point out that right out of russian prison you cannot be expected to voice coherent & adequate statements. Fair enough. But you can be expected, knowing this, to shut up for a few days and say "press conference? now? thank you, but no thank you". Or you could have uttered a few sentences of relief & gratitude and disappeared again. We didn't hear anything from Alexandra Skochilenko, by the way.

[@danielcreamer9669]

Our times call for some hard-nosed practical politics. The US and the UK allied with the Stalin to defeat the Nazis. There is a lot of room for the Russian opposition to prove useful to Ukraine and to the West.

[@hybridarmyoffreeworld]

Andrei Pivovarov: "I ask Western countries to extend a hand to Muscovites : if sanctions are eased..." THE WEST - NO! DECOLONIZATION IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO

[@Ptahamria]

и изятие ЯО и репарации Украине.

[@paulmurray8922]

Ahh, the wisest thing I've heard about this kerfuffle is that neither they nor we owe the other anything. I think people expected that they would have a sense of gratitude, which would cause them to wholeheartedly embrace the approach the West has taken towards Russia, or at least pay it lip service. These folks are like the Russian opposition I come across on Twitter, so that was never going to happen. Inside or outside of Russia they act like a protest movement, with little idea of how to convert it into practical politics. Imo, that's the most glaring difference between Russians and the Ukrainians they claim to be the same people.

[@jefferyshute6641]

I must agree with those calling for the dissolution of Russia. At the end of WWII, both Germany and Japan were not only defeated, but humiliated. Until that happened, until they were both completely emasculated, they were not willing to change. Humiliation forced them to accept a new reality. It forced them to accept that they were neither superior nor invincible. It forced them to go through a painful, yet necessary re-birth. Now, some 80 years later, Germany and Japan are prosperous and peaceful democracies, viable members of the world community. Taking into consideration the point of the three men that gave the press conference, I think we would be naive to make too big of a distinction between the Russian citizens and the Russian ruling elites. It's everday, "normal" citizens that are fighting in Ukraine, trying to destroy and conquer the nation. Their collective guilt is obvious and cannot be dismissed out of hand. Putin's imperialistic ambitions are not a secret. He has repeatedly alluded to the goal of reconstituting the Russian Empire. He believes that Russia has the right to expand it its sphere of influence well beyond its borders. His hatred of the "evil" west, and especially the United States, and its global influence, is well-known. To that end, he believes that war with the US is inevitable. If we are not preparing for that eventuality, then we do so at our peril.

[@neilclay5835]

Truly brilliant Vlad.

[@VladVexlerChat]

Thank you Neil!

[@3000TonnenKoala]

Politics is not only about ethics. That part of the video really hit the spot for me.

[@georgeanthony6767]

How did Russian rulers depoliticise the populace?... They allowed people to become pedantic philosophers... but NOT allowed presciptive Philosopers.

[@danielwalker5682]

So true.

[@nons5647]

Vlad, thank you very much for this channel. I appreciate it greatly as a way to see different perspective on a familiar material and mostly listen silently. But. As a russian, living in Russia, I saw very clearly in this video, how you're constructing your vision of Russia via propoganda. Which is not a reality, just an image, really. I understand that I'm a faceless commentator, so my opinion doesn't mean much. So instead consider this two points: 1)in a state that was forced to move to the "bright future" by "knowing leaders" and eventually came to ruin 2) in a state where "protectors" has a rather..... severe reputation Would people go for another bright future where they'll be "protected"? I can't say for entiere country but generally, I feel like there are three things russians want above all else. Money, to be considered a normal human beings (and it's a very old desire) and to be left alone. Anything more proactive will never be popular. Even now it's all very cynic and pragmatic in russian space generally. I mean, look up the amount of money, given to new recruits. And the attitude towards ex prisormners is also pragmatic. They got out, good for them. Anyway, sorry for this off topic comment. I understand that the point of this video is different, just wanted to draw your attention to the fact that sometimes propaganda works even when you don't think it works on you.

[@michaeldarling1759]

Elon Musk is a Martian asset.

[@RodWilliams-m7r]

I hope they get a say in it...misrepresenting Martians could be fraught.

[@mediastudiesnetwork]

Ai asset

[@Blimey-67]

I watched the press conference yesterday by these three men, I respect their individual and collective experiences as political prisoners under Putin. I felt like it was press conference had the air of a tedious boredom, overtly focusing on their experience, without any focus on future political action. Two over riding issues came to mind, first, there was a reason why Putin let them leave and not Navalny, because they are not a real threat to Putin. Second, they kept referring to the Russian people as victims of Putin and should not share in the sanctions against Russia by the west. It's a easy cop out in my view, no plan to challenge and change the political order, more importantly, take collective responsibility for the war in Ukraine. It's not enough to say, how illegal it is under Russian law to expel Russians from their own country, while ignoring the the plight of Ukrainians taken to Russia against their will, a lot of them children. Germany after ww2 made a concerted effort to address it's Nazi past, arising out of the ashes, a better society to live in. What has Russia done? Torn down monuments to the Holodomor, perpetuate lies in real time about the very people they are at war with. Worse still, condemning it's own people as silent actors in their very own Greek tragedy, who will stand up and say no more? With real action.

[@danielwalker5682]

All they had to say was "Thanks for getting us out: how ashamed we are of the war-crimes our countrymen go on committing". Instead, they spewed an embarassing load of pontification. Kara Murza was the worst. They were a terrible exchange. PS the only Russian I know - my ex wife - supports Putin fervently, from the safety of England.

[@Ptahamria]

плоть от плоти они русо рейха и коллективного путина. Яшин любовник Собчак и шоу мен.

[@rachelatwood9555]

Barry sounds suspiciously like Jordan Peterson 😮

[@adamski-l5w]

That is gold. Thank you Rachel.

[@dmitriyb5206]

That comment about sanctions doesn't sit right with me. It feels like something that would have been said by someone in mid-2022 (which might make sense since the people saying it have been isolated from the world for so long). There is nothing good that can come from that perspective, and quite a bit of harm has already resulted from it. It makes listeners feel like for the Russian opposition, the sanctions are the problem, not the war, the regime, or the lack of institutions that make absolute power possible. Which is obviously not true. But how can you prove this to someone who has heard those words? With the guidance of various "moralist" grifters on KZbin-many of whom are Russians themselves who didn’t do 1% of what Kara-Murza did-the Twitter mob has concluded that there is no difference between the man in the Kremlin and the person who has been warning the world for at least 20 years about the danger posed by this first man, and who has spoken against his aggressive militaristic expansions for at least 10 years. So, as you can see, for some reason, the discourse around that statement being awful and the people who said it being "just your average good Russian who can go to hell" enrages me to an unbelievable degree. I see a lot of this here too-people who wanted their Aragorn in shining armor, who would give a grand speech and make the Black Tower fall right then and there. But since they didn’t get that, they feel free to ridicule innocent people who have been unjustly put through hell. I can’t wrap my head around it. This is an opinion from that 0.5% you mentioned.

[@Julia-Richter]

I agree. I wonder why nobody did care enough to prevent the press conference. There was no need to get their statements now. We should have learned by now, how brutal people judge everyone who makes a statement on a screen.

[@sallywilton2236]

You are right that the opposition do not have the means to gain power. To oust a dictator would require a military coup and they would likely choose their own people. Recent ones were in Egypt where General Sisi remains since 2013 and Aung Sang Su ki in Myanmar where she was only president until the army turned against her. It’s almost impossible to free a country from military rule

[@justmy-profilename]

Spain was a (military led) dictatorship till Franco's death in 1975. Its transformation into a liberal democracy is not what Franco had in mind, but it's a great success of Realpolitik. A Realpolitik which didn't ignore ethical propositions, but rather addressed them step by step, within the boundaries of what is possible in a given situation. King Juan Carlos I. is to be credited with actually triggering the transformation, and with shielding it against a military coup-attempt. Yet he couldn't have done so, if proceeding steps had not been made, e.g. the establishment of a constitutional monarchy as means of succession. How much of this was pure luck (certainly a part) is an interesting question, but I'd argue that politics towards Spain's dictatorship deserves some credit as well. And I would also like to warn about many attempted copies of this success story, which didn't work out. Maybe some by pure chance - but as I see it - also because it's hard work to do effective Realpolitik which doesn't dodge ethical questions. But it's not impossible. Hard work just doesn't realize easily.

[@sallywilton2236]

@@justmy-profilename but franco died didn’t he? Maduro and Putin and Sisi and Assad don’t look like they are dropping dead any time soon.

[@sallywilton2236]

@@justmy-profilename do you seriously think that Russia is going to follow Spains footsteps? I don’t. It’s going to be brutal repression , civil war, breaking up of the country. More war, more repression. Russia has no history of normality

[@justmy-profilename]

@@sallywilton2236 Yes, Franco died. And at least in the case of putin, I cannot imagine any kind of transition towards a state which at least protects basic civil rights. putin did a lot of transitional work to take away civil rights, and I would argue that his desire to have control over people is also a central aspect of his invasion of Ukraine. But sooner or later putin will die. I consider it very unlikely that this will suddenly lead to a democratic Russia which protects human rights, but it may open at least a possibility for a transition in such a direction. Not through any kind of copy and paste of the Spanish transition. Yet regarding Spain, most people at the time would also have argued that a transition to a liberal democracy would have been impossible, so it's not pointless to remember the events back then.

[@yuriy5376]

Yet another successful rotation of FSB agents. Comrade Pooteen is very happy.

[@OttoKreml]

They aren't FSB. But they may have been subtly promoted by Russia precisely because they are bad at being opposition.

[@tengia7927]

Great video. As russian, i think that modern opposition are clowns. They can made more support to Ukraine to make Ukraine win faster. Russia need to pay reparations, destroy imperial myth, decommunize and decolonize , to become modern good European country.

[@henriikkak2091]

Yes. Thank you

[@donizettilorenzo]

Problem is "decommunization" is what feeds imperial myth, ask Dugin.....

[@AstralLice83]

Соевый подрыв. Russian political opposition need to care about russian people. Not about Ukrainians. You're not Russian.

[@SeriousChuckles]

@@AstralLice83 That IS caring about Russian people. Russians need to be rehabilitated, the correct way to do it is to accept that Russia committed a terrible act towards Ukraine, just like Germany accepted that they committed a terrible act in WW2. It's not about Ukrainians here, it's about being a decent person and doing what's right. You can favor the opposition that will try to pretend that none of the evil ever happened or will try to downplay the responsibility, but is that a right thing to do? Would that be fair? Or will they just be another breed of Putin who will try to lie their way into West's trust? Into your trust? What's the point of such opposition then?

[@kirikoo9981]

You are a bot, but not a Russian. Go back to Ukraine and fight for your master. Stop pretending you are Russian. I am not Russian but I can smell a rat even through my computer screen.

[@Eowynnofrohan]

I haven't watched this video yet; i watched part of the press conference. I know everything is criticizeable... but personally I'm not watching criticism of them because at the moment im just happy they're free. I followed them since close to when they were arrested (Kara-Murza and especially Yashin since he had quite a few antiwar messages from prison... which is undeniably brave in such a position.). I have a lot of empathy for those who were trapped in the russian prison system. I can only imagine what they feel right now. It has to be extremely disorienting. They'll need some time to find their footing; idk if it's really fair to be too critical of them at this moment.

[@Metalblowing]

as a Ukrainian, the only russian opposition that I see is RDK, Siberian Legion, Freedom Legion. These are russian military groups that are fighting for Ukraine. as for the speech that these “opposition leaders” gave, it’s tone deaf and counterproductive.

[@birchstudio2900]

Та піздец, повний жах

[@AClockworkWizard]

And they too should be watched extremely carefully. No russian is to be trusted no matter what.

[@Sonicerrr]

​@@AClockworkWizard Please don't be like that. Not all russians are bad.

[@AClockworkWizard]

@@Sonicerrr all the evidence I've seen over the past 3 years proves otherwise. Good russians don't show up on thermals.

[@JohnDoe-x4p]

I think one doesn't always have to relativize everything, Vlad. It's clear that it's not worth getting upset, but it shows the problem that even the opposition is harmful to anyone who likes a free world, and we weren't asked whether we wanted murderers to be released. I believe the majority would have been against it, and what came out of the press conference simply provoked and frustrated even more. I believe it's particularly provocative when such people even want to lift sanctions and talk about humanism and human lives while their country is committing genocide, which is not their primary interest to stop, for which more than symbolism would be necessary, but they aren't willing to do this. The fact that they all failed shows that it has come to this point. Overall, it was a pretty dumb idea since it has now created motivation for Russia to behave even worse, and their opposition has proven themselves not to be taken seriously, and if they are, they are just killed now even more easily. I found it really hard to listen to all of this and, as I said, to relativize everything while simultaneously describing endless problems. It might help some people to cope with it, but it is definitely not narcissistic to find it unacceptable. And I also find it okay that we are absolutely against our media pandering to them and giving them the feeling of being something special.

[@psycho_bear]

Mr.Sandwich made the Russian opposition idealess and apolitical.The Russian opposition - we collect likes and donations instead of engaging in real politics. Since 2011.

[@Tirinir]

These people don't have much to offer and aren't being aggressive. They are not opponents, they are not allies, they are simply spoilers.

[@vanessak.sanders1292]

Thank you for the perfect chat dearest Vlad. It's quite simple. You can disagree with a person on a specific issue without writing them off entirely. Love and health to you. ❤

[@VladVexlerChat]

Opponents today can be allies tomorrow, unless they are enemies.

[@vanessak.sanders1292]

Exactly ❤​@@VladVexlerChat

[@andtheinternettkills]

People who were disappointed at what they said (or didnt say) need to readjust their expectations of the russian opposition. These guys are brave for sure, but these arent the future leaders of Russia, and their views, although critical of Putin, does not always align with all of our own. Personally I wouldnt have included them in the exchange, and I would have kept more of the russian spies for future exchanges for our own people, but it is what is.

[@neilclay5835]

Very useful clarification of methods for approaching this. Thanks Vlad.

[@hsepo]

That press conference was a total embarrassment. They are not even a shadow of threat to Putin.

[@alexmashine]

Stop searching "good" rusian its like searching a briliant in a desert

[@lodjaboy]

Would Putin have allowed their release if they were a threat?

[@The_ZeroLine]

@@lodjaboyNo. It’s also possible Putin has people he cares about both in prison and family he could put there and put through unimaginable pain if he doesn’t stick to a script. However, it’s even more likely that this is just the “best” Russia has to offer. Let’s not forget, before Navalny was sainted, he was hardly a shining beacon. However, I’ll still take much, much less bad if the opportunity arises.

[@MYRRHfamily]

I’m so glad I didn’t take mushrooms before closing my eyes and listening to the whole Bary play. Bad trip

[@adamski-l5w]

Awesome. VVC on a Sunday morning. Big thanks and ❤ from Brisbane.

[@VladVexlerChat]

Thanks back from east London!!

[@andreme7326]

Ukrainians cannot simply ignore what the so called Russian opposition has to because what they said is influential in the West.

[@chatnoir1224]

in that case may be Ukrainians should be less aggressive towards them and start looking for a common ground?

[@andreme7326]

@@chatnoir1224 oh yes, Ukrainians should agree with the people who want the West to take the sanctions off Russia! Also, aside from taking off the sanctions, the West could also arm Russia so that their special military operation would be more efficient!

[@andreme7326]

@@chatnoir1224 oh yes, Ukrainians have to look for a common ground with the people who want the west to take the sanctions off Russia. Also, the West should help Russia so that their endeavour in Ukraine goes more efficiently!

[@chatnoir1224]

@@andreme7326 you gave a good example, why Russian opposition should talk less about Ukraine. Their can be no common ground with those who twist words and intentions.

[@andreme7326]

@@chatnoir1224 Twist words? The so called Russian opposition leaders want the west to take the sanctions off Russia. They are trying on blame the regime and not the people of Russia because the oppositions is either delusional or dishonest or works for the regime.

[@TKUA11]

If they are working to remove sanctions idk if I can call them an ally. Opposition has to help Ukraine substantively not just with calls to end the war in surrender

[@martavdz4972]

It looks like they don't have to do anything. They don't want to and we have no means of forcing them.

[@aescafarstad]

That is assuming the sanctions are effective. If the sanctions need to change and their position reflects part of that change then you may very well be allies. Even if their proposed change is incomplete.

[@worldeconomicfella3228]

Well, they're allies, but not very useful ones. They're just as useful as the Hungarian opposition who only want Orban to be sanctioned instead of Hungary as a country when they're actively working against the interests of the rest of the EU member states. The citizens of a country forget sometimes they are the power base of their government and not a big power somewhere else.

[@docbogus6128]

Great insight about neurotic engagement (vs disengagement). I see it all around. I even see it in the mirror. Thank you Vlad.

[@eruno_]

A lot of Ukrainians and Westerners hold a view that Russia can not be redeemed, and that any compromise with it is impossible, be it without or with nuclear weapons, with or without Putin. And I don't blame them.

[@teethering]

"I don't want to be condescending" after a painfully cringy condescending mocking of an imaginary Barry from Vancouver who apparently needs therapy. I'll need a neck brace for the whiplash I got from that much irony in a span of a paragraph.

[@kernel2006]

The whole thing was patronising, self-indulgent babbling. Very off-form for Vlad.

[@elkudos6262]

Amen. Yashin was talking about himself, not about the nation.

[@matsfrommusic]

I think a lot about what I would do if I were Russian and I have no clear answer, it's very easy to fault them, I do it constantly, but I honestly don't know if I would be any better in their shoes. What bothers me more still is when westerners who should know better, like Musk or actually half of the US who seemingly supports a person like Trump, I mean that's really scary as they have as much free speech and freedom as you can have pretty much. Anyway, I find it strange that more efforts isn't put into supporting the opposition in Russia.

[@matsfrommusic]

In general I feel more anger towards ourselves, as we have failed so completely to react and act responsibly, to both everything leading up to this war and then how we have dealt with Russia since the FSI began. I guess I don't get it, is this really how we will handle despots in the future too ?

[@henriikkak2091]

I am not willing to let them off the hook so easily. I live near the border of Russia and I remember the collapse of the USSR. Estonia and a number of other countries took the same opportunities that Russians had in 1991. My country did in 1917, when it declared independence from the Russian Empire, and is one of the most democratic in the world today. Russians did not.

[@АндрейПаяс]

Would you work in a factory assembling missiles if you were in their shoes? Millions of russians are actively and directly participating in the war. russia is spending more than 30% of its budget on millitary. Millitary is a big part of russian gdp. For many russians this is not a question of guilt by association, they are actively involved.

[@GrimMeowning]

Russian Opposition is opposition to Putin and his inefficien regime - but they are not opposition to Russian Imperialism.

[@matsfrommusic]

@@АндрейПаяс Sure, no arguments there.

[@fwiffo]

This is super important and something I try and fail to explain all the time. If you believe in a cause, but don't have clear policy aims, and a strategy for winning an election, none of it matters. Winning elections is much harder than street theater because you have to do things you don't like to do and are a lot less fun than puppets and drum circles. My favorite example is how a lot of activists on the US political left that are afraid of money. They find it distasteful to solicit money for a political campaign, but that's the reality of our elections. It's easy to cry that it's unfair, and unethical to win elections with money, but if you want to change that, you have to get power first. Suck it up Barry.

[@svr5423]

The left is not afraid of money, they just want to take it away from the people who earned it in order to fund their collectivist institutions. They know that their activist protests are organised by big money. None of them paid their own bus tickets and lawyers.

[@Igor-ug1uo]

Even in the moral sense, the call to lift some economic sanctions is questionable. The point of the sacntions is to reduce the capability of the Russian Federation to wage war. On one side of the scale there are hardships endured by regualr Russian citizens, while on the other side are lives and livelihoods of millions of Ukrainians. It is important not to confuse prevention with punishment. The situation is similar with Yashin's words from a later interview about the necessity of Ukraine starting negotiations with Russia. He justifies his words from the moral standpoint saying that it is important to stop the fighting and loss of life. However, again, the morality of this is questionable for me.

[@xfom4008]

He has a clear point there - he isn't a pacifist who is asking ukraine to bend over. He is acknowledging that neither side can get anywhere and that a ceasefire hence is the most rational proposal with that Ukraine isn't taking back Donetsk or Crimea, Russia isn't taking Kyiv, it isn't happening. If neither side is gonna achieve anything on the battlefield and move forward or back to any significant capacity, a truce is what is needed.

[@svr5423]

@@xfom4008 But that's simply not true. Every day without ceasefire is a day in which Russia is depleted of its human, natural and industrial resources. It really doesn't matter if it takes a year, 5 years or 20 years.

[@CollectiveWest1]

Thanks Vlad for your mature and thoughtful perspective. If humans start to live off Earth, they will simply take all the behaviours evolved on Earth. A utopia on Mars will end like all utopias - as a new hell (hell on Mars, not hell on Earth). Anyway, your main point is even more important and you have made it before - don't view politics as an identity issue requiring 'purity' of thought, and learn to accept that others say and think things we disagree with. We should all stay open to evolution of our own thinking anyway. Identity politics blocks open minds. But we can respond without casting the Russian 'opposition' into the outer darkness. The opposition is not political, so is failing now in practical politics. It may be unreasonable to expect anyone to have fully developed strategies just after being released, and maybe their views will evolve after they reflect further, and then merit serious consideration. But, if they believe that the people of Russia have no responsibility, so should be sheltered somehow, then they are endorsing the non-political avoidance by the mass of the population. To be frank, I thought your (interesting) suggestions for the opposition were longer-term - now might not be the time when they would get a positive reception in Russia. Maybe in a few years. For the time being, we'll have to keep a watching brief while continuing to support Ukraine

[@OttoKreml]

I think you are underestimating the potential value of space exploration to our own politics. Just like the americas helped Europe to develop it's own values around democracy, markets, internationalism, etc. Putting a select group of people on a new environment for a purpose lets us test that purpose. And we may not see the political benefits for centuries. But we still may really want to have had them when those centuries do roll around.

[@RodWilliams-m7r]

Simple platitudes from simpletons....always got a cheer or two.

[@xfom4008]

Mars isn't a utopia - it's an end of the world insurance policy. Elons Mars ambition isn't about perfect society on Mars - its about a society thats not going to die alongside the ones on earth in event of thermonuclear exchange or some bioweapon killing everyone or whatever else it may be.

[@CollectiveWest1]

@@OttoKreml Thanks for your reply. I agree with actually that there are good reasons to take that step. I just meant that it will not lead to a utopia.

[@waldlaeuferinunterwegs6841]

Doesn't Ukraine offer a vision of security in the ex-Soviet space? They see themselves becoming part of EU and NATO. The West indeed shows no vision nor strategy or I'm not able to perceive it.

[@svr5423]

Security is guaranteed with NATO membership.

[@canuckbucks]

most important video by this utuber that I've seen; watched about 30-40 by now. 1st 5 minutes explained to me what our ('the west's') problems actually are in simple terms

[@myflatcoats]

Thank you Vlad for the laugh of the day, and fk you for imitating me getting worked up about some things 😅 In addittion to another very interesting chat, thank you ❤

[@slimski]

Loooololol the crying is hilarious Thanks Vlad this is really helpful

[@silviuvirgil12]

This was great Vlad, some of the most important clips you've released I would say 🙏🙏🙏

[@ricklines8755]

Ok, I needed to hear this. I keep hearing echoes of hippie thinking among the American Gen Z. They are just as big on moralization as the hippies were and just as ineffective about actually changing our trajectory. Moralization is easy, and any tryly lazy person can do it while stroking their own sense of righteous indignation. Learning about and understanding social mechanics (including politics) takes discipline, but that's what makes the difference between making a change for the better and helplessly whinging about it all.

[@waynedawson7613]

Thank you. It was difficult to get my head around your discussion, but I am starting to grasp that we've been fed "talking points" about who is right or wrong, and not how we would actually make anything work. So a real issue is what sort of security is reasonable for Ukraine, Russia, and the EU/NATO. This requires discussion, careful inspection of ideas, and a willingness to hash out our differences. Anyway, it is not easy to understand this because I think we have come to see politics as "talking points" and "entertainment" and we are not used to the idea that we would have to listen to many hours of careful discussion hashing out how any of this would work. So we vote for the one who has the talking points we want to hear whether the person twiddling them has any capacity to actually accomplish any of them constructively.

[@Shipwreckforsail]

Wow. Vlad, thank you for providing such a clear explanation of a moral vs political basis for a discussion about the future of Russia. I don’t think I have ever thought of it that way. You’re words are truly eye opening. Thank you for your amazing work!!!

[@jimjohnson3609]

You would think that as the number of deaths from the war raise that would repoliticise the people.

[@svr5423]

It's not a western country. Death has a different meaning in Russia.

[@jimjohnson3609]

@@svr5423 I believe it is more the iron fisted control of the media. They are unaware of the losses, and the losses are not where power and influence resides in Russia, I firmly believe Russian mothers and wives love their children and husbands just as much as any other people.

[@arthurchen6464]

Probably one of the two most important points out of all of Vlad's discussions: Being right and saying the right things, especially among people who already agree with you, does nothing politically for your cause, and often damages the chances of your causes from succeeding.

[@adamkisk9214]

When you start to deal with people's psychology, you are down to the deep rabbit hole.

[@Juggerkaninchen]

I would like to avoid this "Barry Impression" from you.

[@VladVexlerChat]

Barry is us!!!

[@kostiankur1]

The Barry bit was absolute gold btw

[@VladVexlerChat]

@@kostiankur1 ha ha sorry about it!

[@kostiankur1]

​@VladVexlerChat not at all, really enjoyed it! Nailed the "obraz"

[@Dimich1993]

They went from putin's prisoners, to putin's ambassadors in an instant. I interpret what they said, I didn't watch the thing, as "West is bad for sanctioning russia". Actually I've been warned about the "good russians" all the time, I just thought these guys were not one of them. So I kind of embarrassed myself.

[@GrimMeowning]

One of them also said Ukraine should just stop fighting and negotiate, so less people die. Like it depends on Ukraine, lol.

[@Dimich1993]

@@GrimMeowning Wow, "good russians" indeed.

[@martavdz4972]

There are some people who are genuinely different, but they're members of the ethnic minorities.

[@alexmashine]

Good russians in Ukraine means really worst impisible people

[@GeorgAnkar]

You're twisting their words enormously. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@annemcleod8505]

Thank you so much. This is excellent and has clarified several basic concerns for me.

[@aftertwentea]

Greetings from the one percent of the viewers

[@roaldpinnoy4334]

worth watching a few times - just to make sure it sinks in - thanks for your point of view

[@Козак-т6с]

Just look at how Ukrainian POWs or political prisoners look like when they get out of russian prisons or even what Navalny looked like in prison and compare to these three. Then make your own conclusions.

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

Losing sucks. But you put all your chips on 6 and the dice came up 7. Had you won, your atrocities would have gone unpunished. But you lost.

[@martavdz4972]

I don't know why Kara-Murza looked fairly well because he certainly is ill and has survived two poisonings. But the overall explanation is simple: this prisoner exchange had been planned for a long time and Putin, for whatever reason, was keen to get those spies and murderers in exchange for them.

[@marcussassan]

Good to see you Vlad. Always!

[@thesunisup_]

It’s simpler than it sounds. 1. They have just got out of prison. For god’s sake, three days ago they were jailed somewhere deep in Siberia, not knowing they would be out today, let alone giving a press conference. It is bizarre to expect them to say coherent things, let alone the things you want them to say. Let them take a rest and come up with actual political statements. 2. They are Russian politicians. Not Ukrainian, not of any other country. They promote the interests of the Russian citizens. As they should.

[@EPmager]

the more they marinate in the schizo camp of the ACF, ‘Popular Politics’ and other formerly Russian quasi-oppsitional organisations, the more likely they are to be alienated from said camp and to look elsewhere.

[@signorasforza354]

Just simple Reich citizens promoting Reich interests 😢😢😢 poor poor boys

[@thesunisup_]

@@signorasforza354 completely missed the point. Try again.

[@signorasforza354]

@@thesunisup_ Try to be so brassy inside ruzzia and to your authorities, vanyushka.

[@danielmadar9938]

Thanks

[@capnbrappn]

Great commentary Mr. V. A lot of clarity on diagnosing the problems with politics and illustrating what more effective political engagement would look like on the side of political leaders. Would be interesting to hear more about what concerned citizens can do to promote this kind of political thinking in their networks or from their politicians as well!

[@ehawolczecki8759]

Thank you .

[@braydeny]

This relates to my day to day relationships ❤

[@eddybrevet6816]

God given permission to lie, Dugins “Russians special truths “

[@braydeny]

@eddybrevet6816 hahaha you took it the wrong way, haha great comment 😄

[@carlcramer9269]

This really got a LOT more interesting towards the end.

[@Cairol58]

@VladVexlerChat Dear Vlad, The well-known Russian writer Mikhail Pavlovich Shishkin, who has lived in Switzerland since 1995, gave a very interesting interview today in the Neue Zuercher Zeitung (NZZ) on Russia's current situation, the aggression and war against Ukraine and his assessment of how Russia must change (reduce its civilisation gap with the world) in order to regain its place in the world. Do you know the author Shishkin, possibly the interview, and if so, what do you think of him?

[@beam3819]

We must fight for democracy And take it back from the billionares

[@RodWilliams-m7r]

Correct

[@minnesotasteve]

I'm not fully understanding this debate, as I only saw a summary of what they said in DW. But the main point I got from them was that they felt it was a bad trade, that they would rather have remained in prison, and that as long as Putin keeps getting back his spies, he will keep taking people as political prisoners to trade. I felt that was a fair argument, and correct. I know in America there is a lot of concern trolling to get back our American captives. I have a much more old school view on this, and I feel it was there choice to travel to what has been a hostile country for many years. Even Paul Whelan should have known better. I would not have traveled to Russia in 2009, much less any time in the past 8 years since the Ukraine invasion. And my wife is Russian, so it's not like we haven't talked about it. For years she didn't understand my position, but she does now. It's naiveity to think Russia is not the Soviet Union. Smaller, less powerful, but the mentality remains. I believe it's a carry over from Tsarist Russia. It's built into the Russian psyche.

[@martavdz4972]

Just to add, a Russian Studies expert in my country pointed out the opposition leaders are still politicians to the core, even in prison. They want political future in Russia. Imagine Emmanuel Macron or Nancy Pelosi being forced to live in, say, Iran.

[@The_ZeroLine]

I agree. We’re way too into getting people back who should’ve known better or were doing it for their country’s cause. I think the journalist was worth getting back even though he was playing with fire a bit. It’s basically a de facto rule that established journalists w/major news orgs are off limits. You can tell them to leave, but you can’t just arrest them for no reason. And even if you think they shouldn’t have been there, they were providing us a service in their risk rather than just being there for a dumb, selfish reason like “visiting my gf” or “I thought’d it be fun to visit.”

[@OttoKreml]

I do not see myself ever even taking the time to know what truth social is like, but they have a banger ad. Regarding this video, the main issue to my mind is that we have become allergic to ideological frameworks. We spend a lot of time saying what we believe, but usually we cannot say why (at least very well). And to an extent that isn't an issue, but only if you recognize that it reduces the credibility of those beliefs. And we don't. This is bad because we do have reasons for everything we do. This is not avoidable, it's only ignoreable. The process of democracy is the people having this discussion in an institutionalized way. The difference between this and your stance is that you say it has to be outcome focused, and it doesn't. It just needs to be a description of why we are doing the things we are. We can judge the results, but we don't need to decide everything based on the results. We just need to be able to describe why we have the positions that we do. At least if we don't want to be lost that is. Russia doesn't need an opposition. It needs the ability to honestly talk to itself. If it could do that then it would fix it's problems eventually. Unless the opposition is prepared to basically occupy the country and force this to happen, they will never be able to establish a functional and lasting democracy (they might get a distributive system, but it would be more like the Iraqi government, or what Ukraine had). And people who are willing to do that tend not to establish democracies. The opposition isn't going to fix this problem. Actually what solved this in the west were coffee shops. Maybe we should replace vodka with coffee in Russia and people would think more clearly and try to act more. I do think that's possible in a non joking way, but I think it's more likely that Russia needs more clubs. Just general spaces where people congregate and talk to each other. Especially in an intellectual capacity. Maybe a home schooling co-op trend could do something.

[@Ross8992]

Come for the calming thoughts, stay for the Oscar-level dramatisation 😅

[@TheHighlanderprime]

Great show once again Vlad!

[@t.hurson2298]

Vlad, The reason I have lost some (not all) faith in federal US politics is due to the fact that most of them are committed to selecting who votes for them, rigging the systems to prevent them from being ousted when they perform poorly. In many cases, it's party before country. Preserving the Self before the People. It makes me feel, and many Americans feel like their voices, no matter how loud, is white noise to those already in power. I know this cannot change my sitting around, moping and watching it decay further, but it (whether true or not) FEELS like we are approaching a point of no return.

[@Infopirates]

You're welcome 😁 Any comments on British free movements on the streets right now? 😎

[@GadZookz]

Here in Vancouver I don’t think most people have opinions about the three opposition activists. They are just the others who were released at the same time. People are happy they are free but they lack the name recognition that might help keep them in mind. There was some reporting on the news conference but in most reports they were not named.

[@martavdz4972]

Yeah, this has been mostly an insider matter of Russia up till now (except perhaps Kara-Murza), and those are not something the average North American knows about. Europeans a bit more, but not much.

[@GadZookz]

@@martavdz4972 And the one Russian prisoner whose name would have been widely recognised dies in mysterious circumstances before he can be released. 🤔

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

The American Constitution does not allow troops to live in our houses. But the land can be condemned and declared the property of the government and you get a reasonable price. This happed to my mom's house. The area turned into a military base.

[@Igor-ug1uo]

The only oppinion that potentially matters is the one of Kara-Murza. He's got a reputation in the US political circles. He's been to Congress before and he may be brought there again with an actual proposition to lift some sanctions. I believe, he said during the press conference that he is planning on workin on the issue of sactions.

[@alexmashine]

He's kgb agent

[@oldmayyyte]

Oh no! Poor Baz! He’s having a tough old time.

[@The_ZeroLine]

Utopian mars? Can’t imagine a worse nightmare let alone during the first 100 or so years when it’d be like camping in an ugly desert, but w/out being able to go outside + if your zipper fails…game over.

[@seamusabshere2895]

Man i got chills starting at minute 30. Making me believe in politics again

[@itsallminor6133]

Don't

[@Maplelust]

from crackhead vlad? 😂

[@artfx9]

Avarage Ivan: - Hello amazon, I would like to order 10000 ballistic microchips for my... outhouse.

[@Ridcally]

To me it looks they trying to carry favours with ruzzian people - those same people who don't care if they live or die, and are hoping the payouts for torturing Ukraine will help them renovate a kitchen.

[@chatnoir1224]

They are Russian opposition, not opposition to Russia. Of course they are caring about Russian people. It is their duty as politicians and patriots.

[@Ridcally]

@@chatnoir1224 and natural allies of putin

[@svr5423]

@@chatnoir1224 In Russia, a life carries less meaning as in a western country. It is simply not a state goal to improve the lives of their citizens. They are simply assets in growing the Russian empire - and they are ok with it.

[@signorasforza354]

@@chatnoir1224 if they are patriots, they should stay in motha ruzia

[@chatnoir1224]

@@signorasforza354 they did. They were arrested and deported by force.

[@neilclay5835]

You haven't been to your therapist for a long time Barry 😆