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Denis Sinyakov / Reuters
Opposition leader Vladimir Ryzhkov speaks during a protest demanding fair elections in central Moscow on March 5, 2012.
MOSCOW – Vladimir Ryzhkov’s body language said it all.
The veteran Russian opposition leader was up on stage during the first mass protest after Vladimir Putin’s big presidential election win. And he looked like a man on auto-pilot as he introduced one speaker after another, half-heartedly peppering his remarks with calls for “taking power back” and “Russia without Putin.”
A month earlier, Ryzhkov had seemed as energized as Jumpin’ Jack Flash as he barked down his microphone in minus-10 degree Fahrenheit weather and looked out on a sea of humanity chanting for a “New Russia.” But on this much warmer night in the modest Pushkin Square in central Moscow, Ryzhkov’s spirit seemed to freeze over as he gazed on a crowd a fraction of the size of the earlier one. Surrounded by phalanxes of riot police, the protest seemed much smaller than the police estimate of 14,000.
“I’m optimistic and pessimistic,” he told me as the two-hour rally drew to a close.
“If Putin blocks our protests, we will come back in the hundreds of thousands [to commit acts of] civil disobedience.”
Did he think there would be violence? “Yes – I’m afraid there’s no other way,” he said, looking dejected.
Level playing field
This week has been a moment of truth for the mostly middle-class activists who say they want nothing more than what most of us in the West take for granted: a civil society and a level political playing field. The re-election of Putin came with many claims of election fraud from both domestic and foreign observers.
Dmitry Astakhov / AFP - Getty Images
Russia's outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev, right, and President-elect Vladimir Putin, left, attend a training session as they visit the luging sport center at the alpine ski resort in Krasnaya Polyana, some 30 miles from Sochi, the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, on Friday.
Sergei Strokan, a foreign affairs writer for the popular Kommersant daily newspaper, seemed to put it best. “The big question for the Russian opposition is whether there is life after March 4.”
As we sipped coffees in the up-market Moscow bistro where many say the protest movement was born, I asked Strokan what the protesters could possibly do next. After all, according to the final tally, Putin won almost 64 percent of the vote. Even factoring in all of the alleged cheating, he still would have garnered a majority of ballots.
“Before they do anything truly effective,” Strokan replied, “they must first admit one simple fact: That Vladimir Putin still enjoys the support of the vast majority of Russians.”
Yevgeny Tinchenko, a 25-year-old, unemployed Russian from Siberia, summed up the reasons behind that support. I met him in Zagorsk, about 50 miles outside of Moscow, where he was looking for a job in a traditionally pro-Putin religious center.
“Putin inspires trust as a person,” Tinchenko told me. “I simply like him. When I see him on TV I think things will improve if he is running the country.” But Tinchenko went on to say that he only saw Putin on state-run TV, and knew next to nothing about the other candidates.
There no doubt Putin used all of the ideological and propaganda weapons at his disposal to exploit those feelings and win big, in the first round of the vote. Now he needs to fulfill the almost $170 billion in campaign promises he made over the past month – from pay raises for school teachers to more housing for war veterans.
With Vladimir Putin officially back in the driver's seat, what's next for the Kremlin, the protesters, and Russia's divided society? NBC's Jim Maceda reports from Moscow.
Putin power plays
Meanwhile, from his renewed position of strength, Putin is doing everything he can to diminish the opposition’s authority, in part by proffering a whole tree of olive branches.
For instance, the Kremlin called on Russia’s chief prosecutor to review the charges against Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil oligarch and Putin arch-enemy, imprisoned since 2003 because he dared challenge Putin’s authority. This is seen as a sign they may be softened or dropped.
It’s an example of how, firmly back in the driver’s seat, Putin can maneuver in a chess game he arguably plays better than anyone (except, perhaps, former world champion – and opposition leader – Gary Kasparov).
In another deft Putin move, he reached out to a rival candidate, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, after the latter said the election results were “unfair.” Putin called Prokhorov and asked him if he’d accept a cabinet post in the new government. (It’s unlikely, though, that Prokhorov, who came in a strong third in the election, will accept the offer.)
The moves underscore Putin’s clever attempt to peel away the center of the protest movement.
‘Two Russias’
But, unfortunately for Putin, this opposition goes much deeper than a clutch of hard-core extremists. It’s a whole emerging Russian middle-class – millions of people with money and property – but no voice.
Mikhail Metzel / AP
Russian police officers block a street near the site of a protest in downtown Moscow, Russia on Monday.
“We are on the verge of losing stability for the single reason that society has already split,” said Strokan. “The crack is growing wider and wider, and what we see now is not one Russia, but two Russias. And neither listens to the other.”
Kremlin watchers like Strokan worry about a collision course that Putin and the protesters seem to be headed on. The president-elect can crack down on what he sees as a minority of U.S. stooges, but he doesn’t have any ideas about how to reconcile the two sides.
The protesters, meanwhile, know what they don’t want – and that’s another six years of Putin. But they, too, lack any effective strategy to pressure Putin to either reform the system, or step down.
It’s all shaping up into a perfect storm of long-term trouble for Russia. And that’s terrible news for America and the world.
Jim Maceda is an NBC News foreign correspondent based in London who has covered Russia and the former Soviet Union extensively.
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Niet boni mai paruski- seems to be the US g'ment line- if Obama adm. had had diplomatic skills (a la Harry Hopkins,Harriman,Marshall,Bohlen, Kissinger) real politik instead of confrontation . Reset- remember HRC? Russia is a UN Security Council Member with a veto power (so is China) Pres.Obama has not congratulated President elect Putin- yet he needs Russian cooperation in many things. Russia is also an oil producing country and natural gas country. Putin was elected because Russians want stability- their kind of evolving democracy. Russia has come a long way from the food shortages,housing shortages, communist elite shops,dachas and vacations. Putin's election rivals can attest to the fact that it is possible in Russia to make millions-like in the US under President McKinley. Russians also voted for Putin to sustain Russia's power- US/Obama -HRC-Powers-Rice-Brennan-Panetta-et al hoodwinked Russia and China into abstaining from the Libyan no-fly zone authorization in order to save civilians. NATO's actions in Libya especially with the missile projects in Romania and Czech Republic further boosted Putin's electibility as a can-do President of Russia. The way to deal with Putin and Russia is based on real politik- diplomacy- common interests. Ask yourself the question -who is more for peace- Obama or Putin?
Russia is still a communist controlled country. Democracy in Russia is only a cover for the elites' continued control. Putin and his opposing candidates all have KGB/commie roots and ran to give the illusion of a fare election. Democracy in Russia is nothing but a farce.
Your post seems like it was written as as high school essay.
Anyway, I can see your clearly pro-Putin... but the simple fact is he is certainly not pro-democracy. "Their" kind of democracy, is not democracy at all. The alleged ballot box stuffing aside, Putin (and the Russian government) did everything they could to make sure he won. Hell, even Putin supporters will say they never saw any other candidates on state run TV for example. When a very very small group of people stack the deck so only one person can possibly win an election, even if they don't stuff the ballot box, its not democracy.
Putin is a dictator, and looks forward to another twelve years or more as top dog. But he is also a rabid dog and we can only hope that someone in his own country puts a bullet through the back of his head. Sooner rather than later - he's just a KGB thug in a better fitting suit.
Putin's in in this election as a foregone conclusion when he ceded the presidency to Medvedev in 2008 to keep his chair warm for him. The only reason Putin stepped aside was that the Russian constitution prevented him from serving more than two consecutive terms. Even while Medvedev was in office, it was still Putin pulling the strings. Putin will control Russia for as long as Putin wants to control Russia. He is ex-KGB and knows where all of the skeletons are buried, so he can keep his grip on power as long as he likes. Putin will no doubt win reelection the next time around and then once again basically appoint a successor to keep the chair warm for him, assuming he still wants to keep control, until he can again run for two more terms. Democracy in Russia may seem like a fiction, but the reality is that it comes down to a cult of personality with Putin and, particularly in the countryside, the Russian people love him and trust him. Putin represents a strong Russia to the majority of the people. Until Putin does something to lose that trust or damage his image, he will continue to control Russia for the foreseeable future.
Exactly why the 22nd amendment is so important in this country. No person can be president of more than 10 years in a lifetime. That is where the Russian Constitution fails. It limits the president to two consecutive terms but allows that person to sit out one election and run again. Putin put his hand picked puppet in the presidency and mostly kept control of the country although Medvedev did try to act independently once in a while. Now if we had term limits for the House, Senate and Supreme Court.
However our democracy seems to be becoming more like their democracy!
You know; I was just thinking the same thing. With a two-party system such as ours; what the hell is so different than what just happened in Russia? Our two-party system represents the Powerful Elite; not the average American. Not sure where the the Argument is here.
And before you tell me to relocate to Russia; I advise you to Bite Me.
The Russian People have been under the knuckles of the power hungry Bolsheviks so long they wouldn't know any other form of government whether Obama "glad hands" Putin or not. There's nothing more Putin would want than to have the leader of the free world kiss his cold Russian ass. Ain't gonna happen.
Our country doesn't need that old dried up, self important prune, Henry Kissinger, it needs to get a set of balls. It needs to put people like Adolph Putin in his place. Internationally, people like to point their fingers at the United States and outright FEARS to point a shaky finger Russia's way. That's because we're easy and diplomatic (like we should be, even though today, it seems to make little difference) while "Root'n Toot'n Putin" rolls bare chested in a snowbank with a polar bear and puffs his chest out like a good little Czar. These "little Caesars" around the world are in the process of having their asses handed to them by their populaces although they don't seem to be able to connect the dots which tell them that their time is short. Bravado and bull @!$%# will only get you so far before your constituents want what the other guy has..........FREEDOMS and freewill without being stepped on. Putin is a fraud; a thief; a liar and a murderer who's only focus is on himself and his abilities to enrich himself at the expense of the Russian people.
Russia and America are both run by oligarchs. Russians know this for a fact, and they want democracy, a government for and of the people. In America people think they live in a democracy for and of the people, but in reality America is run by the huge multinational corporations, the military-industrial complex as it were, that own our political leaders, news media and members of our supreme court, but we still have the illusion of being a democracy. If our people would spend as much time reading history, and political science as they do watching America Idol, DWTS, and survivor that would be something that, would help.
The reason why the corporate media is hyping the Russian opposition and exaggerating the resistance to Putin in Russia is very simple:
He is striking an independent path from the U.S. and it's allies on foreign policy and to an extent on economics, too.
You can bet the NGO's (non government organizations) that are operating in Russia against Putin are being covertly or overtly funded and helped by the U.S. and the G8 countries.
Putin is not a great guy in a lot of respects, he's a former KGB thug but in spite of this he has helped Russia come back economically from the Depression that was caused by the "Free-Market" policies that were forced on that country back in the 1990's when the stooge for the West and drunk, Boris Yeltsin was in power.
It was also during this time (1990's) when U.S. influence and support for Russia's leaders was highest that the most infamous violation of democratic institutions happened, Yeltsin ordered the Army to shell parliament because they wouldn't cooperate with Yeltsin's edicts.
Russians have bitter memories of those times but it cured them of any misconceptions that the U.S. really cared about democracy or had any answers concerning economic matters.
Arch Stanton you are spot on.
'...Did he think there would be violence? “Yes – I’m afraid there’s no other way,”...'
I think this Ryzhkov guy is going to be found sooner or later with a bullet on his head.
The article stated that all Russians want is a "level political field, like America has." lol...Money is speech in America. The top 1% owns more wealth than the lower 75%....lol..I guess our propaganda still works.
Well if "London based"Jim Maceda says so it must be true. Perhaps good old Jim should stick to covering the royal family, you know, the Duchess and find out if that husband of hers finally managed to knock her up. he acknowleges that Putin is supported by a great number of people in Russia (he won the first round with 64% of the vote which comes to just over 45 mil. voters) and that the so-called opposition is week, divided and has no coherent plan for the future, scantily supported by the people of Russia (the meeting on the 5th of March in Moscow attracted only 10,000 people) and somehow manages to conclude that Russia is headed for a "perfect storm of long-term trouble" which spells trouble for America(!!!!!!) and the world". If there is a shred of logic there somewhere I certainly failed to detect it. I would say tha economic situation in US and EU is bad news for Americ and the world, but that just me. I realize that some folks are itching for the Russians to start killing each other like they did in '93 so CNN and other Jim Macedas could have a prime spot on the roof of the US Embassy to cover the carnage, but for Heavens sake, don't be so eager. Somehow I doubt Jim Maceda knows what's gonna happen tomorrow, let alone what's gonna happen in a long-term future.
P.S. BTW Is there any way to "reconcile" conservatives and liberals in the US?:P
Reconcile? Heck no! Geez, there's no way of even defining them since they all hate each other for identical reasons. The only reconciliation possible is to back 'moderates' and both parties currently consider such a person as the devil himself! Politically, it's coming down to 50% of the US want's to commit political genocide on the other 50% because that's whose fault it is.
"P.S. BTW Is there any way to "reconcile" conservatives and liberals in the US?:P"
I really don't see a way.The only reason we don't have demonstrations here like in Russia,calling for the overthrow of the government,is our historical political culture. We don't have opposition candidates getting on TV and the Net calling for rallies,etc. For the opposition in Russia complaining about getting their message out.They sure seem to be able to get the message out for these demonstrations.
Kind of reminds me of Senator Lisa Murkowski's write-in win in the 2010 election. Despite the fact that she won by a landslide, her sore-loser opponent was questioning every ballot, grasping at straws.
He just couldn't face the fact that he LOST.
We'd like a level playing field as much as the Russians but no chance for that.
Wow I though Cops standing around like that only happened is the streets of Oakland.....
So please explain to me the difference between the Oligarchs running Russia and the Oligarchs running America?
They speak a different Language. Cannot think of any other differences.
As in every instance that the United States does not like a foreign leader, the press and the government, Dems. or Reps., begin to demonize him. The title of the article says that Russia is CERTAIN to boil over, so we must assume that somebody is certain of things that have not yet occurred, makes sense, right?
One thing I am certain of: the fingers of the CIA and other charitable organizations must be having a hard time trying to rally the troops in Russia against Putin. They think they can do the same thing they did in Lybia, Egypt and at the moment in Syria.
We are a very busy country promoting "democracy"in foreign lands, that's why we have military bases all over the world, to keep them in line.
Another right-wing society headed for the usual fate of such - unbridled violence and total collapse.
And someone said the world economy was healing. Just like Greece and the rest of Europe.
Putin is a mobster. He'll be in power until somebody whacks him.
If anybody believes that it is not a communist state I have a bridge to sell located in Brooklyn. The KGB and the Russian mafia still run the country. I hope they do not ruin the vodka or borsht from Russia. Who cares about the ballet, some of the babes from Russia are also hot.
Occupy, if you can't see the difference, I doubt that you have the ability to understand anybodies explanation. Go back to your little camp and whine about everything that you don't have and wished you could take from somebody else. I suspect you may have been more at home in the old USSR.
After Napoleon, WWI, WWII and Afganistan all Russians want is peace and be left alone. Russian people are predominantly educated, 99% literacy, have peaceful orthodox faith, dont want to go conquer anyone and just want a good future for their children. If you were there in the 90's when foreign powers engineered the collapse of the country and felt the fear poverty and despair that people felt while the country was being dismantled, nuclear arsenal and military infrastructure was being destroyed, military factories were being closed by thousands as a condition of IMF loans, how oligarchs were stealing billions with the blessing of the West and were hiding the money in western banks....you would understand the fear the people have of some Harvard Educated "West Friendly" president like Saakashvili in Georgia (educated in Columbia Univ) or ex Ukraine pres Yushenko (with a Us Citizen wife) to sell off the country piece by piece and mortgage the country for generations to the IMF, have exxons and chevrons buy up gas and oil fields for pennies on the dollar and get mcdonalds in exchange, while inviting Nato to put bases all over the country and this president would probably agree to completely destroy all off Russia for "Peace in the World" or some other crap. No thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We dont want democracy they have in Libya now... have you heard about Libya in the news lately? No? same here... you know why? Because it is hell there, people are killing each other, trying to split into 3 different countries so these warlords can become quasi Gaddafis. Noone cares what is happening there now, and you woun't here about it even if millions are dying from civil war, because it was never about democracy, it was about domination and divide and conquer. Bet there are plans already on how many different countries they'd like to split up Russia into. Yes Putin and his cronies steal billions but people know Putin isnt anyone's bi$#%! He will protect the people when the time comes. The largest country in the world with largest natural resources is with so many trying to destroy it and grab a slice needs a strong leader. Look at your own country and try to change it for the better before proclaiming tyranny in Russia. When Russians wanna get smth done it will happen at any cost if necessary, other countries intelligence agencies interference by means of color revolutions is not necessary, no patriotic Russian wants any of that no matter if its Putin or Stalin in power, many things will be tolerated from a country's leader, but not weakness before aggressors against the motherland. Stop your wars and invest in your own countries and people. Peace
Thank you Jumba.Your post was an excellent analysis of how Russians feel.I've heard the same from many Russians.
Putin so dearly wants to be the "New Romanov"of Russia. Its too bad he doesnt want to be the "Abraham Lincoln" of Russia by freeing the slaves that are STILL waiting for their freedom.
Im afraid that this "new Romanov's" legacy could become the same as the previous one's...the return of conspiratorial Communism...
Conspiracy is what you get when you wont allow Democracy to flourish...But, we all know that Putin is a "romantic"...In love with a perverse perception of the KGB and his patron saint, Dzhershinskiy...which directly implies a scorn for human beings..
Poor Russia, poor Russia...poor Russia...!
Sniff Sniff Sniff Sniff! There's a STRONG SCENT of 1917 permeating here! Can anyone say Viva la Revolution
Putin will die by the hands of the assissain, from within.
Where do these two things exist in the "West"?
The new western press darling,Vladimir Ryzhkov, is a part the group "Other Russia".Let's see what is known about them.
1.The Other Russia was formed during a constitutional meeting on July 11-July 12, 2006, (during the G8 summit) in Moscow. Western diplomats, including British Ambassador to Russia Anthony Brenton, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Barry Lowenkron, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried, were attending the conference. The two main liberal parties, Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces, were boycotting the event over the participation of what they consider to be nationalist and extremist groups.
2.The main voice of Other Russia is Garry Kasparov.Garry Kasparov was born Garik Kimovich Weinstein in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union; now Azerbaijan, to an Armenian mother and Jewish father.He formed the United Civil Front movement, and joined as a member of The Other Russia, a coalition opposing the administration of Vladimir Putin. He was considered to become a candidate for the 2008 Russian presidential race, but later withdrew. Although he is widely regarded in the West as a symbol of opposition to Putin, support for him in Russia is low.
3.The National Bolshevik Party advocates the creation of a Russian-dominated empire that would include all of Europe, as well as northern and central Asia.
4.The AKM's ideology is Marxism-Leninism and it forms part of the Left Front alliance.
5. Vladimir Ryzhkov.he was first elected in 1993 and later headed a group of deputies from Russia's Choice , the main pro-Kremlin party under Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
So we see from this,that the main opposition to Putin,Other Russia,was started with foreign,Western,assistance. Is headed by a failed politician from the corrupt Yeltsin click. And a man that,if he was running in the US,couldn't pass the "birther" test.As well as with low support in Russia. Joined by,as Wikipedia put it,"nationalist and extremist groups".Quite an interesting bunch that the West is betting their future relations with Russia on.
Yeah, Russia's "Democracy" is a joke. No serious opponents have a chance. Media cannot criticize Putin w/o being censored or bullied. Putin's previous decrees have progrssively ensured that he stays in power for life. They traded communism for a dictatorship.
You mean, one form of dictatorship for another. There's been no long-term example of communist society on this planet that hasn't survived without a dictatorship.
I hope this Ryzhkov guy has hid every member of his family somewhere really safe...
"what most of us in the West take for granted: a civil society and a level political playing field."
Of course! Thats exactly what we have in the good old USA! Having millions in super PAC funds and off-shore accounts to fund election campaigns is a completely level playing field. Thats why you see so much of Ron Paul on the TV and never see Romney/Gingrich/Santorum. Civil society? Sure, other than the almost 1 million people arrested every year for Marijuana related charges, illegal immigrants, violence and complete isolation between the rich and the poor! When are we going to wake up from our American Dream?
Heres an idea-If Kasparov and Putin are such chess fans and admitted masters-why don"t they play a match for the Leadership of Russia?Echoes of The Seventh Seal for sure!