Russia Gets Scarier

As I have mentioned before, as a long time student of Russia, the Putin regime scares me. Things are getting worse as the prepare to essentially ban dissent:

Putin did not specify who might pose a threat to Russia's stability. But in the past, he has often blamed Western security services of trying to destabilize the country using opposition groups and non-governmental organizations as their instruments.

"Any attempts to weaken or destabilize Russia, harm the interests of the country will be toughly suppressed," they quoted ex-KGB spy Putin as telling an annual meeting of top spies and security officers ahead of their professional holiday.

But what do you expect from a country which has a national holiday for the secret police?

The Day of Security Officers is marked annually on December 20, a day when in 1917 Bolshevik rulers created the CheKa secret police to suppress their foes. After a string of transformations, the Cheka became the KGB.

As president, Putin always personally attended the holiday meetings of security officials. Medvedev, a former corporate lawyer with no security background, stayed away and sent his chief of staff Sergei Naryshkin to deliver his greetings.

Free Garry!

Putin continues solidifying his power, showing once again the corrupting influence of oil money on society. Sad really.

The former chess champion Garry Kasparov was sentenced to five days in jail yesterday after taking part in an anti-Kremlin protest rally in Moscow.

Mr Kasparov, the leader of the opposition Other Russia coalition, was charged with organising an unsanctioned protest "of at least 1,500 people directed against President Vladimir Putin", chanting anti-government slogans and resisting arrest.

His court appearance came only hours after he was arrested by riot police during the protest.

He was one of dozens of people detained during the 3,000-strong demonstration called "the march of the dissenters".