Elimination of Russian political opponents

[hood]

I was reading this article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110860,00.html

which mentions that over the last several years, and now this week, members of a political party that is opposing Putin in the upcoming elections have turned up missing or have been gunned down in the streets. They say that Putin is expected to win by a large percentage anyway, but liquidation of political opponents sounds eerily similar to the build-up of Hitler's regime. I'm curious to hear what our Russian visitors thoughts are on this.

[Vance]

First one to say ''FOX News :roll:" gets a cookie

[hood]

Their article only states facts. There's no opinion in the article if you read it, that's entirely from me.

[UkrainianAmerican]

vey worrisome, although it seems that putin wouldnt risk doing something like this, since its way to obvious who would be responsible.

[Sixgun Symphony]

Putin is KGB, so that leaves little room for doubt.

[Uninen]

FFS!

Wake up! Rise and shine!

:cantbeli:

Putin doesnt need to 'off' his opponents, as his loved by the people and will get 70 to 80% of the all votes in the first vote no matter what.

:P

Maths:

Putins popularity = 3 x That of Bushs in USA

rofl

[Dmitri]

Putin is KGB, so that leaves little room for doubt.
:bash: KGB was gone for more than a decade already. And he is not in FSB either. Get your facts straight

[Dmitri]

The article links the deaths of the other two lawmakers to different causes, not Putin. And it would be too stupid for Putin to organize Rybkin's assasination, the guy had no chances whatsoever. There are plenty of ways to step on someone's toes if you are in Duma, which I guess Rybkin was.

[Rantanplan]

Putin doesnt need to 'off' his opponents, as his loved by the people and will get 70 to 80% of the all votes in the first vote no matter what.

Yeah, like Hitler and Stalin right?

[Sixgun Symphony]

KGB was gone for more than a decade already.

There is still KGB in the man.

[SeanAshi]

Putin is KGB, so that leaves little room for doubt.

Didn't Putin have lots of people killed when he ran the KGB?

[Dmitri]

Yeah, like Hitler and Stalin right?Like Hitler? And that coming from a German?? Haha

There is still KGB in the man.You must be some kind of Dr. in psychology, I'm sure you talked to him a lot too :roll:

[Dmitri]

Didn't Putin have lots of people killed when he ran the KGB?I don't think anyone knows, I'm sure it wasn't anywhere like when Stalin was in power, but remember, people in KGB never decided hat to do, they were told by the party leaders

[hood]

Although I forget his name, the very wealthy Russian oil tycoon who was putting lots of money into the party, which now has their leader gone missing, was put in jail recently. It's one of those things where, no, he couldn't have done it.... but when it's time after time after time that your opponents and opponents financers are being shot, suddenly missing, and jailed, you have to wonder.

[Dmitri]

I think you are talking about Berezovsky, I think even the article said that he was in Britain. I'm not sure but I think he is wanted some kind of financial crimes, which I wouldn't be surprised of.

[Uninen]

very wealthy Russian oil tycoon

You wrote it..

Now read:

MAFIA BOSS THAT STOLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE

rofl

And what becomes to the Vladimir Putin and KGB..

1. Putin was operator in Germany.
2. Since demise of 'Uncle Joe' KGB didnt murder Soviet citizens. (early 1950s)

:bash:

[California Joe]

KGB was gone for more than a decade already.

There is still KGB in the man.

W's dad was head of the CIA. Who do you suppose he's had whacked? Same logic right?

[Russian Texan]

Geez, guys are you for real.... :cantbeli:

Get your facts straight:

#1 Putin is an ex-KGB colonel which means he is disciplined, has way above average intelligence and strong moral standadts (I have read an article where it stated that to fill one officers position in KGB around 10000 would be screened and reviewed. It also means that for the first time in many years Russian Federation has got a leader that is concerned with its country well-being and not with what he can get out of it to financially benefit himself or his surrounding.

#2 Putin is extremely popular and there is simply no viable competition to him, just look at the results of the last parliamentary elections. In fact people like him so much, there is a notion to change constitution and extended "presidential term" but he refuses.

#3 Russian parliament (Duma) is simply a gathering of crooks, criminals and corrupt politicians. So if one of them gets killed or dissapears, it is simply because someones interests: financial or otherwise got involved.

#4 In the upcomming months, chances are, you will see plenty of "dirt" in the "independent, democratic media" but it won't make any difference in the eyes/minds of those will vote. The thing is that people like Berezovskij, who became rich during Elzin's years of mafia run economy were removed from power/money by Putin and because of that are screaming "bloody murder"... It might impress/get attention of some naive clueless westerners but russians stoped listening to them long time ago.

To put it simply, Putin is FDR of Russia.

[hood]

MAFIA BOSS THAT STOLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE

Can you provide information about this? I've watched various documentaries and news shows on TV that weren't able to show proof of wrong doing from this guy, and many people in the government and opposition parties have said that the arrest of this guy was unfounded and entirely politically motivated. I'll see if I can find out the name of the guy I'm thinking of to make sure we're on the same page.

[hood]

One thing is certain, competition is a good thing. Saddam Hussein had a 100% approval rating and got that percentage in the last election. I'm not accusing Putin of being another Hussein, but without worthy competition, how can the people benefit?

[Uninen]

Hood,

You must understand this:

Anybody that is rich in Russia today is criminal of a kind or a another, as during the break up of Soviet union and Yeltsin years.. well you know..

:|

They robbed anything and everything from the nation and people..

:|

[Russian Texan]

You are talking about Hodorkovskij.
You won't be able to find any honest, full information about his case in the media because media is owned by the people like him.
There is plenty of proof but his lawyers/supporters are playing "democracy card", it is sort of like "black card" - You are putting him on trial only because he is black/democracy supporter.

Basically his case is a Russian variation of "Enron" only on a much, much larger scale.

[hood]

So what's going to happen when Putin's term finishes? There still has to be a non-corrupt candidate left in the country, no?

[Russian Texan]

One thing is certain, competition is a good thing. Saddam Hussein had a 100% approval rating and got that percentage in the last election. I'm not accusing Putin of being another Hussein, but without worthy competition, how can the people benefit?

Of course competition is good but there is no competition because he is so much better than everyone else, simply like that...

The only good thing Yelzin had done was to leave Putin (no one ever heard of him before) as his successor, it was the best New Years present russians could ask for.

[Russian Texan]

So what's going to happen when Putin's term finishes? There still has to be a non-corrupt candidate left in the country, no?

That is the big, HUGE question and the reason why there are some who want to change constitution so he can serve longer. At the present moment there is no replacement. Basically no one knows what is going to happen after he is gone.

[Dmitri]

Hopefully some will come up later, I don't think there are any really good candidates now. Of course Russia always has Zirinovskiy :lol: That guy is extremely smart and hilarious. Listening to him is always cool and funny, I'm sure some of my Russian friends know what I'm talking about. I still remember how he said one time that if he becomes president, in the near future Russian army would be washing their boots in the Black Sea rofl

[German_American]

I saw some Russian politician on this show maximum exposer and he was on some talk show and threw water in some guys face. He said he wanted to nuke Japan and put nuclear waste in Germany or something. He also spit some water at another guy that was a funny sight to see. I forgot his name tho, any Russians know who he is.

[Rantanplan]

Zirinovskiy?

[German_American]

Yeah thats the guy hes a real character

[Russian Texan]

No he said: "in the Indian Ocean."
If he ever, by some weird sick joke of fate, gets elected...everyone not of Russian origin should start investing some serious money in bomb shelters.

The guy is smart and entertaining. He also crazy enough to do anything including launching biological/chemical/nuclear attack on eskimos because he doesn't like the way they look.
If he ever gets elected, then our dear Polish and other neighbors are better move to Antarctica, on a second thought - what's the point: they won't be safe even there. :)

[Argo AdAm]

Putin doesnt need to 'off' his opponents, as his loved by the people and will get 70 to 80% of the all votes in the first vote no matter what. Yeah, I only wonder for what? For his lies e.g. about "Kursk" accident? For censorship? For "freedom" of speach in TV?


Putins popularity = 3 x That of Bushs in USA
rofl I think it's not a reason to :D but rather to :(

BTW Have you heard about "accident" with Yelena Tregubova?


( http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2004/02/03/011.html )
"Blast Near Kremlin Digger's Flat"

Yelena Tregubova, a newspaper reporter who recently published a tell-all book about her days covering the Kremlin, was about to step outside of her apartment on Monday when a small bomb exploded in the corridor. No one was hurt.
The explosive device was strung onto the door handle of the apartment opposite hers on the second floor of 10 Bolshoi Gnezdnikovsky Pereulok off Pushkin Square, Tregubova said.

"Everything shook like in an earthquake," she said when reached by telephone.

The blast dented the steel door of the opposite apartment, which is vacant, and smashed several lampshades and a windowpane in the corridor, police said.

A police officer on the scene said they were investigating it as hooliganism [Who will believe in it? :cantbeli: ]. A police spokesman told NTV television that the explosive device, which contained about 50 grams of TNT, was too small to have been an attempt on Tregubova.

Tregubova, however, said she believed she was the target.

Before the explosion, Tregubova said she had ordered a taxi and then received a call telling her it had arrived. She was about to leave her apartment at about 2 p.m. when the bomb went off.

She said that made her think her phone is tapped.

Tregubova also recalled a telephone conversation a few days ago when a man, who introduced himself as a postal worker, asked her to dictate her home address. He said it was missing from a parcel that had arrived for her from the United States. She refused and the man hung up, she said.

Tregubova's book, "Tales of a Kremlin Digger," which came out late last year, describes her behind-the-scene experience of covering the Kremlin for several Russian newspapers from 1997 to 2001. It contains juicy accounts of private episodes like a dinner with then-FSB director Vladimir Putin and criticizes the Kremlin for curbing press freedom after Putin became president. (By Anatoly Medetsky, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004.)"

and another info about the same event:

http://www.cpj.org/news/2004/Russia02feb04na.html "RUSSIA: EXPLOSION ROCKS HOME OF JOURNALIST
New York, February 2, 2004

—An explosion at about 2 p.m. today shook the downtown Moscow apartment of Yelena Tregubova, an independent journalist who recently published a controversial best-selling book criticizing the Kremlin.

A package was left outside the door to Tregubova’s apartment and exploded as she was leaving to meet a friend.

"I was waiting for Yelena downstairs at the taxi when I heard the blast," Tregubova’s colleague and friend Masha Slonin told CPJ in a telephone interview today. "It sounded like an earthquake."

Tregubova’s apartment door was damaged, but neither she nor anybody else was injured. Police and emergency workers arrived at the scene immediately, according to local reports.

Police have currently classified the incident as an act of hooliganism [ :cantbeli: ], the independent Moscow radio station Ekho Moskvy reported.

Tregubova told Ekho Moskvy that several days ago she received a call on her cell phone from a man who identified himself as an employee of Sheremetyevo International Airport, outside Moscow. The man told Tregubova that a parcel arrived for her at the airport and asked for her home address for delivery purposes.

"I decided not to give my address and asked the man what phone number he was calling from," Tregubova said. "At that moment the connection was cut off, and nobody called me back.... I guess I finally received my delivery."

Interview with Yelena Tregubova about her book "Tales of a Kremlin Digger" - http://www.policy.lv/index.php?id=102818&lang=en

It seems that some of Putin' fans are very angry... or that were just a hooligans...

Regards

[Russian Texan]

Do you know who Tregubova is?
She is a representative of anarchist subculture and I am more than willing to bet my money that the door explosion was indeed done by hooligans/skinheads or just some youth that doesn't like her and has nothing better to do.

When I was 14, I shattered windows in the house of district's police chief because me and my adolescent friends had nothing better to do... Of course to make myself look like a hero instead of a small time hooligan, I can put a different twist on it and say that it was my way of protesting oppresive regime ;)

[usa320]

Russia for the most part likes putin- there was no chance of him losing to this guy anyway- so it would just make putin look bad to off him.

[budanski]

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2004/WORLD/europe/02/08/russia.election.ap/story.russia.afp.jpg

The man who vanished is low on the rader of candidates not a major rival and he is owned by Boris Berezovsky who is linked to lots of bad characters. This would be like a presidential candidate from the American Green party gone missing. That's is how low down the order of candidates this guy was. How low? This is more publicity the guy got then when he was alive.


Putin doesnt need to 'off' his opponents, as his loved by the people and will get 70 to 80% of the all votes in the first vote no matter what.

Putins popularity = 3 x That of Bushs in USA


http://mywebpage.netscape.com/struwwelpter/stvlad.jpg

[StarvingStudent47]

Vladimir Zhirinovsky? God help us all if he ever becomes President of Russia. Time for a Second Holocaust, folks. That guy is NUTS.

[16 OBr SpN]

OK guys, here is what I think of it.

The "disappearance" of Rybkin is just another attempt by Berezovsky to undermine Putin's position in the eyes of foreignors. It's no secret to Russians that Rybkin, is basically Berezovsky's bitch. Rybkin was one of the most lowest bastards in Yeltsin's government.
There is no way he will win the elections. People in Russia HATE everything, and everyone who might be related in any way to Berezovsky.
Hell, I think TATU have much higher chances of becoming the President, than Rybkin!! rofl
So why go into elections knowing fully that there is no way for you to win?? It's because it can be used in some other way. I guess, his "disappearance" is that indicator. Look at newspapers, and other foreign media! They all took the bait, and now talking about it. Moreover, the talks are done in a manner that Putin might be behind it.

You remember the article about "Russian strategic excercises"?? I still haven't seen ANY other Russian news sources talking about it. The original source of that bull**** was "Kommersant" newspaper. And guess who it belongs to? Berezovsky again! Yeah, talk about "danger to freedom of speech in Russia"... :roll:

Berezovsky chose Rybkin, because he knew how much military elite, and intelligence community hate the guy for his acts of treason during 1st Chechen war. Now, Berezovsky can point fingers at FSB, and other similar agencies, as those who "assassinated Rybkin". And who controls all those agencies? President Putin!

Not long ago, one of the leaders of "Liberal Russia" (party created by Berezovsky), was assassinated in Moscow. Again, foreign newspapers started talking about Putin's "KGB-style" management. Berezovsky openly accused Putin of ordering the assassination.
I can tell you that the assassination was done totally unprofessional, just like in the cheap Hollywood movies. Believe me, when they (FSB) assassinate someone, a gun is not their "style" ;)
Again, that political party had no chance to win the Parliamentary elections. It was all used as a tool to discredit Putin in the eyes of world community. What westerners fail to understand is that people in Russia are tired of all those ****ing "democrats" and other "liberal" scumbags. When they lose elections as a result of the popular opinion, people in the West start talking about "unfair elections", etc.
People who write those stories either don't know the realities of today's Russia, or just playing their own game.

Do you see the pattern here?

Regards,
16 OBr SpN

[Uninen]

Just watched the news..

This guy that is 'missing' had when not missing about 1% support from the people, now his getting this all free media time and interest of people.. this is starting to look more like publicity stunt every second..

:lol:

And about 'Vladimir Zhirinovsky'.. this is the guy that i really want that Putin and FSB 'off', cause his one sick puppy.. i dont think that theres a single nation on this earth that he doesnt got a problem with..

:|

[mustamato]

Putin is good for Russia. It´s simple as that. The oligarks only interest
is to get the power and wealth they had under Jeltsin, so they support
candidates that would give them that if they won the presidential elections.
One of the most famous oligarks most be Roman Abramovitj that is the
owner of the football-team Chelsea. The oligarks don´t like Putin and Putin
don´t like them. That´s good news for the russian people. The ordinary
you and me.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/0402/08/rybkin.jpg
The now dissapeared Rybkin together with the
his master, the oligark Boris Berezovsky.

Btw. Putin is how a real man should be. KGB-agent, fighter pilot and all
that. He is all Bush tries to be but can´t (probably why Bush like Putin) :)

[Sixgun Symphony]

What westerners fail to understand is that people in Russia are tired of all those f*** "democrats" and other "liberal" scumbags.

I know the feeling.

[UkrainianAmerican]

Zhrinovsky is a piece of **** antisemite in my opinion.

[Dmitri]

I bet you they will find Rybkin in about a week, and then he will say that he was kidnapped by FSB and was held captive... :roll:

[Sergei]

What are you talking about? That guy was found in Kiev drinking vodka and seducing babes all over our capital. The bastard knew fully well that he is missing and that they are looking for him.

Just an election PR stunt and a very bad one.

[mack pl]

Cool guy, this Rybkin.Arent he former vice prime minister of Russia??

[Kingpin]

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/struwwelpter/stvlad.jpg

He he. This picture rocks! :) :) :) rofl rofl

I'll say you why people really support Putin. Because he's much better than previous president - Yeltsin. Putin at least trying to do something instead of sitting in Kremlin. And even sometimes he do something wrong - well at least he tried to improve something...

[UkrainianAmerican]

Putin has the largest nose on any non-semite I know! rofl
He got my backing!
[/humor]

[mustamato]

Putin has the largest nose on any non-semite I know! rofl
He got my backing!
[/humor]

And it have never crossed your mind that Putin perhaps doesn´t like jews?
Many oligarks are jews, as were many in NKVD and so forth. And Putin
seems to hate them. But of course he doesn´t say it. But I get a feeling
of it anyway. So yeah go ahead and vote on him because of his nose.

[UkrainianAmerican]

Putin has the largest nose on any non-semite I know! rofl
He got my backing!
[/humor]

And it have never crossed your mind that Putin perhaps doesn´t like jews?
Many oligarks are jews, as were many in NKVD and so forth. And Putin
seems to hate them. But of course he doesn´t say it. But I get a feeling
of it anyway. So yeah go ahead and vote on him because of his nose.
First of all it was a joke. Second of all I dont live in russia, nor am i a russian citizen to be able to votye. Third of all, I dont carte about politicians personal feelings, it is policy that matters. I didnt see any of his policies going out of their way to be antisemetic. As for oligarchs, he and most other people hate them because of what they are, not because a few of them are of jewish descent.

[Javehn]

Musti , get lost
Jerenovksi is funny as hell . His interview from sauna ... rofl rofl rofl rofl
He has a party in Israel :| , national democrats ...

[mustamato]

But he funny as hell . His interview from sauna ... rofl rofl rofl rofl

Putin has a quite dry sense of humor, like when Larry King interviewed
him and asked what happened to the submarine Kursk. Putin answered:

"It sank" rofl

About Zhirinovskij (if you meant him), I once saw a documentary about
him when he was in Finland. First he bragged about that if there would be
a new war then the finns would be cannon-fodder (yeah just as in the last
war I guess). And then when he signed a autograph he actyally stole a
golden pen from one of his "fans", in front of the cameras. HAHAHA.

[UkrainianAmerican]

Musti , get lost
Jerenovksi is funny as hell . His interview from sauna ... rofl rofl rofl rofl
He has a party in Israel :| , national democrats ...
Your quote ROCKS!

[Midtown]

http://www.thouck.com/uf/gallery/putin.jpg

Lazy ass photoshop job by me, but then again, i wanna leave work on time.

[RuSoKaR]

HOT NEWS!!!!

that missing ****er cameout to be hiding in the Kiev rofl and he said that he was having a good time but he didn't say to any one that he left :slap:

That dude is no good for the president if he can't even inform someone where is he going to rofl