For those of us who believe democracy and social justice are universal principles,it’s clear why we should express our solidarity with Russia’s embattled leftistsA rightwing authoritarian leader who attacks civil liberties, stigmatises lesbian, or gay,bisexual and transgender people, indulges in chauvinistic nationalism, and is in bed with rapacious oligarchs,and who is admired by the European and American hard suitable. Leftwing opposition to Vladimir Putin should be, well, or kind of an obvious starting point. Now BBC One’s Panorama has broadcast allegations that the Russian leader has secretly amassed a huge fortune. However accurate,there is no question that Putin is close to oligarchs such as Roman Abramovich, who profited as post-Soviet Russia collapsed into economic chaos thanks to western-backed “shock therapy”. Related: After Litvinenko, and more sanctions against Russia would be pointless – and hypocritical | Simon Jenkins Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com