Back To The USSR

Russian Veronika Belotserkovskaya, also known as 'Belonika' or 'Nika' .....

Russia Is Increasingly Like The USSR

.... was one of the first three charged by the Russian authorities under Russia’s “fake news” law.

What's interesting is that they did not initially charge a journalist, or even a politician under the new law, but a food and lifestyle blogger.

The other two Russians charged under the new law, were pensioner residents of the Siberian region of Tomsk. One of whom, Marina Novikova, a 63-year-old pensioner, published only on her personal Telegram channel, which counted only 170 subscribers at the time.

Putin said: “The Russian people will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors, and will simply spit them out like a gnat that accidentally flew into their mouths — spit them out on the pavement. I am convinced that such a natural and necessary self-purification of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to respond to any challenges.” 

He added that certain Russians “cannot live without oysters and gender freedoms”.

Karen Shakhnazarov a prominent Russian state TV host has said on the state-owned Russian television channel Russia 1, that opponents of Russia's war in Ukraine will face harsh punishments including 'concentration camps and sterilisation'. He said that any 'opponents to the letter Z' - the symbol of Russia's invasion - will face 'no mercy'. 'The opponents of the letter Z must understand that if they are counting on mercy, no, there will be no mercy for them. It's all become very serious. In this case, it means concentration camps, re-education and sterilisation.'

Some regime opponents such as Alexei Navalny face the possibility of being sent to the strict regime maximum security penal colony at Melekhovo, which is notorious for brutal beatings, where convicts get their fingernails pulled out, and the rape of male inmates.

President Vladimir Putin likes to deny that he is taking Russia back to the USSR, but in 2013 he dusted off another communist relic, by restoring a labour medal introduced under Josef Stalin. The new 'Hero of Labour' award was changed slightly from Stalin’s Hero of Socialist Labour, but essentially, it signalled a reverse Russian revolution. 

Putin has made no secret of his attempt to appeal to the conservative values and patriotism of the working class, his main power base, and to counter the threat of the mainly middle-class demonstrators who have led protests against him in urban centres (well, until the new repression laws stopped them). Putin had already brought back the Soviet national anthem and Soviet-style military parades.

And on that theme, there has been a return to the old Soviet practise of denunciations aka 'snitching' of anyone who has, or hasn't, criticised the war in the Ukraine. The reporting of neighbours, colleagues and even strangers to the authorities, was common in Russia's Soviet era, and is now common again. While memorials to the victims of Stalin's purges and Soviet terror are being stolen or destroyed .... they are truly heading back to the USSR.

..... Of course Russia's madness may be down to drinking so much tea (and similarly Iran), most of which is bought from India. However tea consignments from India are increasingly being rejected due to presence of pesticides and chemicals beyond permissible limits .... which may well explain a lot about Iran and Russia.