Moscow (EFE).- Russian Nikolai Ribakov, leader of the only legal opposition party in Russia, the liberal Yábloko, assured EFE that Russia is “very close” to becoming a dictatorship and warned that the longer the conflict with Ukraine lasts The more authoritarian the regime of Vladimir Putin will become.
“We are very close to being a dictatorship, but we are still in a stage of authoritarianism. Of course, the longer the military actions last, the more authoritarian the country will be,” Ribakov commented in the Yabloko offices in Moscow.
Ribakov leads the only party that publicly opposes the military campaign, a pacifist position that he has maintained since the first Chechnya war (1994).
The end justifies the means
“There is a lot of negativity now in Russia. This is a time of hatred and contempt for human life. Stalin’s propaganda is reinforced. In this last year, many people have shown themselves willing to sacrifice the lives of others for the sake of a supposed victory, ”he said.
However, he believes that “Russia has not changed in the last twelve months”, but that the military intervention has aggravated “the existing anti-Western and isolationist tendencies”.
“There was an attempt to get out of that spiral in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but we went astray very soon and cynicism defeated compassion in politics and we soon returned to the Bolshevik dogma that the end justifies the means.” ensures.
The result is a presidential Constitution, a political system without division of powers and the marginalization of the people from decision-making.
authoritarian drift
“The most dangerous thing is that the mechanism for the democratic and peaceful transfer of power has been destroyed. When everything depends on a single person, the risks are very great, even more so in the current situation, ”he stated.
The liberal politician lamented that the conflict in Ukraine “is plunging the country more and more into a quagmire from which it is necessary to get out as soon as possible.”
“Whoever says that all this was invented by Putin, that he is guilty of everything and that if he leaves, the sun will rise from Kaliningrad to Sakhalin from morning to night and we will all be happy, it is not so. Even worse times may come ”, he assures.
In his opinion, the Russians are divided into two groups. “Some who support killing people, be they those who advocate the victory of Russia or those who defend Ukraine. Others, much less, believe that you should never kill ”, he explains.
“Those who defend peace are seen in Russia as half crazy. Most Russians crave blood, both for and against Putin,” she notes.
Putin is not bluffing
In a clear allusion to the West, Ribakov insists that “Putin believes everything he says,” including when he talks about a possible nuclear war.
“Do not hesitate. Putin is not going to bluff. He has been ahead of us every step of him, including the ultimatum before the war. For now, everything he said brought him to reality, ”he commented.
Remember that “Putin said that we as martyrs will go to paradise and they will just palm their hands. It is not an allegory, it is a direct message about what can happen”.
He assures that the same can be said when the Kremlin and his closest circle affirm that “if there is no Putin, there is no Russia” and “without Russia, the world does not make sense to us.”
“For Putin, defeat in the war means the death of Russia. He has warned you many times. Nuclear weapons will be used in case the existence of the country is threatened. And from his point of view, that scenario (defeat) would be that same threat, ”he argued.
He considers it important that more and more people, including in Russia, demand that their government assess “the real threat of a nuclear war breaking out.”
An urgent ceasefire
Yábloko proposes a declaration of ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners and the investigation of war crimes as the basis for peace negotiations.
“The cessation of hostilities opens the possibility of starting peace negotiations. Without truce, it is impossible to negotiate. Those who ask for the fighting to continue are not in the trenches,” he pointed out.
He believes that “a world or a Europe without Russia is not possible” and that “the sinking of Russians and Europeans” is not convenient for the United States either.
“There are only four people in the world who can do it: Putin, Zelensky, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. Defeat is inadmissible for Russia and also for the West. And if neither side considers defeat acceptable, then it will be necessary to think about stopping the war, ”he asserted.