Sonja Margolina on the Kremlin's fear of democracy

Russian journalist Sonja Margolina, who lives in Germany, compares the new authoritarianism in Russia with the times of the Great Terror under Stalin 70 years ago. "Against this background it's as if the script for the Kremlin's 'presidential successor' operation, involving an escalation of the power struggle and reprisals against a harmless opposition, had been written exactly 70 years ago. The fact that this is taking place in a totally different historical context only serves to reinforce the sense of déjà vu. Just as in 1937, the main reason for the Kremlin's panic is the impossibility of a democratic change of power. The mere existence of the constitution exposes the illegitimate character of the usurpation of power by a non-elected clique."

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