Putin persecutes even marginal protest figures

The apartments of several Russian opposition figures have been searched in the run-up to the major demonstration planned for this Tuesday in Moscow. Now even those who were previously not under suspicion are being subject to state intimidation, the liberal-conservative daily Die Presse reports: "Apart from the usual suspects like the blogger Alexey Navalny, the intimidation has now extended even to marginal protest figures - like the telegenic party girl Kseniya Sobchak for example, who as the daughter of Putin's close follower Anatoly Sobchak had been viewed as untouchable until now. The case of Kseniya Sobchak makes it clear that hardliners have taken up their positions in the state powerhouse. The former host of the Russian Big Brother is no die-hard dissident, but rather a late-bloomer from a good family. The fact that her flat, of all places, was ransacked can only be taken as a signal to the profiteers of the Putin system so far: disloyalty will be punished, regardless of how much protection those concerned might have."

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social movements, » Russia
All available articles from » Michael Laczynski

» To the complete press review of Tuesday, June 12, 2012