A Question to Getty

My Russian language blog post on the matter.

As you might know, there was an opposition rally in Moscow on March, 1. Well, insofar those anti-Putin forces trying to overthrow our President and backed by some Western powers can be called 'opposition'. But anyhow, there was planned a rally at a certain place in Moscow, agreed with local authorities.

But in the last minutes of February 27, Boris Nemtsov was killed. An ex-politician of Eltsin age and spirit (sapienti sat). Some say he was (one of) opposition leader(s), but he was undoubtedly a political loser, enjoying support of maybe thousands in our multi million people country.

But that's not the point I'd like to discuss now.

The matter is in a part of this rally. The part that went with the banner, depictred in the photo below.

The banner says: "Lustration Is Unavoidable".

Who is carrying it?

Some marginal political quasi-forces called "The Intransigent Column" and "The Black Cohort". If you speak (and read) Russian, you can easily find these in our social network vKontakte.

Shock & Condemnation

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
addresses journalists at UN Headquarters.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Ban Ki-moon made his statement.

Yesterday he expressed shock and condemnation at brutal killing...

Not of the people of Donbass in Novorossiya (thousands killed, even more wounded, hundreds thousands displaced), or in any other hot and suffering spot of the world.

Oh, no bullshit, please.

That's the Hollywood-esque death of one single Boris Nemtsov that shocked him. A brutal killing, my ass!

Boris is (well, was) not higher than grade C+ person, by an unspoken Western standard, where Americans are grade A people, and white Europeans belong to grade B (also worth mentioning and protecting, remember that JesuisCharlie story?). Donbass people are considered, evidently, grade D. Just like aborigines of deep rainforests and black Africa. To be only remembered when things have really gone bad and mad, like in Ruanda.

How many of those Untermenschen are to be killed for Ban Ki-moon to be shocked and condemn killers? A hundred thousand? A million?

Undoubtedly, that's hypocrisy, which leads the world to a dark and bloody end.

And my condemnation goes to hypocrites.

Big Guys Speak for Nemtsov

Many people die daily of all kinds of violent death, but not all of them deserve so a close attention from the top of the world.

Mr. Obama has immediately issued a statement (bold font is mine):

The United States condemns the brutal murder of Boris Nemtsov, and we call upon the Russian government to conduct a prompt, impartial, and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his murder and ensure that those responsible for this vicious killing are brought to justice. Nemtsov was a tireless advocate for his country, seeking for his fellow Russian citizens the rights to which all people are entitled. I admired Nemtsov’s courageous dedication to the struggle against corruption in Russia and appreciated his willingness to share his candid views with me when we met in Moscow in 2009. We offer our sincere condolences to Boris Efimovich’s family, and to the Russian people, who have lost one of the most dedicated and eloquent defenders of their rights.

Well, vast majority of Russian people does not consider Nemtsov a defender of their rights, and I am not an exclusion. So, Mr. Obama, I have an honour to reject your generous offering. His death is surely a crime to be investigated, and those guilty are to be prosecuted, but this is the only way Boris Nemtsov's death can be taken as a loss.

An old friend of Russia, Senator John McCain was way more eloquent:

I was devastated to learn of the murder in Moscow today of my friend Boris Nemtsov. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and many friends in Russia and around the world. With his death, the struggle for free speech and human rights in Russia has suffered another devastating blow.

That Boris's murder occurred in a secure part of the Russian capital raises legitimate questions about the circumstances of his killing and who was responsible. But regardless of who actually pulled the trigger, Boris is dead because of the environment of impunity that Vladimir Putin has created in Russia, where individuals are routinely persecuted and attacked for their beliefs, including by the Russian government, and no one is ever held responsible.

I had long been concerned about Boris's safety, and said so publicly. I will never forget the last meeting we had. I begged him to be careful, and Boris told me that he would never give up the fight for freedom, human rights, and rule of law for his fellow Russians, even if it cost him his life. I am heartbroken that it has come to that. There must be a full investigation of Boris's murder, and those responsible must be held accountable. The world will be watching.

He's an old soldier and evidently knows not that many English words, to be devastated to learn of another devastating blow to the struggle for free speech and human rights in Russia. His competence and expertise in conditions of life in Russia do impress: "environment of impunity" made a tear in my eyes.

As for the last paragraph, I do doubt such a warmonger as John McCain can be heartbroken because of a single human death. Especially taking into account the deceased was not an American, he was not even a EU citizen; he was just their Russian agent of influence, that is a grade C+ person, not higher. Besides, McCain's concerns resemble strangely enough with Nemtsov's own concerns he expressed in the interview I quoted in my previous post (go to the end of it).

I hope we will know whose dirty game it was.

The day before yesterday Boris Nemtsov was an ex-politician, frankly, a loser, a clown trying to play against Putin and against Russia (or, if you wish, for such Russia that would first of all please the USA and the EU). Those four bullets turned him into a fallen hero of anti-Putin resistance in a moment.

The question qui prodest remains. At present I feel our oppositioners will try to get as much benefits of it as possible; in fact, they've started. It's also good for radical (and stupid) Ukrainians, who evidently dislike their being in hell (carefully created by themselves within just a year) and would contribute everything they have to provoke a maidan in Russia.

Anyhow, we will see who will be beneficiaries of the criminal tragedy.

RIP, Boris, your game is suddenly over. The life is going on, though, for the world is hopefully without end.

Amen.

Boris Nemtsov: Qui Prodest?

Source. © RIA Novosti. Ilya Pitalev.

This night in the very centre of Moscow, in direct view of the Kremlin, Boris Nemtsov was shot dead.

Whatever attitude one could have to this politician, this is a crime, and when a crime is investigated, since the Roman Empire nothing has changed: first, one has to find answer to a simple question, qui prodest. To whose profit was the deed done.

Was it profitable for Putin, or for anybody else in power?

No, in no case at all. Boris Nemtsov was not longer an acting politician, he lead an opposiiton movement that did not enjoy somehow wide support from the Russian people.

Was it profitable for the anti-Putin opposition dreaming of pressing Putin off the Kremlin? Yes, surely, for each and every one. Especially in the eve of coming oppo's meeting on March,1, which now has chances to be way more popular.

And — Putin is always to blame, he is bad man number one on Earth, let alone Russia. So our oppo figures have immediatle started a true hysteria.

Maxim Katz, a young oppositioner, tweets:

Putin is guilty.
In case it's he who contracted, he's guilty as a contractor.
In unlikely case he didn't, then [he's guilty] as the monger of rage, hysteria and hatred in people.