Vladimir Kara-Mursa is considered one of the harshest critics of Putin’s regime. Because he speaks out against the war in Ukraine, criticizes Putin and because he campaigned abroad for years to punish human rights violations with sanctions. And now he’s also the first opposition figure to be convicted of treason in modern Russia. It has been clear since Monday: he has to go to a prison camp for 25 years.
And this is not the only case in which the Russian government is showing particular harshness and brutality against critics. The opportunities for criticism of the government in Russia are more limited than ever. Leonid Volkov knows that too. He was long the political director of the FBK, an anti-corruption foundation founded by Alexei Navalny. Since 2019 he lives in Lithuania. He says: “This is a new escalation”. But the opposition must be patient and constantly work to fight Putin: “We see Russian politics as a marathon and not a sprint.”
The editorial deadline for this program was Friday, April 21, 2023 at 6 p.m.
Moderation, editing: Tami Holderried
Editors: Nadja Schlueter, Vinzent-Vitus Leitgeb, Wanda Silberhorn
Production: Imanuel Pedersen
Additional audio material via ARD, BBC, dpa.
Continue reading:
How Putin’s Ukraine war tore a rift through Russian society.
Continue listening: SZ Plus podcast “German Angst”
More and more people in Germany want to be prepared when a disaster strikes. So far, so reasonable. But there are also people who fear and worry about winning voters or making money. And then there are extremists who want to bring about a day X that could change everything, even through attacks. A podcast research that leads from the forests outside Cottbus to the Bundestag. To right-wing extremists and to people who have infiltrated the suspected terrorist group United Patriots.
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