Solzhenitsyn lectures
The week's news at a glance.
Moscow
Russians have themselves to blame for the lack of democracy in their country, former Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn said this week. In a rare television interview, the 86-year-old Nobel laureate defended President Vladimir Putin’s abolition of local elections, saying they had been hijacked by the mafia. Solzhenitsyn said that criticism of the Kremlin for restricting political freedoms was misplaced. “What democracy is threatened?” he asked on the state-run TV station. “Power of the people? We never had it.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
‘We must empower young athletes with the knowledge to stay safe’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Fox’s Kilmeade sorry for ‘just kill’ homeless remark
Speed Read Kilmeade’s ‘rare on-air apology’ also served as Fox News’ response to the controversy
-
Russian drone tests Romania as Trump spins
Speed Read Trump is ‘resisting congressional plans to impose newer and tougher penalties on Russia’s energy sector’