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.”
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.
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 – 21 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
