In the Land of Blind Ironies, the One-eyed Irony is King

Filed under: Russia

This is high irony even by Russian standards, and Russia dominates the globe in its supply.

Vladimir Socor of the Jamestown Foundation reports that Georgian billionaire "Badri Patarkatsishvili, who left Georgia on November 3" has "vowed to spend 'even the last penny' of his billion-dollar assets -- which include Imedi TV -- to overthrow what he terms the 'fascist regime" in Georgia."

Substitute "Boris Berezovsky" for "Badri Patarkatsishvili" and you have exactly the allegations that have led the Kremlin to indict Berezovosky in Moscow and put him on trial in absentia. Yet, Russia does not have a word of criticism for Patarkatsishvili, since his actions only serve to further the Kremlin's interests.

Does that take your breath away, or what?

Meanwhile, Jamestown's Jonas Bernstein reports that the Kremlin has arrested several major opposition political leaders, including Boris Nemtsov and Garry Kasparov, for daring to participate in peaceful public protest demonstrations aimed at the Kremlin's obliteration of democracy in the upcoming parliamentary vote.

This, even as Russia lambastes Georgia for cracking down on protests against its president.

For sheer unmitigated gall, nobody in the world can match the Russians.

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Comments

Vova says:

Well, I would not equate Badri Shalvovich to Boris AbrAmovich [not to be confused with Boris AbramOvich who owns, inter alia, Malev]. And even if Haver Badri is a friend of Boris', I don't see anything wrong with it as don't see anything wrong with poor Boris. In fact, Badri was the brains behind their Logovaz business.
According to the official gestapo spokesman, Nemtsov was neither arrested nor detained. He just walked into the SS joint accompanied by two stormtroopers and sat there drinking tea and waiting for his comrades. Nemtsov has balls--and he is showing them. Kudos. I wish wishy-washy Yavlinsky did the same.
As for Georgia in general, no matter what the self-appointed liberals and democrats say about Misha, what he is doing in the face of "Russian" subversion is commendable. Let's wish him well and also wish that the someone slips poison to the cornered rat

Ray says:

Kim,
have you ever condemned Berezovsky for meddling in russian affairs? i recall you attacking Patarkatsishvili for being a kremlin man but don't remember you attacking Berezovsky... could be wrong, your post just made me curious...

La Russophobe says:

RAY:

Not only haven't I condemned Berezovsky, I've praised him. Russia could certainly do far better than him for an opposition champion, but it hasn't, and beggars can't be choosers. He's the only significant force of real opposition in Russia today, a testament to how low the country has fallen in such a short time.

I've never heard anyone accuse Berezovsky of being a stooge of a foreign government, but if he's working in league with the United States, I'm delighted. America's obligation is to oppose the rise of a neo-Soviet state in Russia by all means possible, just as we did during the time of Ronald Reagan, and giving support to Russian dissidents is part of that.

You've not read this post very carefully, it's not an attack on Patarkatsishvili. It's an attack on Putin and support of the current Georgian government. If Putin thinks Georgia is a threat to Russian security, he has every right to take action on that basis. Patarkatsishvili has every right to oppose the current government in Georgia, and they have every right to do what they can to stop him if he violates the law. What Putin emphatically does NOT have a right to do is to then complain that Russia stays out of other country's affairs and to demand on that basis that other countries stay out of Russian affairs.

It's simply barbaric that Putin can condemn Berezovsky, complain about foreign governments trying to influence Russia, and then do EXACTLY the same thing in Georgia. It's evidence that Russia simply doesn't understand the rule of law and can't act like an adult in international affairs.

In short, it's evidence that Russia is going the way of the USSR.

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In the Land of Blind Ironies, the One-eyed Irony is King

Filed under: Russia

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