Vladimir Kara-Murza
The Reformer
Changing the system from inside it, principle turned into change.
Vladimir Kara-Murza is a prominent Russian opposition leader and activist known for his efforts to promote democracy and accountability in Russia. This interview reveals his deep commitment to reforming the political landscape in Russia, as he articulates the need for a reckoning with the country's totalitarian past and the importance of holding those in power accountable.
“Six months before he became president, that the next president of Russia will be Vladimir Putin. The vast majority of people would have responded who? You know we knew this. This was an absolutely astonishing example of How to make a political figure from nothing.”
“In the first years of Putin, it was more than 100, there is a big difference in that. But also the 90s were a period when we had democracy in Russia. It was a period when we had free competitive elections, you know, where the results were actually determined by how people voted. That's a revolutionary concept for Russia today.”
“A British citizen murdered on British soil using a radioactive substance and the British government wanted to do nothing about it. They didn't want to have an inquiry.”
“Local bureaucracy in St. Petersburg. He was deputy mayor in charge of international relations. Then after the mayor of St. Petersburg lost the election in 1996 to his challenger, Putin was taken to Moscow, began to work again as an official, as a bureaucrat in the Kremlin administration and the presidential staff.”
The Axe Files with David Axelrod — Best of the Axe Files: Vladimir Kara-Murza
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