Posted on 09/05/2009 1:54:42 PM PDT by Schnucki
Mikhail Gorbachev has attacked Vladimir Putin for rolling back democracy in Russia and failing to fight corruption.
In an interview with The Times, published today, he criticised Mr Putin over Russia’s failure to convict the killers of prominent Kremlin critics such as the journalist Anna Politkovskaya and the dissident spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Mr Gorbachev accused Europe and America of a failure to understand Russia since he started his glasnost and perestroika reforms of the Soviet Union almost a quarter of a century ago. He said that the West seemed more interesting in keeping Russia “on its knees”.
He had warm words for Baroness Thatcher, saying that she was the Prime Minister he most admired. He compared President Obama’s efforts to revive the US after the financial crash to his reforms of Soviet society.
Mr Gorbachev spoke movingly of his love for his late wife, Raisa, and the pain that she felt at being misunderstood by a Soviet public suspicious of a Western-style First Lady.While professing support for Mr Putin as Russia’s most popular political leader, Mr Gorbachev said that he “very openly and directly” criticised the failings of the former President who is now Prime Minister.
“I’ve been saying for some time that the election system needs to be changed. I have also been saying that there’s been a lot of talk about fighting corruption but there is no real fight against corruption,” he said.
“We have seen these terrible tragedies when journalists have been killed...some of the highest profile crimes have not been solved. And I say that I doubt that everything possible has been done to solve those crimes.”
Mr Gorbachev expressed admiration for President Obama as the champion of an American “perestroika” (rebuilding) and compared his efforts to revive the United States after the financial crash to
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Fighting corruption? He’s the biggest of the “thieves in law” or vor v zakonye (in Russian)>
Dang! Now that Star Wars Evil Empire March song is going to be in my head all day.
Gorby must think he’s too big to fail.
Another foreign p*ssant heard from. Make the holiday weekend complete, right!
For a moment, I thought that said “Palin.”
Gorby vs. Putin = pot vs. kettle
And if the former had his way, Russia would still be a KGB police state. Gorby therefore should thank Putin for returning authoritarian rule to the Motherland (rodina Mat’).
What hypocrisy!
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