Deeply Disturbing
Few things have disturbed me more in a long time than the Markelov-Baburova assassination. I alternate between deep sadness, disgust, and fury.
One thing that says a great deal is that there are numerous potential suspects. That is, it is widely understood that there are numerous individuals and groups in Russia, within government and without, that are willing to and capable of using deadly force to achieve their ends.
Another thing that is very telling is the disdainful silence from the powers that be. Yes, the Duma engaged in some meaningless histrionics. But the people who really matter have said nothing.
Perhaps that’s for the best, as hypocritical crocodile tears, or meaningless OJ-esque promises of unceasing efforts to find the real killers would only add insult to grievous injury.
A “normal country”? Not yet, by a longshot–or, more accurately, by a point blank shot to the head.
Putin has already made his position quite clear when he declared shamelessly after her
murder that Politkovskaya was bad for Russia.
There are perhaps two silver linings here:
(1) Maybe brutal murder is the only thing that can jolt the world out of its stupor
and make it realize what it is dealing with in neo-Soviet Russia, run by the KGB.
(2) Russia’s prospects are very dim. I doubt that either Anna or Stanislav would have
wished to watch the country go down in flames. Far too great a patriot was each of them
to bear that kind of suffering.
Comment by La Russophobe — January 27, 2009 @ 10:16 am