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In 2006, the organization that I founded, United Civil Front, had Congress and we actually

published a document saying, looking at the trends of Putin's regime, this regime would not

leave power through normal democratic process.

It will not be changed by the ballot.

We have been labeled radical standing on the way of evolution inside Russia, many liberals,

many people, you know, just that had to be our you know ideological

allies they thought we were cursed it's like a plague you know radicalism and the fact is that I wanted to work

with any political force to actually bring back free and fair elections,

so that's made things even worse.

And in the West, nobody wanted to hear that.

And now the good fight with Yasha Monck.

A few months ago I argued that there is a little more reason for optimism about the state of democracy today

...