Jacobin Radio: Repression in Russia w/ Ilya Budraitskis

Jacobin Radio

Jacobin

News, Politics, History

4.7 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There are many markers showing February 2024 to be a landmark month of cruelty — not least in Gaza, but also in Russia, where we turn our focus today. The slow murder of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in the Arctic Circle penal colony Kharp on Friday, February 16, signals a turning point for Putin’s Russia and underscores both the Kremlin’s power and weakness.

We cover the turmoil in Russia in the lead-up to the March 2024 rubber-stamp presidential election. We were scheduled to speak to Boris Kagarlitsky, but, on February 13, Kagarlitsky’s appeal trial took place. He had been arrested in July 2024 for his criticism of Kremlin policy and opposition to the war in Ukraine. Kagarlitsky spent four and a half months in pretrial detention in the far northern Republic of Komi and was freed in December 2024. On February 13, the December verdict was overturned. Kagarlitsky was whisked from the courtroom into custody to begin serving five years in a penal colony. Three days later, on February 16, Alexei Navalny died.

Suzi speaks to Russian dissident activists and scholars Ilya Budraitskis and Grusha G. to get their understanding of these events. Budraitskis says Navalny is a man the regime truly feared, and they subjected him to a slow, cowardly murder, drawn out over many months. The Marxist critic Boris Kagarlitsky is now in their hands — and international solidarity is required. This is happening in the context of an election and the upcoming 2nd anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, when the Kremlin looks to portray Russians as united behind Putin.

Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Welcome to Jacobin Radio, I'm Susie Weisman Radio. I'm Susie Weisman.
0:19.0	Today we're covering the turmoil in Russia in the lead up to the presidential election in March, an election
0:25.5	that is rigged to keep Putin in place.
0:28.0	We were scheduled to speak with Boris Kagulitsky, but on the 13th of February, his verdict from December that freed him from
0:36.2	four and a half months of pretrial detention in the far north was overturned and he was
0:41.7	whisked into custody to begin serving five years in a penal colony.
0:46.2	We'll discuss the details about Kagrulitsky, the death of Alexia Navalny on February 16th in the context of the upcoming election and what this means for Russia as we mark the second anniversary of Putin's brutal invasion and war on Ukraine with exiled
1:03.5	dissident activists and scholars Ilea Budjzkis and Grusha.
1:08.3	All this when our program returns in just a moment. Welcome to Jacobin Radio, I'm Susie Weisman. Today we're speaking to Russian
1:26.6	dissident activists and scholars Ilia Woodredzkis and Grusha. There are many
1:31.3	markers showing February 2024 to be a landmark month of cruelty, not least in
1:38.0	Gaza, but also in Russia, where we turn our focus today. Friday, February 16th ushered in a new turning point for
1:46.1	Putin's Russia with the death of prominent oppositionist activist Alexi Nivali
1:52.4	in the Arctic Circle penal colony called Harp, which underscored
1:57.3	both the Kremlin's power and its weakness, increasing the instability that threatens
2:02.1	Putin's rule.
2:03.0	At least that's something that we hope to discuss.
2:05.0	Our guests are going to explain it.
2:07.0	As I mentioned in the overall intro,
2:10.0	we were scheduled to speak to Boris Kagrulitsky today about the conditions in Russia leading up to the March election,
2:16.4	but on the 13th of February, his December verdict that freed him from four and a half months pre-trial detention in the far north was overturned
2:26.4	and he was whisked into custody to begin serving five years in a penal colony.
	...

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