The Daily Beast
Russia Plunges into Era of ‘Dictatorship’ as Putin Looms Over Eastern Europe
MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEVMOSCOW—The day began with a dystopian wave of pre-emptive arrests. Many of his opponents were already under lock and key by the time President Putin used an annual state of the nation address to remind people what happens to popular uprisings within striking distance of the Kremlin.With troops massed on the border of Ukraine in numbers not seen since the invasion of Crimea, Putin gloried in the fate of the pro-Western movement in Kyiv seven years after he annexed a chunk of its territory.Similar forces were at play in Belarus, Putin said, where the CIA was accused of stirring up a coup plot against the pro-Russian leader, who rigged elections last year. Putin has helped President Lukashenko crack down on the protest movement, which sprung up against the blatantly stolen election.Domestic protesters were gathering across the Russia as he spoke, fully aware that a similar crackdown is underway here as Putin’s rule slips towards dictatorship.The president will meet…
