Putin must not emerge victorious: Kara-Murza's call for a democratic Russia

- We need to learn from those past mistakes, from those past lessons, to make sure we do not repeat these failures the next time a window of opportunity for change in Russia opens, - says Russian oppositionist Vladimir Kara-Murza, recently released from prison.

- Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to win this war in Ukraine. More than that, he must not be allowed to have a face-saving exit from this war - said Kara-Murza on Friday at a press conference at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank in London. He later added that that Putin’s rule has brought "death, blood, suffering, pain, murder and war".

Kara-Murza, who was released in early August as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, emphasized that the only strategic way out of the current crisis is the emergence of a new Russia. It should have a government that respects the rights and freedoms of citizens, adheres to civilised norms of international behaviour, and is legally and democratically elected.

He recalled that both the Romanov empire and the Soviet regime collapsed suddenly and unexpectedly. Kara-Murza warned the same could happen in the foreseeable future with Putinism. Therefore - as he emphasised - both the Russian opposition and the West should be prepared for such a scenario to not waste the chance for the democratisation of Russia.

According to Kara-Murza, a key element of this process will be "a process of truth and reconciliation in Russian society". He emphasised that all countries that have successfully transitioned from authoritarianism to democracy have gone through a process of moral reckoning, public reconciliation, and accounting for the crimes committed by the regimes. He later mentioned that archives were opened, and trials were held for those responsible for crimes against other nations or within their own countries, contrary to Russia in the 1990s. In his opinion, this is the main reason for everything that has been happening since 1999, when Putin came to power.

The oppositionist also pointed out the need to prepare a road map for the future democratic reintegration of Russia with Europe and the international order based on principles. He added this is not only in our interest but above all in the interest of Ukraine because there will be no stable, peaceful, and secure Ukraine without a peaceful and democratic Russia, as long as a murderous and aggressive dictatorship rules the Kremlin.

Kara-Murza emphasised that the process of democratisation in Russia must be genuine, and the West must not be deceived again by "facade democratisation." He said he understands emotions, but we can't base long-term strategic policy on emotions. It must be rational, intellectual, and guided by the real interests of Europe, the world, and humanity, he argued.

Kara-Murza also addressed concerns that a change in power after Putin could bring about an even worse regime. - What could be worse than a deranged dictator with an atomic bomb who is destroying a peaceful country in the middle of Europe, imprisoning hundreds of people, and killing his political opponents? Can anything be worse? – he asked.

He emphasised that a key goal is to create a parliamentary system instead of a presidential one in Russia. According to him, the system is bad. He argued that our goal as the Russian democratic opposition is not to replace a bad tsar with a good one. There is no such thing as a good tsar, he explained, adding that Russia must follow a path of democratisation similar to the one taken by Italy, Germany, Spain, or Latin American countries.

Although Russia's democratic transformation will not be easy or quick, Kara-Murza is convinced that the Russian people are capable of overcoming the trauma inflicted on their society by decades of Soviet rule and now by a quarter-century of Putinism.

Kara-Murza concluded by expressing hope that Vladimir Putin will face trial for his crimes. He declared he wanted people who lost their families and relatives in Ukraine to see his face when he sat in the dock, just like Slobodan Milosevic did years ago.