Through the eyes of Sasha Mitrofanov: Putin can rub his hands over the clashes of his opponents

The basic question is: Is it realistic to bet on Kremlin regime change through more democratic forces than those currently ruling the country, waging a barbaric war against neighboring Ukraine, and threatening the free world with nuclear annihilation? Or is a change in the form of a succession to Putin or a palace coup that will bring only security forces with other names to power more in line with reality?

A stumbling block within the opposition has been the video entitled Traitors for the second week, which was produced by the head of the Anti-Corruption Fund, Marie Pěvčichová, from the position of Navalny’s political heiress. In short, it accuses the people who, led by President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s, received all the cargo of the bankrupt Soviet Union for processing in independent Russia, of betraying the ideals of freedom and democracy because of their alleged greed.

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The very people who were active in the 1990s spoke out very sharply to point out the grossly one-sided portrayal of the events of that time. Coincidentally, they are also today’s leaders of the anti-Putin opposition. There was the designation of Pěvčichová as a Bolshevik commissar, the statement that further cooperation with her fund is not possible, and last but not least, those affected point to the absolute coincidence of the main idea of her videos with the narrative that Putin has been promoting for a long time when he talks about the 90s.

The former editor-in-chief of the banned radio station Echo of Moscow, Alexei Venediktov, has been speaking openly for a long time about his suspicion that Pevchichova was deployed by the Kremlin years ago in the vicinity of Navalny as an agent of influence. This is also why there is a burning hatred between these two actors of the Russian events. The legitimacy of this suspicion cannot be proven, because Venediktov only provides indirect evidence. But it is possible to look at the ongoing quarrels within the opposition through this lens.

Whoever belongs wherever, the result is beyond doubt. Pevčich’s videos completely destroyed the vision of a unified anti-Putin opposition that appeared for a while after the death of Alexei Navalny. If it had been an assignment from the president’s office, it would have been met in a heartbeat.

At the same time, the Kremlin seems to have fulfilled the assignment of the Pevčich Fund when it arrested Deputy Minister of Defense Timur Ivanov. The fund welcomed this with joy, because it was this man who was involved in its recent investigation that convicted Ivanov of corruption. But if the deputy does not corruptly weaken the Russian army, the army will be stronger and crueler in Ukraine. However, the fund does not comment on this.

The question from the beginning of today’s reflection can be answered as follows: the opposition in Russia has no desire for change.