Will protests break out in Russia over the economic crisis? | Page 2 | World Defense

Will protests break out in Russia over the economic crisis?

Kamarsun1

MEMBER
Joined
Dec 29, 2014
Messages
125
Reactions
15 0 0
Country
USA
Location
USA
December 29, 2014, 06:30 am
Will protests break out in Russia over the economic crisis?

By Anna Borshchevskaya, contributor



Russia's economic crisis continues to deepen. Yet on the surface, it would appear that Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval ratings remain high, and Russia's citizens are determined to stand behind their strongman. But is there more to it?


I wrote last month that Putin's approval ratings will not remain high indefinitely as Russia's economy plunges into a recession. So far, the economy is only getting worse. Indeed, Russia's former finance minister, Alexei Kudrin, warned on Dec. 22 in Moscow that Russia is facing an economic crisis. "Today I can say that we have entered or are currently entering a full-blown economic crisis; next year we will feel it in full force," he said. As the crisis deepens, Putin is expanding the military budget, rather than investing in education and infrastructure. Russia's own current finance minister, Anton Siluanov, publically complained about this.


Russia's ruble continues to plummet. Financial experts now say the Russian ruble has been among the year's worst-performing currencies. On Dec. 26, 54 rubles traded against the dollar. Compare this to last year, when the nominal exchange rate, according to Russia's Central Bank, remained between approximately 31 to 33 rubles to the dollar throughout the year.

Russia is also facing high inflation. While some experts predict inflation may move into the double digits in 2015, as I wrote last month in The Hill, it may already be there in certain select and critical sectors of the economy. Inflation is a particularly sore point for many Russians, especially those who lived through the turbulent years of hyperinflation in the 1990s. For many, fear of inflation is both real and psychological.

Yet Putin's approval ratings so far remain high. As a recent Levada Center poll showed, Putin's approval rate stood at 85 percent in December, despite the currency crisis. This is roughly the same rate as in November, before the currency crisis ensued, though still slightly lower than the 87 to 88 percent approval ratings recorded in earlier months, closer to the start of the Ukrainian crisis.

Consider another December poll, however, by Kudrin's Committee of Civil Initiatives, which found that, as reported by Russia's Moskovsky Komsomolets, "perceptions of President Vladimir Putin are changing — the country's residents still do not see an alternative to him, but subconsciously trust in him decreases." This does not contradict the Levada poll, but rather supplements it with a deeper analysis of what "approval" for Putin entails in Russia. In addition, if in the beginning of the year, Russian citizens associated Putin with a powerful animal such as a lion or a bear, they now, according to the study, associate him with those of less stature, such a wolf, a lynx or a hare.

The study also finds that the majority of Russians continue to primarily trust the Russian television when it comes to sources of information, and that is where the Kremlin exerts the most control. Yet the negative trends in the economy force many to search for alternative sources of information, such as the Internet and social networks, where it is possible to find views opposing the Kremlin.

The study's authors predict another wave of protests in Russia, this time because of economic troubles rather than political discontent, as was the case in 2011 and 2012.

There are no guarantees that if they happen, these protests will necessarily bring about democratization — indeed, Russia has seen a rise of nationalism and xenophobia in recent years, while Putin has successfully convinced many Russians that the West is to blame for their problems. But this study shows that Russian citizens will not stand for an economic crisis forever, nor a leader who presides over it.

Will protests break out in Russia over the economic crisis? | TheHill
Trusting the media is a major problem world wide. That's the biggest tool for mind control, and I will be glad to see the fall of mainstream media, hopefully in my lifetime.
 

Personaleek

NEW RECRUIT
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Messages
25
Reactions
4 0 0
Country
Ireland
Location
Ireland
Well, I think that any protest in Russia will not end too well for the protestors. As we know, Putin doesn't take too kindly to opposition.
 

Dez97

MEMBER
Joined
Dec 29, 2014
Messages
61
Reactions
10 0 0
Country
USA
Location
USA
The Russians are having a really bad time. |0|

I hope their economy crumbled. A payback for supporting the child murderer of Syria and for intervening in Ukraine.

That's a little harsh, I mean each country is different. They all can't be the same, and have the same kind of leadership. If these citizens decide to stay behind their president then that's what they decide. That's who they voted for, so that's who they supported.
 
Joined
Dec 27, 2014
Messages
197
Reactions
43 2 0
Country
Thailand
Location
Thailand
Protesting won't stabilize the economy.

The last I checked, people who protest have very little interest in stabilizing the economy. That's the work of the government. When the government fails to do it's job, the people protest. That's how the game is played.
 

ally79

NEW RECRUIT
Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
26
Reactions
1 0 1
Country
USA
Location
USA
It's not been going on long enough for protests yet, but as the situation worsens you may see some. I was also going to mention the lessening of the tax on vodka. I guess the idea is to keep the country drunk enough so that they don't realize it is all falling apart.
 

elmarianexx

NEW RECRUIT
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
22
Reactions
1 0 0
Country
Netherlands Antilles
Location
Poland
I don't think so.
Russians are too afraid of Putin and I don't think that they would be able to oppose him unless something really bad happened.
Their economy a only a few years ago was way worse than they are now, I guess that Putin will come to a solution like always.
 

weepforsweep

MEMBER
Joined
Jan 2, 2015
Messages
76
Reactions
3 0 0
Country
USA
Location
USA
The protests will be short and swift. Putin will just put them in the gulags.
 

krazyman

MEMBER
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
59
Reactions
18 0 0
Country
USA
Location
USA
People will probably start to protest to be immediately squashed by the Russian government. The average citizen in Russia will struggle to survive during this recession. I remember studying in Graduate School Maslow's hierarchy of needs - #1 is survival - if people are starving and can't provide for themselves or family, they will look for assistance and turn to violence if it means survival.

I think it's a question of when.
 

ClassyTulip

MEMBER
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
44
Reactions
9 0 0
Country
USA
Location
USA
Yes, of course I believe that protest would break out in Russia. Our innate response is either to fight or flight when our backs are against the wall. For those Russians who believe that they have to fight for what they believe in, they are the ones who are going to speak up when faced with an economic crisis. If they see that protesting will defeat or help eliminate the crisis, these Russians are going to do whatever it's going to take to get their backs from against the wall. It will be foolish of us to think that there's not at least fifty Russians not willing to protest against an economic crisis.
 

ClassyTulip

MEMBER
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
44
Reactions
9 0 0
Country
USA
Location
USA
The protests will be short and swift. Putin will just put them in the gulags.
Yes Weepforsweep, The protest would be short and swift but at least Putin would know that the economy crisis is being veiwed as just that, a crisis. In other words, the protestors message would fall upon ears who are not necessarily interested in their griefs making the government responsible for wanting to change the economy for the better. It's sad to say but some people are going to have to sacrifice for the majority.
 

ClassyTulip

MEMBER
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
44
Reactions
9 0 0
Country
USA
Location
USA
I don't think so.
Russians are too afraid of Putin and I don't think that they would be able to oppose him unless something really bad happened.
Their economy a only a few years ago was way worse than they are now, I guess that Putin will come to a solution like always.
Putin does seem to always come up with a solution but that solution is not always for the greater good of the majority. This type of behavior, that Putin sometime exhibits, creates a conflict. Prutin needs to be careful of how he plans to make good on his promises because there are Russians who are combing through every decision that he is planning with a fine tooth comb. He can be so stubborn at times that I think a protest would be inevitable no matter how short.
 

kittyworker

MEMBER
Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
143
Reactions
17 0 0
Country
USA
Location
New Zealand
Russia has always been a country in the difficult situation post USSR. There's already a number of problems with corruption, fraud etc. where the breaking point happens remains to be seen.
 

Redheart

SENIOR MEMBER
Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
1,239
Reactions
319 0 0
Country
USA
Location
USA
And let the protests begin . . .
They are unrelated to the economy's collapse but they are a herald of worse things to come.
Moscow Protests Live Stream: Watch Russian Demonstrations Against Alexey Navalny Ruling
Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny organized protests across Russia Tuesday, with the largest scheduled for Moscow’s Manezhnaya Square. Authorities vowed to respond with force after organizers did not seek permits for the gatherings.
These protests will motivate people to take to the streets when the prices of necessities are too high. It's only a matter of time. Putin will respond with brutal force and the voices of protesters might be silenced but the message will have been delivered, he's lost the support of Russians.
 

RobertNick

NEW RECRUIT
Joined
Jan 5, 2015
Messages
25
Reactions
5 0 0
Country
Romania
Location
Romania
Most likely they will. Putin isn't a man too wise to mess with, but I doubt the increasing desperation of the people will do any good.
 

Peninha

MEMBER
Joined
Dec 29, 2014
Messages
121
Reactions
13 1 0
Country
Portugal
Location
Portugal
Since when Russia is the defender of Arab countries?|0| The Russians are walking with cold bold on their hands and they shall see the day where they pay for their crimes.

Russia has to have good connections with the whole Asian continent to be turning their backs on the US and Europe, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them defending the Arabs soon enough.
 
Top