February 26, 2015—seven years ago, Boris Nemtsov was shot five times in a row. Nemtsov was shot dead in the middle of the night on a bridge near the Kremlin. He was returning from having dinner with a friend from Ukraine. Every bullet pierced his back. He did not make it home. Who was he? He was an opposition politician who was a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship.
He was extremely opposed to Putin usurping the state power of the country. And, last but not least: the prime minister during Boris Yeltsin’s presidency (Putin) somehow matured 22 years ago, in the year 2000.
Dictators never spare their enemies. Even after winning everything, their fear does not allow them to leave their enemies unharmed. Putin did not forget to punish Nemtsov despite being Russia’s omnipotent power. That incident started a fight in Russian politics.
The mysterious murder never happened in Russia, even today. It will never happen. But, the sudden death of the country’s former deputy prime minister marked Putin’s day—his cold-blooded, blue eyes and skyrocketing ambitions.
Putin Doesn’t Believe In Mercy
Gathering evidence against the head of state in the Russian world is not an easy task. No one with a healthy brain will even think of doing so. It is also impermissible to report a minor death outside. Weeks passed. And Putin is, in every sense, a hardened dictator.
Year after year, his body weight neither increases nor decreases. The look in his eyes is as cool as ever. At one point, Putin and Nemtsov were simultaneously emerging from the shadows of Yeltsin. But, the rise of Putin, who managed to retain power year after year became even more uninterrupted due to Nemtsov’s sudden demise.
In fact, from the time he was a key figure in the KGB (the Russian state’s security and intelligence agency) for two and a half decades, he had all the logistics required to defeat his opponents. Be it politics or personal life, work or love, he has never discounted his opponents anywhere.
The world has seen the hand of the president behind the critically ill Alexander Litvinenko and Alexei Navalny. It is no exaggeration to say that Navalny is still sick and half-dead. Litvinenko took refuge with his family abroad to save his life.
Putin Is Following In Hitler And Stalin’s Footsteps
An entire newspaper has been shut down for covering the president’s personal life. Three journalists have had to leave the country to escape the Russian dictatorship. More than one of his girlfriends has literally disappeared from the public eye. The most talked about name on the list is Olympic medalist and Russian gymnast Alina Kabaeva.
Before Putin entered politics, his (now former) wife Lyudmila Ocheretnaya wrote to her German girlfriend, Irina Pietsch saying that, “My husband is a terrible man, literally a vampire.” Apparently, he did not allow his (then) wife to keep in touch with Irina after that.
Today, after ruling the country for almost two decades, he is one of the strongest driving forces in not just Russian politics, but also world politics. His first role model in this journey was the German dictator Adolf Hitler. Second, Joseph Stalin.
Putin has followed in their footsteps with rocket speed. He assimilated the two. Like a very attentive student, he has learned to destroy his enemies in Nazi style. Today, after two decades of ruling Russia, Putin has used that lesson in the war against Ukraine too.
Putin Has Secured His Presidency Till 2036
In just two days of fighting, the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv was besieged. When the world has just begun to recover, little by little, after the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian head of state has to taken on the responsibility of forcing this war upon us.
Joseph Stalin ruled Russia for 30 years, from 1922 to 1952. Putin has recently amended Russia’s constitution to secure his presidency till 2036. According to estimates, he will be over 80 years old by then, and would have led Russia for three and a half decades. Only time will tell us whether Putin succeeds.
If Ukraine is freed from the US and NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) influence for the time being, and brought back under Russian control, Putin will establish himself as the most powerful man in world politics right now. In such a scenario, death will almost certainly occupy Russia’s highest seat.
The way in which world politics has become increasingly one-sided since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago will also change. Russia will begin to command newly earned respect on the world stage.
The World Is Not So Unipolar Anymore
For the past two years, the US government and its NATO allies have not stood by their allies in the battlefield, despite promising to help Ukraine in various ways. The Kremlin ruler has also won that psychological battle. He has also dramatically sided with Xi Jinping’s China.
This shifting of the equation of world powers is therefore, a declaration of war against US hegemony for the past three decades. The fighting is spreading beyond Ukraine’s borders, and seeping into a larger context. Even if not a face-to-face confrontation, the footsteps of the third world war have been heard!
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, world politics shifted towards domination by the US. The lack of balance in such a unipolar world was very noticeable.
Even today, things have not changed completely. But, by denying the rhetoric of the US and NATO, and establishing his own rights, Putin made it clear which way the wind was blowing.
The US Has Failed Many Of Its Allies
This is probably the biggest political message in the Covid-19-hit world. Standing against the backdrop of American grandeur, the Kremlin has been enduring the throes of retaliation for the past two decades… Waiting for the right time.
In the last 20 years, the White House has been led by many presidents including Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden and others. But, Putin remains the only one leading Russia. No one else could rise to power in his presence.
In these two decades, Russia occupied Crimea eight years ago (2014). Moreover, NATO’s expansion plans have been halted by Russia via establishing its power over Ukraine. The only question is: are north America’s grandfathering days coming to an end?
Despite spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan, the US did not achieve its goal. The US foreign policy failed, ultimately. In Ukraine too, the White House spent billions of dollars so far. Nothing worked. The Kremlin’s victory comes as NATO planned to expand eastward, through Ukraine.
Why Ordinary People Are Worried About The War
The faltering world politics will once again freeze around the duality of Russia and America. But, the biggest concern for the US is that China is also silently spreading toxins. In this changing world with great technological advancements, Beijing’s main rival is Washington.
So, the war is not limited to Russia or Ukraine, which has roughly half of West Bengal’s population (4.4 and 9.1 crore, respectively). The impact of the war is spreading in the inner circles of world politics, including India.
Undoubtedly, Narendra Modi’s hugs and colourful clothes are also marks of an elevated foreign policy. He will keep his cool for there is danger on both sides (Pakistan and China)! All these are the tricks of world politics.
Ordinary people have been worrying for another reason. For the past two years, the world economy was on a downwards spiral. Just when that crisis looks like it’s about to be over and there is a glimmer of hope, such a big war has brought in a new cloud of fear.
India Is Waiting To See What Will Modi Do
Russia’s strength is its military capacity, as well as its oil and natural gas. These assets have strengthened Putin’s hand. The price of crude oil in the world market has crossed $100 per barrel since the declaration of war. Therefore, just as inflation is a major cause for concern, so are India’s imports and exports.
The future of 20,000 Indian students who have gone to pursue a medical career in Ukraine is also in jeopardy. So, there is a bigger test in front of Modi, which is not Pakistan.
Putin has sought to restore Russia’s lost glory by declaring war on Ukraine, which can also be seen as Russia’s “Pakistan.” Now, what will Modi, the man with a 56-inch-chest, do?
Will he just be engrossed in biryani politics, or hammer the last nail in Nehru’s coffin by rescuing the lost land of Kashmir, in the style of what Russia did to Ukraine?
The test is a difficult one. Merely spouting rhetoric is not enough. I believe that the Indian people want to see the outcome on the battlefield. We do not like the inflated propaganda of surgical strikes.