RUSSIA/UKRAINE

GEIST David your latest ░░░░░░░░ in The New Yorker ░░░░░░░░ titled A Year of ░░░░░░░░ s Wartime Lies In ░░░░░░░░ David writes this Putin ░░░░░░░░ failure extends well beyond ░░░░░░░░ battlefield He s isolated ░░░░░░░░ from much of the ░░░░░░░░ undermining its reputation its ░░░░░░░░ and its prospects Hundreds ░░░░░░░░ thousands of Russians often ░░░░░░░░ best and the brightest ░░░░░░░░ tech academia and the ░░░░░░░░ have left the country ░░░░░░░░ Putin s most compelling ░░░░░░░░ opponent Alexei Navalny languishing ░░░░░░░░ a prison camp independent ░░░░░░░░ outlets shuttered it may ░░░░░░░░ that Putin has secured ░░░░░░░░ bovine indifference of all ░░░░░░░░ his subjects And yet ░░░░░░░░ are signs of disaffection ░░░░░░░░ individual acts of defiance ░░░░░░░░ on Telegram and other ░░░░░░░░ media One of the ░░░░░░░░ selling books of the ░░░░░░░░ year in Russia has ░░░░░░░░ George Orwell s dystopian ░░░░░░░░ 1984 Which David leads ░░░░░░░░ the question You understand ░░░░░░░░ so well you worked ░░░░░░░░ for so long and ░░░░░░░░ the book on the ░░░░░░░░ Is there real dissent ░░░░░░░░ Russia and how does ░░░░░░░░ manifest itself if it ░░░░░░░░ so suppressed and we ░░░░░░░░ t get to see ░░░░░░░░ through state media here ░░░░░░░░ the rest of the ░░░░░░░░ REMNICK Well I think ░░░░░░░░ you are waiting for ░░░░░░░░ giant street movement to ░░░░░░░░ to rise up on ░░░░░░░░ Bolotnaya ploshchad Swampy Square ░░░░░░░░ Red Square something like ░░░░░░░░ and storm the Kremlin ░░░░░░░░ that is not going ░░░░░░░░ happen That is Putin ░░░░░░░░ greatest fear of course ░░░░░░░░ we saw a decade ░░░░░░░░ but that is not ░░░░░░░░ to happen But look ░░░░░░░░ the way he s ░░░░░░░░ the health of a ░░░░░░░░ Imagine if Joe Biden ░░░░░░░░ any other American president ░░░░░░░░ a policy that led ░░░░░░░░ all of our people ░░░░░░░░ high tech and higher ░░░░░░░░ and culture suddenly get ░░░░░░░░ airplanes and leave to ░░░░░░░░ live in Mexico and ░░░░░░░░ and so on That ░░░░░░░░ undermine the health and ░░░░░░░░ prosperity of the country ░░░░░░░░ sanctions have not completely ░░░░░░░░ the Russian economy by ░░░░░░░░ means The Russians are ░░░░░░░░ enough and nimble enough ░░░░░░░░ make adjustments But the ░░░░░░░░ has contracted by 2 ░░░░░░░░ is painful and it ░░░░░░░░ t get any easier ░░░░░░░░ time So the dissent ░░░░░░░░ some of it is ░░░░░░░░ and some of it ░░░░░░░░ up in modern ways ░░░░░░░░ social media When I ░░░░░░░░ out the top sales ░░░░░░░░ 1984 I don t ░░░░░░░░ people are buying that ░░░░░░░░ their health or a ░░░░░░░░ interest in Orwell independent ░░░░░░░░ events It s happening ░░░░░░░░ people want to understand ░░░░░░░░ and the country they ░░░░░░░░ in better In the ░░░░░░░░ of Ivanovo somebody was ░░░░░░░░ out free copies of ░░░░░░░░ they d spent thousands ░░░░░░░░ dollars to go buy ░░░░░░░░ Needless to say the ░░░░░░░░ was arrested But there ░░░░░░░░ signs of resilience and ░░░░░░░░ all over Russia It ░░░░░░░░ just not going to ░░░░░░░░ an uprising from below ░░░░░░░░ anytime soon topples Vladimir ░░░░░░░░ That s a delusion ░░░░░░░░ least in the short ░░░░░░░░