Boris Nemtsov appeared on the BBC’s HardTalk last night, delivering a scathing rebuttal to presenter Stephen Sackur’s insistence that Nemtsov’s call for sanctions against Russian leaders was improbable. In his defense, Nemtsov brought up the ongoing Western sanctions and harsh rhetoric against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.  As Nemtsov indicates, Sackur’s position reflects the bizarre Western bias, which upholds the mythology of Russian democracy, whilst claiming to see through that of its smaller, and less powerful neighbours. 

SS: Do you think any Western government is going to take seriously your call for sanctions on Russia?