Garry Kasparov came to Washington DC this week to speak at the annual Human Rights First conference. Here is an interesting comment he gives to the Washington Post:
The greatest wealth accumulated during Putin’s rule is by people close to him. There have been some measures taken against people who have been close to his inner circle, but I think it’s also a result of growing public pressure.
“The instability of the regime makes groups attack each other. They’re all part of the same system, and i don’t expect them to embrace democracy ad political reform unless they have to do it for political survival. Right now, I would assess the situation as in-house fighting because the country is no longer on the rise. Even the pipeline is no longer bringing in the same benefits as before. They could see the stagnant economy and…they have to attack one of their own.