Russia Politics Quotes

Political activities in Russia should be as transparent as possible. Financing political activities from abroad is something the state should keep an eye on.

The Russian government doesn't like me; Vladimir Putin doesn't like me.

Today in Russia, we have this extreme form of democracy, which is called anarchy.

In America you elect the electoral college and they select the President. In Russia, the people select the President directly. This is more democratic.

In Russia, Vladimir Putin is viewed as a progressive Democrat.

It's a very popular sport [in America] to talk about power struggle[s] in the Kremlin.

An opposition is necessary and desirable for the healthy development of any country. You can scarcely find anyone in opposition, except for the communists, just like in Yeltsin's times. It is regrettable that there is still no constructive, clear and large-scale opposition in Russia. The growth and development of an opposition, as well as the maturing of other democratic institutions, will take more time and experience.

I think Russian people are learning that democracy is not an alien thing; it's not a western invention.

Russia and Iran are not going to allow the Assad regime to fall.

I sing My Way, I say this to the whole country, "Well, the President of Estonia sent me a message." He heard about it because of what's happening in Russia right now and the power grab that [Vladimir] Putin has.

I think it's fine when the mayor of the biggest city in Russia consults the president.

It is easier for a political party to attain national ballot status in Russia today than it is for the Libertarian party or the Green party to get on the ballot in, say, Pennsylvania.

I wouldn't place much stock in numbers. I don't believe that they reflect Putin's true popularity. Just think about how the pollsters proceed. They call people and they ask them questions on the street. In today's Russia, it takes a lot of courage to tell a stranger something critical about the head of the Kremlin. And yet more than 20 percent do so nonetheless.

While most people in the world probably haven't heard my name, Vladimir Putin thinks about my name on a very regular basis. He really dislikes me because I'm the guy responsible for the Magnitsky Act.

In the 1990s, there was a lot of reform, and there was a lot of forward movement on a lot of fronts in Russia. There was fundamental economic reform. There was a new constitution and an electoral system built from scratch. But the judicial system was probably the most difficult to reform.

Of course, I know everything that happens in Russia. But even at the most dangerous moment or the most negative moment now, it's still 10 times better than what it was in the communist state.

Internal reform in Russia would require a better relationship with the West.

We should not assume that Russia is doomed to live according to its worst traditions. In fact, in Russian history, failed efforts at external aggression, when they fail, usually bring on areas of internal reform.

Public sentiment is not a trivial matter. .. Russia is an autocracy with the consent of the governed.