Democratic Russia – A utopia?

Lecture by Vladimir Milov – Former Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation (online)

Main takeaways:

• Unfortunately, he was unable to attend in person, which shows that democracy is not a given, we have to fight for it.
• Russians have always leaned towards a democratic state, it is not in their DNA to lean towards authoritarianism.
• Russian history shows that when the pressure from the state eased, the public has always leaned towards democracy. For example, women were granted the right to vote ahead of the United States.
• The majority of the public would prefer the rule of law and an independent judiciary despite the presence of authoritarian portraits hanging in their homes. They are not satisfied with the current system.
• Voter turnout has always been low in the absence of a viable alternative and vice versa.
• While the Russian elite abroad strongly criticizes the current system, there are no demonstrations inside Russia because Putin spends enormous resources maintaining a democratic facade. There has never been a party that has explicitly said it wants to return to a monarchy, which is what Russia is de facto.
• There are strong democratic instincts in the public despite the long Putin era.
• The majority of the Russians have a negative view of Stalin.
• There is a strong but basic demand for democracy throughout Russia, but this demand is not in line with the mainstream’s expectations.
• If Russia does not become a democracy, it will turn into a consolidated autocracy that could become more aggressive. That is why democrats have to work on it: to reach out to the people, to awaken that instinct in them, and to convince them that democracy is possible.
• International support may be necessary.