The travails of Remeslo, the Russian pro-Kremlin lawyer who led the charge against Navalny back in the day, who recently came out with all barrels blasting against Putin, and who is now cooling his heels at a psychiatric hospital in St. Petersburg. First, let's just say how out of whack it is for this sort of thing to come out from Russia these days. This is not some random blogger who finally had it with the Internet blocking and who let it rip. It's a prominent establishment figure who was a very vocal supporter of Putin's regime for many, many years. Second, he was offered an easy way out when people started suggesting that perhaps his account had been hacked, but he doubled down, and not just in writing. He actually recorded videos to ensure that everyone knew he had written the posts and that he was not drunk either. Third, it's sort of odd that he has not been hauled into court on some trumped up charges (discrediting the Russian military or something) but that might be in part because he's a lawyer and so was careful to phrase his criticisms to focus specifically on Putin. The fact that he hasn't fallen out of a window (yet) but got hauled into a psychiatry could also mean that he has some powerful protectors who had given him the green light to voice what might be an increasingly widespread opinion of Putin. This is the most interesting possibility as it would constitute an attempt to make opposition to Putin in the corridors of powers common knowledge. It's not for nothing that Remeslo specifically refers to the well known tale about the Emperor's New Clothes: recall that the fable is about a situation where everyone knows the truth but because nobody says it, nobody knows who else shares that opinion, and so everyone remains quiet. The power of making a privately shared truth common knowledge is substantial in authoritarian systems, which is why rulers expend a lot of energy suppressing it through propaganda, intimidation, and coercion. Let me translate his original posts so you see what's going on. After reading these, read the translation of a panicked post by Anastassia Kashevarova, from the pro-Kremlin propaganda show Solovyev Live. Her reaction is telling me that this is no mere outburst and that regime supporters are very, very nervous indeed. 1/6

Remeslo (1/4): "Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin. Someone had to say it. 1. The war in Ukraine. Started as a “police operation,” the war has already claimed at least 1–2 million lives. In 2014, I supported the annexation of Crimea precisely because it was bloodless. Back then, it seemed to all of us that Putin was a unifier of Russian lands. And look where we’ve ended up—meat-grinder assaults, luring conscripts through deception, and much more that any participant in the “special military operation” can confirm. An absolutely senseless war, enormous losses; it could drag on for another 5–10 years—there are plenty willing to fight like this. No one is calling for war against Russia. Now the war is being waged solely because of Putin’s complexes; we, ordinary citizens, gain nothing from it—only losses. 2. Enormous damage to Russia’s economy and citizens’ well-being. Sanctions, destroyed infrastructure, loss of trade partners. Even by official statistics, this amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars—money that could have been used to build cities, schools, children’s hospitals, or fully renovate housing and utilities. Instead, palaces are being built—mainly for the president and his friends. Even before the war, there were economic problems—in the richest country, tens of millions of people are poor. The authorities have become so brazen that they even deprive people of their pets, as recently happened in Novosibirsk." 2/6

Remeslo (2/4) "3. The strangling of Internet and media freedom. Ironically, in 2017 I personally asked Putin a question at an ONF media forum about the future of the Internet in Russia. At the time, he told me that we would not follow the Chinese path—and he lied. Putin himself doesn’t use the Internet, which is shameful for a head of state. We can see that mobile Internet doesn’t even work in major Russian cities. All Western social networks and messengers are blocked. Telegram is already about 80% blocked, and a full shutdown is planned for April 1. The system has gone so far off the rails that it is even choking Telegram, which participants in the “special military operation” rely on. At the same time, people are being herded into a state-controlled, multi-purpose messenger (“Max”), being deprived of access to healthcare and education without it. 4. The length of Putin’s time in power. Putin is now 74 years old and has been in power since 1999—more than 26–27 years. And it seems he plans to remain on the throne until at least 150. As is well known, absolute power corrupts absolutely—and what if it’s also endless? Even a morally flawless person would become distorted in such a situation. Putin has not always been the way he is now; before 2003 it was hard to find fault with him—which is why many of us supported him back then. But everything has its limit. We need a new, modern president." 3/6

Remeslo (3/4): "5. Putin does not respect his voters and does not want to listen to them. Watch any recent “Direct Line” broadcast—it’s nothing but a circus! The president is plainly uninterested in domestic policy or the problems of voters. He hasn’t read Telegram channels in a long time; he couldn’t care less about our everyday concerns. Putin serves up endless wars (in which his own children and relatives do not take part), instead of focusing on the Internet and higher wages. As for the opposition, I won’t even bother—there simply isn’t one. For all these 26 years, Putin himself talked about how important criticism of the authorities and opposition are. But name even one deputy or public figure who criticizes Putin? There are none; those who tried have either been labeled foreign agents, pushed abroad, or buried in the ground. Putin fears debates and fair elections—because then it would immediately become clear that the emperor has no clothes." Conclusion: Vladimir Putin is not a legitimate president. Vladimir Putin should resign and be put on trial as a war criminal and a thief. Long live freedom, damn it!" 4/6

Remeslo (4/4): He later added a sixth point about Putin's love for luxury -- ironically, this is what Navalny and his people had been focusing on for years, and what he himself admits to have believed to be a whole lot of nothing. "I’ll add a sixth reason to this post for why I (and any reasonable citizen) will not support Putin. 6. A reckless, almost pathological obsession with luxury. I used to think that all those investigations by “foreign agents” about yachts and residences were somewhat exaggerated. But by 2026 it has become impossible to hide. Putin has around 20 palace-like residences across the country, along with planes and armored trains. Since incompetent or corrupt people work for him, all of this information leaks to foreign intelligence. I’ve written before about global elites who, instead of going down in history for something meaningful, build themselves their own “Epstein Island.” And in Russia, it seems to be much the same. Putin had everything—high energy prices, a vast country rich in resources, and a population that genuinely supported him as a young president. It was possible to achieve anything: scientific breakthroughs, the best artificial intelligence in the world, missions to Mars, exploration of Sirius—or at the very least, to significantly improve people’s lives. But instead, Putin chose a crooked path of enriching himself and his friends from the “Ozero” cooperative. Hundreds of billions of dollars trail behind them. Just think how primitive this is—to be the president of Russia and spend yourself, along with the resources entrusted to you, on this. Putin is essentially Shura Balaganov from The Little Golden Calf—who, just 15 minutes after being given fifty or a hundred thousand, got caught pickpocketing an old woman for 13 rubles. 'It just happened automatically.'" [Note: the "Ozero" cooperative is a small group of businessmen and officials closely aligned with Putin since it was founded in 1996. The name comes from the area in the suburb of St Petersburg where these people built villas and formed a tightly knit social network. Its members rose to top positions in state companies, banking, infrastructure, and media when Putin came to power. They have made fortunes from state contracts, privatization deals, and political access. It's your typical patronage network in a patrimonial state. Shura Balaganov is a character in Ilf and Petrov's popular novel, a small-time crook and pickpocket, driven by greed. The cited episode from the book is a very common reference to small-mindedness and lack of self-control. In this case, also to the inability to keep stealing despite having stolen so much.] 5/6

Kashevarova, on the internal struggle (of course, all provoked by the West and its agents) and the chaos (smuta) coming to Russia: "Everything is happening exactly as I wrote about. It all begins with an internal struggle for power. And agents of Western influence are active in this struggle. The people are being turned against the president. Why is this happening? To divide Russia, to plunge it into chaos, so that neighbors distrust each other, so that brother turns against brother. The goal is to disrupt internal life, spark mass protests, and make it easy for the West to change the government in our country. I appeal to every resident of Russia: stand firm! This is our country. Do not let hatred be stirred up in you or Western narratives overpower your Russian spirit! Revolutions, riots, coups—these mean death for Russia. We must grit our teeth and stand shoulder to shoulder. The Russian people determine the legitimacy of power, not Western protégés or their pawns. No matter how hard it is, no matter how much injustice torments our hearts—we will achieve truth and justice through lawful, legal means. The President of Russia is our President, elected by the people. Any attack on the institution of the presidency is an attack on Russia’s sovereignty and on the will of the people. They want to break Russia apart, to divide it into pieces, to set people against each other along religious and national lines. No matter what provocations arise, no matter how they try to pit us against one another, we have only one side—Russia. Stand firm, for the Motherland and the President. The Russian people decide—not your shouts, not agents of the West. Preserve within yourselves the Russian spirit passed down to us by our ancestors." I do not think I need to comment much on her post (how she identifies Putin with the Presidency, and turns every criticism of his rule into an attack on Russia) for it is pretty self-explanatory. It is an attempt to preemptively discredit any opposition to the regime by framing it as un-patriotic and a conduit for pernicious foreign interests. It's the typical playbook that, unfortunately, is becoming somewhat familiar to Americans as well. It has a long history of being used, successfully, for generations of authoritarians around the world. 6/6