Putin's liberal economic adviser resigns, saying Russia 'not free'

AFP via Breitbart.com ^ | 12/27/05 | Staff

[B Knotts]

President Vladimir Putin's outspoken liberal economic adviser Andrei Illarionov announced his resignation to protest what he said was an end to political freedom in Russia. "It is one thing to work in a partially free country, as Russia was six years ago. It's another when the country has stopped being politically free," Illarionov, 44, was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS news agency on Tuesday. He said he expected Putin to accept his resignation.

Illarionov, who became Putin's economic adviser in 2000, said he did not recognise the country anymore.

"In these six years the situation has radically changed and in the last year it became clear that not only the political, but economic model of the country has changed," he was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS. "I did not go to work for such a country, or sign a contract, or swear an oath."

"As long as I could do at least something, including talking, I thought it was important to stay," he was quoted as saying by RIA-Novosti.

Illarionov has long been the highest profile critic within the Kremlin of the Putin administration. Just last week, in what may have been his last major press conference as adviser, he said: "Russia has ceased being a free and democratic country."

Illarionov has cut an increasingly lonely figure as he lashed out at the direction the country was taking -- in stark contrast to the rest of the Kremlin's tightly managed information machine.

In January of this year he lost his job as the Kremlin's point man on relations with the influential Group of Eight (G8), which includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

[B Knotts]

Didn't see this posted, and thought FReepers would be interested.

[Rippin]

Doesn't the general direction of Russia over the past 10 years represent a pretty serious failure of Bush and Klinton?

[Wiz]

Putin's economic advisor protest by resigning saying Russia not free ping!

[Red6]

Russia not really free? No way! /s

Red6

[Lukasz]

Eastern European ping list

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FRmail me to be added or removed from this Eastern European ping list ping list.

[x5452]

Hope he at least got out of the country before he made these statements. Dessenters of Putin have a habit of ending up in jail.

[Flavius]

no its pretty serious failure for russia

[xrp]

Huh? When was Clinton and Bush elected President of Russia?

[AdmSmith]

In December 2004, the biggest oil fields of the embattled Yukos oil giant _ once Russia's No. 1 producer _ were transferred to the state to reclaim billions in disputed tax bills, and this year, the giant gas monopoly Gazprom bought the privately held OAO Sibneft oil company.

Illarionov said last week that after state-owned Rosneft took over OAO Yukos' main subsidiary, Yuganskneftegaz, the unit's revenues dropped and costs soared.

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/ap/article.html?mi=D8EOKQGGB&apc=9002

Surpise, surprise

[freeforall]

bttt

[Bogie]

The only difference between this article and what Alexander Solzhenitsyn has been saying for a long time, is that, according to Solzhenitsyn, Russia was never free. A ruling class of communists simply " change hats" and started calling themselves capitalists.

[Rippin]

Freedom of Americans depends on freedom abroad.

[RockinRight]

I hate this use of the word "liberal" as I think it really means economically libertarian. I also hate how the media uses "conservative" to refer to hardline commies in Russia.

[Stellar Dendrite]

Pinging our good friend Gary!!!!

[JasonC]

Um, how about a pretty serious failure of Putin and the Russians themselves? Or is no one responsible for their destiny anymore, only "daddy"?

[Rippin]

The failure of Putin and the Mayor of Moscow and whatever Billionaires run Russia is manifest. Yes. But when things go in the right direction due to United States policy I give us some credit. Opposite seems would also be true.

[anonymoussierra]

Dzieki

[quant5]

"Doesn't the general direction of Russia over the past 10 years represent a pretty serious failure of Bush and Klinton?"

I dont know about that. Once freedom COULD be introduced, the people in power (oligarchs) stole the money. The money could have been used for reforms which could have self-perpetuated full blown democracy someday. I dont blame either POTUSES or Putin, although Putin has seemed to have gone back to Cold War era power mongering.

[GarySpFc]

Illarionov has long been the highest profile critic within the Kremlin of the Putin administration. Just last week, in what may have been his last major press conference as adviser, he said: "Russia has ceased being a free and democratic country."

So what! Here we see one man making a statement, and everyone goes ballistic. We have Democrats in America who make similar statements on a daily basis.