They don't have any good options here, they either have to take the public hit, or they have to take the opposition of the oligarchs.

Sam Greene

Categorized in : World

This government has tried very hard to portray itself as the heir of both the Soviet Union and tsarist Russia, but it doesn't want to explicitly take a side in the revolution. If it says it was or was not justified, it is going to make friends among some and alienate a lot of others.

The Russian government won't mark the 100th anniversary, they are trying to construct a narrative of uninterrupted power and stability. So something like 1917 is an uncomfortable fact that doesn't fit in with that.

There seems to be something of an emerging understanding ... that the government will help the titans of the economy to maintain the liquidity they need to stay in business, in return for that, they remain quiet, they remain loyal, but they also maintain employment and they keep moving money through the economy.