Kasparov and Khodorkovsky talked about the future of Russia in Munich

A meeting with representatives of the Russian opposition took place at the international security conference in Munich. It was attended by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Garry Kasparov, Zhanna Nemtsova and representative of the human rights group “Memorial” Irina Shcherbakova. The discussion was devoted to the views of opposition Kremlin politicians about the possible future of Russia.

Garry Kasparov called Ukraine’s victory in the war a necessary condition for any positive changes in Russian society. In his opinion, the Russian people need to understand that Russia is losing. He called the return of the annexed Crimea to Ukraine a guarantee of such an understanding. “Crimea is the basis of Putin’s mythology,” Kasparov said and called on the Western countries to fully support the Ukrainian victory.

According to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the West should not be afraid of the escalation of hostilities. On the contrary, he believes that de-escalation and a ceasefire on the Kremlin’s terms would be unacceptable. “This means that the thief would have managed to get away with the loot,” Khodorkovsky said. He considers the weakening of presidential power and the principle of separation and balance of power to be the key to Russia’s successful democratic future.

Zhanna Nemtsova drew attention to the fact that many people in Russia do not know the details of the war in Ukraine and are not interested in them. She considered it important to educate Russians, resorting not only to rational, but also to emotional arguments. Iryna Shcherbakova supported her. She emphasized that the West should not be afraid of chaos in the event of the collapse of the current Russian government. In her opinion, such fears are fueled by the Kremlin itself, and it is necessary to overcome them.

• The international security conference in Munich takes place on February 17-19. This year, its central theme is the war in Ukraine. The conference will be attended by leaders and high-ranking representatives of many states, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and US Vice President Kamala Harris. The Russian delegation was not invited to Munich, unlike the exiled Kremlin opposition politicians.