Alik Bakhshi
The "Russian" left- liberal scene - who are they?
The
"Russian" left-liberal crowd refers to a group of former Echo of
Moscow journalists who moved to America and work for the Dozhd TV channel.
They're called "Russian" only because they broadcast in Russian and
are composed primarily of Jews who analyze and condemn Russia's aggressive
policy toward Ukraine. They all consider themselves true democrats, unbiased on
political and human rights issues, something I had serious doubts about even
back when they worked at Echo of Moscow, especially when they discussed
Israel's position. Here, all the democratic veneer of rights and freedoms was
instantly swept away. (1, 2, 3) The same can be said of their so-called
"unbiased" view of Chechnya's aspirations for freedom, even though
they never missed an opportunity to call Chechens Islamic terrorists.
Apparently, the Islamic factor traditionally influences their perceptions when
assessing events. For the same reason, the 30-year occupation of Karabakh by
Armenians hasn't evoked condemnation from members of the left-liberal camp.
Therefore, I have serious doubts about the sincerity of these pseudo-democrats
who support Ukraine in its war with Russia. In the case of Ukraine, they define
Russia as the aggressor and accuse it of occupation, while in the case of
Azerbaijan, they perceive the liberation of the territories occupied by Armenia
as an act of aggression. Incidentally, Azerbaijani political scientist Ramiz
Yunus shares this opinion regarding the left-liberals' ambiguous approach to
defining the aggressor.
So who are they, and what explains such a difference in their
approach to identical situations? And here, in my opinion, the question lies
far beyond ethnicity. As always, the answer lies in the question of whose money
is supporting the television channel. As is well known, during the Yeltsin
democracy, the media in Russia were in the hands of the oligarch Gusinsky. From
his very first days in the Kremlin, Putin launched a campaign for complete
control of the media, recognizing that freedom of speech was a potential threat
to the dictator. Gusinsky had no choice but to seek refuge overseas.
Incidentally, Putin imprisoned his rival, the oligarch Khodorkovsky, as a
presidential candidate. Today, Khodorkovsky also runs an anti-Putin television
channel. The oligarchs hiding from Putin rightly anticipate the end of Putin's
rule, having foolishly planned to restore the Russian Empire to its former
borders. The inevitability of Putin's plan's collapse is obvious. (4,5) Russia
will find itself in a situation of political chaos, as it did during the
collapse of the Russian Empire following its defeat in World War I, a situation
exploited by a group of Jewish revolutionaries led by Lenin. It was the Jews,
having seized power, who prevented Russia's disintegration. True, they failed
to retain power then; the Georgian Stalin deceived them and became the leader
of a new empire founded under the name of the USSR, the core of which was
animal fear. (6)
Throughout the history of Rus', founded by the Varangian
Ruriks, who incidentally gave it its name, and subsequently, Russia, foreigners
ruled. Thus, under Catherine the Great, who couldn't speak two words of
Russian, Russia achieved its greatest power. Stalin was the last of Russia's
ethnically non-Russian rulers. This was due to the lack of initiative of the
Russian people in both politics and economics. (6) After his death, Stalin's
Soviet Union survived, so to speak, for another 80 years automatically, but the
Russians who came to power ultimately destroyed the economy Stalin had created,
leading to the partial disintegration of the empire. It seems Putin will
finally consign the Russian Empire to oblivion, returning it to its original
state – Muscovy. But here we must consider a very real possibility, which
happened once in 1917 and could happen again. The fact is that the oligarchs
funding the left-liberal clique are certainly not philanthropists; their goal
is to oust Putin, which could happen if Russia loses the war with Ukraine. They
support Ukraine not so much out of concern for the freedom of the Ukrainian
people as out of a desire to destabilize the political situation in Russia and,
in the wake of general chaos, undoubtedly taking advantage, as I said, of the
Russian people's lack of initiative, to seize power. Just as in 1917, they are
driven not by a desire to completely destroy the prison of nations, but by a
desire to gain power while preserving the country as it is, with all its wealth
belonging to the indigenous peoples of the Russian Empire, who were subjected
to plunder throughout their time in the empire. It's hard to imagine them
concerned about the fate of the Russian people. Khodorkovsky and other
oligarchs have only one goal: a thirst for power and money, not freedom and
democracy, which the Russian people, due to their mentality, do not need.
1. My response to journalist Yulia Latynina.
https://alikbahshi.blogspot.com/2016/11/blog-post_87.html
2. My response to human rights activist E. Bonner
https://alikbahshi.blogspot.com/2026/06/blog-post_28.html
3. My response to journalist L. Radzikhovsky.
https://alikbahshi.blogspot.com/2016/11/blog-post_56.html
4. A Complete Asshole, or the Last War of the Russian Empire.
https://alikbahshi.blogspot.com/2023/05/blog-post_15.html
5. The Empire of Lies on the Road to End.
https://alikbahshi.blogspot.com/2025/01/blog-post_11.html
6. The Stalin Phenomenon.
https://alikbahshi.blogspot.com/2016/10/blog-post_59.html
7. The People's Destiny, or To Each Cricket Its Own Hearth.
https://alikbahshi.blogspot.com/2026/06/blog-post_20.html
01.07. 2026
