A Demonstrative Ride by Putin's Oprichniks

 Alik Bakhshi

A Demonstrative Ride by Putin's Oprichniks

    The end of the school year in Russia was marked by a rather significant event: the defiant behavior of school graduates, who celebrated their graduation with a demonstrative drive in dozens of Geländewagens through the streets of the capital. This action left the public somewhat confused and even shocked. It would seem that such a thing shouldn't surprise the public these days—after all, the gilded youth—the children of oligarchs, bribe-taking officials, and bribe-giving businessmen, if not for one thing. The young men riding in the black Geländewagens turned out to be graduates of the FSB school! The reaction of people connected to the FSB, including the well-known TV host Vladimir Solovyov, is interesting; they were all upset not so much by the moral and ethical aspects of the incident, but rather by the unprofessional behavior of future agents and spies. After all, in their opinion, they all exposed themselves by posting a video online that they themselves filmed, thereby capturing their faces. However, in my opinion, the situation is different.

    One can't help but wonder: could something like this have happened during the Soviet Union? The answer is clear: no. It happened under the Kremlin's master—the St. Petersburg hooligan, the notorious liar and deceiver, the permanent President Putin. The fact is, they weren't trained as intelligence officers. They represent an entirely new caste of people—Putin's oprichniki, called upon, like Ivan the Terrible's oprichniki, to carry out punitive actions within the state. These new oprichniks are as ignorant of morality as their master, Putin, who blew up buildings with sleeping residents in order to blame the Chechens for the crime and, amid a victorious war, be elected president. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that for some of the participants in the Geländewagen rally, their thesis was about being football fans in France during Euro 2016.

    Putin forgot to take one thing into account: Ivan the Terrible's oprichniks fled shamefully when the Crimean Khan Dovlet Giray appeared at the walls of Moscow, betraying the Tsar of All Rus'. Then Ivan the Terrible lost his menacing demeanor, looking at the Khan's whip, which the Khan hung in the Kremlin as a warning.

July 12, 2016.

   The oprichniks were Ivan the Terrible's personal guard and punitive detachment, created to strengthen the Tsar's power and suppress political opponents.