loyalists honor "Emperor" and "Leader" Putin in nationalist fashion
Today, Russian president Vladimir Putin marks his 72nd birthday, and it's a cause for celebration among his faithful supporters. Minutes after midnight, ultranationalist thinker Alexander Dugin expressed his well wishes on Telegram, praying for the continuation of Russia's imperial reign. Dugin, a proponent of an expanded Russian empire, dreams of encompassing Russian-speaking territories and Ukraine.
Ramsan Kadyrov, leader of the Chechen Russian republic and Putin's self-proclaimed enforcer, also chimed in through Telegram. "Today we honor our national leader," Kadyrov wrote at midnight, emphasizing the significance of the day for the motherland.
Yet, Ukrainian author Andrej Kurkov views Putin's birthday as a day of malevolence. Recalling October 7 as an inauspicious day, he remembers the assassination of Russian Kremlin critic Anna Politkovskaya in 2006, the Hamas massacre of over 1000 civilians in Israel, and Putin's own birth. Kurkov comments, "It seems these events are intertwined." Politkovskaya, known for her extensive coverage of Russian war crimes in Chechnya, was killed in her apartment building's stairwell. Hamas subsequently carried out a deadly attack in Israel, resulting in numerous casualties.
With close to 25 years as Russia's head of state, Putin has secured a place in the country's history. In March 2022, shortly following the invasion of Ukraine, Putin managed a seemingly impossible electoral victory in the allegedly democratic vote, which many denounced as a sham. Should Putin complete his new six-year term, he will surpass all other former Russian leaders,sitting atop the throne for over two centuries.
The President of the European Parliament issued a statement condemning Putin's birthday as a celebration of authoritarian rule and human rights abuses. Recognizing the significance of Putin's influence, the President emphasized the need for closer European Union involvement to safeguard democracy in Russia's neighboring territories.
During an international conference on democracy and human rights, the President of the European Parliament called for increased cooperation and sanctions against Russia, expressing concern that Putin's birthday was being used as a prop to justify further aggrandizement of Russian power.
