Kathrine Frich
When a political regime tightens its grip, the loudest voices against it often gather a massive following.
When a political regime tightens its grip, the loudest voices against it often gather a massive following.
People naturally look to these exiled critics for hope and a fresh perspective. Yet, if you listen closely to their words, the message might sound strangely familiar.
A familiar echo
During a recent broadcast on TV24, a military expert raised serious doubts about the true intentions of certain political exiles.
National Armed Forces Major Jānis Slaidiņš shared his thoughts on the Russian opposition. He focused on an interview between former state attorney Mark Feigin and blogger Vyacheslav Maltsev.
According to the LA.LV news portal, the expert believes many of these critics do not actually want to change their country’s expansionist goals.
Slaidiņš argued that these groups still hold onto a deeply imperial mindset. “This is a formation that existed during Hitler’s time, controlled opposition,” he said, calling it his personal assessment.
Action over words
The military major drew a sharp line between those fighting on the ground and those simply recording videos.
He highlighted groups like the Free Russia Legion and the Russian volunteer corps, who actively battle the current regime with weapons in hand.
“The Russian opposition… what could be the most effective? It’s the world chess championship and Garry Kasparov, the Free Russia Legion, the Russian volunteer corps that fights with weapons against the Putin regime… but the rest of the oppositionists somehow absolutely do not communicate,” Slaidiņš pointed out.
Echoes of the past
The expert also noticed revealing slips in the language used by these political figures.
While watching Maltsev’s interview, he noted the use of an old Russian phrase that treats independent European nations as mere provinces of a larger empire.
“I don’t like that he says ‘Baltic territories’. That’s Russian terminology, there are no ‘Baltic territories’, there are Baltic states,” Slaidiņš told the television audience.
He stressed that this specific choice of words perfectly reflects outdated Soviet thinking.
A hidden danger
Beyond just vocabulary, the actual content of the exiled leaders’ discussions troubled the military expert.
Slaidiņš observed that the interview was packed with classic Kremlin talking points. These included claims that Western military alliances are weak while Russian forces grow stronger every day.
“If such projections and scenarios of Russian forces were to come true, then Russia would already be at Lisbon,” he stated.
Ultimately, the major warned that these supposedly alternative broadcasts could still manipulate local audiences. “It could indirectly be used to influence our society,” he noted.
Sources: LA.LV, TV24
