The turn of the tide?

In yesterday's Financial Times, the Russian ex-businessman turned convict, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, posted an ad to "Everyone who has supported me and continues to support me". (You can download the ad from this link).

Khodorkovsky, who dared to question the Putin administration and its disregard for the foundations of a liberal democracy, such as freedom of speech and private property rights, has been dealt with, the KGB way. But the problem will not go away as simply as that. Instead, the Russian government has created a potential martyr, and an exceedingly able and dangerous martyr at that. They cannot simply kill him, Soviet style. And the more they try to destroy his repuation, the more they risk alienating Russians as well as foreigners. Gulag requires information control, and the logic of totalitarianism therefore no longer applies.

Khodorkovsky talks like a nation-builder, and he has identified Russia's core problem better than I have seen for a long time. His final words:

The time of mediocrity is past - the era of heroes dawns.

The gauntlet has been thrown down. I doubt that Putin has what it takes to pick it up. Those who make it to the top in a totalitarian society are the self-serving cowards, not the heroes.