Gorbachev: Russian authorities can't beat back democracy
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The last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said on Saturday Russia will face unrest unless society is made more democratic despite President Vladimir Putin's success in cracking down on dissent.
"The authorities have managed to beat down the wave of protest for a while, but the problems have not disappeared. If everything remains as before, they will escalate," Gorbachev said, adding that "This means that we face a new attempt by Russian society to move to real democracy and it will be of historic significance." (Reuters)
