Grigory Yavlinsky: “What matters is not who will be in charge, but how you will live”
Grigory Yavlinsky’s web-site, 23.03.2026
Watch on YouTube choosing your preferred language for subtitles
Russia’s complete failure to carry out the reforms of the 1990s and its descent into deep political crisis has now been compounded by the end of the era that took shape after World War II.
Disorganisation and chaos are growing in world politics. Almost everyone is discussing current events and speculating about where it will all lead: what will happen with Donald Trump, the Middle East, Europe, Ukraine and Russia, and the global economy. Nobody knows the answers, and so diametrically opposed assessments and opinions abound.
In our view, the situation is genuinely alarming and highly dangerous. People are dying, and the scale of tragic events may grow. However, analysing the situation on the basis of information from the Internet and propaganda publications — which is what journalists and political analysts are currently doing — is pointless. Reliable information about current events, if it exists at all, is as a rule deliberately distorted, and only in that form is it available to the outside observer.
The main thing that is clear is that virtually all of today’s acute situations lack strategic vision and any understanding of the future. Policies are being made at a tactical level, and operations are accordingly being launched with unpredictable prospects even in the medium term.
For that reason, in my view, the most important thing today is to understand where we are going. What does the desired future look like? We must try to chart a path towards a future worth striving for — for the sake of our children and future generations, for the sake of our country — drawing on an understanding of its particular characteristics and the real conditions of the world around us. That is the responsibility of a politician today.
And to be entirely candid: this is a question not so much about the political system as about what matters most — the inviolability of human life, freedom and human rights and liberties, and a person’s destiny. The crucial issue, especially with the growing influence of digital technologies and AI, is how you will live; everything else is secondary.
—————
A new episode in the Frank Conversation series
Posted: March 24th, 2026 under Foreign policy, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Russia-Eu relations, Russia-Ukraine relations, Russia-US Relations.




