https://video.echelon.pl/videos/watch/64d8ee89-b831-4848-bd80-eb0797b045a9 Russia has experienced revolutions, the collapse of the Soviet Union and decades of political upheaval – yet democracy has never taken lasting root. Is Russia doomed to remain authoritarian country, or could it become a democracy after Putin? In this edition of Warsaw Debate, experts examine Russia’s imperial legacy, the Kremlin’s grip on power, the attitudes of Russian society, the failures of the opposition and the prospects for a democratic transformation. GUESTS: Franak Viačorka, Chief Adviser to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya – a leader of Belarus’s democratic opposition Witold Rodkiewicz, Analyst at the Center for Eastern Studies (OSW); affiliated with the Center for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw Natalia Shavshukova, Russian political scientist and political activist Robert Pszczel, Former Director of the NATO Information Office in Moscow (2010–2015) Online guest: Mateusz Milczarek, Europe Analyst TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The motion: Most of the audience believes Russia will never be a democracy 02:16 Russia after the tsars and the Soviet Union: Why has democracy failed? 04:38 Democratic deficit: Corruption, censorship and authoritarian rule 8:03 Corruption on the rise in Rusia after full-scale invasion of Ukraine 11:10 “There will be another Putin.” Franak Viačorka on imperial ambitions 13:08 Natalia Shevchuk: History is not destiny 15:27 Witold Rodkiewicz: Why Russia keeps returning to authoritarianism 18:04 Robert Pszczel: Is saying “never” a dangerous ethical mistake? 19:00 Why is it unethical to deny Russia democratic aspirations? 23:20 Democratic future vs. the democratic past of the Novgorod Republic 25:21 Russian literature and ordinary people: Is there a democratic tradition beyond the Kremlin? 31:34 Belarus became “Europe for Russians”: What does it reveal about Russia? 34:11 Lost hopes after 1990. From protest to prison: The personal cost of opposing Putin 37:30 “The West did not fail. The Russians have failed”: The question of responsibility 41:52 Do even Russia’s liberal elites believe in their own society? 43:36 Russia after Putin: Can the authoritarian system be transformed? 49:10 The final vote: Has the audience changed its mind? Warsaw Debate is TVP World’s Oxford-style debate program, hosted by Małgorzata Bonikowska of the Centre for International Relations and Grzegorz Nawrocki of TVP World. Experts argue both sides of a clearly defined motion, while a live audience asks questions and votes for or against the proposition. 🔴 Watch our 24/7 livestream - https://youtube.com/live/9RY46AUtIl4 Bringing you all the latest daily news and updates, TVP World is Poland's first English-language channel where you can find world news as seen from the Polish perspective and the latest news from the CEE region. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. https://tvpworld.com/ https://www.facebook.com/tvpworldcom https://twitter.com/TVPWorld_com https://www.instagram.com/tvp_world/ https://www.threads.net/@tvp_world https://bsky.app/profile/tvpworld.bsky.social https://www.tiktok.com/@tvpworld.com https://t.me/tvp_world #Russia Putin #Democracy Tue, 20 Oct 2026 03:04:10 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://video.echelon.pl https://video.echelon.pl/client/assets/images/icons/icon-1500x1500.png https://video.echelon.pl/videos/watch/64d8ee89-b831-4848-bd80-eb0797b045a9 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://video.echelon.pl/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.