A culture of deep corruption: Russia marches to its own drum

Russia hosts two major events next year but neither will be run in a way that inspires the kind of confidence the West at least aspires to have in its administration of public events.

A presidential election begins in March but in recent days the leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny was banned from standing because of a conviction in a fraud case. He insists the case was contrived to keep him out of politics. As the usual, and often fatal, shots across the bow offered to opponents of the Putin regime go this seems almost charitable.

To preserve a veneer of constitutional integrity, Vladimir Putin was forced accept four-year hiatus as prime minister from 2008 to 2012, but he has effectively ruled Russia for 17 years. Putin, 65, is expected to be re-elected.

Soccer’s World Cup opens in Russia in June but in recent days Russian Football Union president Vitaly Mutko stepped down “temporarily” after he was banned for life from the Olympics over allegations that Russia created a “state-sponsored doping programme.” Mutko insists that as he continues to enjoy Putin’s confidence that he will continue to oversee World Cup preparations. When the sinister warnings about the reception travelling supporters — especially gay people — might expect in this corrupt dictatorship it hardly seems tragic that Ireland did not qualify. It also seems prudent that we should consider these ugly realities when we come to discuss European Pesco military defence pact.