“Boris Nemtsov and I began to argue after Putin's return to the presidency in 2012. In my opinion, there was no longer a realistic chance to achieve regime change through peaceful political means, or real elections. Boris, on the other hand, never lost this hope. He felt that my assessment was premature and said: "You have to live a long time to see changes in Russia." He was deprived of that opportunity.”
![“Dictatorships sometimes fall unexpectedly and quickly. And [Vladimir] Putin knows that for him, the loss of power doesn't mean a comfortable retirement, but something completely different.” quote by Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/510/garry-kasparov-910_comfortable_dictatorships-sometimes-fall-unexpectedl_2443466.jpg)
![“The Yeltsin years considerably lowered the bar [of public expectations] for the country’s next leader: Putin’s specific policies and actions arguably matter far less than his reassuring symbolic function as “a real man” who can husband the nation’s resources and promise a return to greatness…” quote by Helena Goscilo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4ab/helena-goscilo-70434_leadership_the-yeltsin-years-considerably-lowered-t_464034.jpg)
