Biden should follow his “killer” instinct

Trump was widely condemned. But the willingness of U.S. officials to ignore Russian crimes has been bipartisan. When President Boris Yeltsin attacked Parliament with tanks in October 1993, Secretary of State Warren Christopher congratulated him on his victory. Despite Mr. Putin’s alleged ties to organized crime, President Bush said in 2001 that he had “looked the man in the eye” and “was able to have a sense of his soul.” In July 2009, President Obama described Mr Putin as “sincere, fair and deeply interested in the interests of the Russian people”, despite the Polish poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. British official found that Mr Putin was probably personally responsible for his poisoning.

To some extent, when it comes to Russia, American leaders are superficial for fear that they may find a serious effort to learn the truth. But the United States, as the guarantor of global stability, has a duty to be fully aware of the crimes of Russian leaders. Russia is run by about 100 individuals who control 35% of the country’s assets. With free freedom, there are few limits to the actions they can take against the outside world.

In particular, in three cases, the US should do everything possible to understand and expose Russian crimes.

First, we need the truth about the February 27, 2015 assassination of Boris Nemtsov, Russia’s most important democratic leader, who was shot dead on the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge next to the Kremlin. The official story was that Zaur Dadaev, a former officer of the Russian military forces based in Chechnya and unconnected to Nemtsov, shot him six times. Four other defendants allegedly aided the crime. The regime assiduously promoted this version and the US tacitly accepted it.

The European Parliamentary Assembly, however, cited evidence that Nemtsov was the victim of an operation by the regime, including the presence of suspects on the bridge who were never interviewed, the disappearance of films from all cameras. close surveillance and Nemtsov espionage that could only have been carried out by an intelligence service. Andrei Illarionov, a Russian economist, published evidence that Nemtsov was shot from two different weapons, not one as alleged in court, and the videotape confirmed that Mr. Dadaev was not on the bridge when he killed Nemtsov.

Nemstov is a hero to many Russians; the place where he was murdered has become a place of pilgrimage. But it was also important for the United States. He was one of Putin’s two opponents able to summon a crowd. The other is Alexei Navalny, recently jailed after being poisoned. However, unlike Mr. Navalny, Nemtsov was an opponent of nationalism and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The U.S. owes efforts by Russian Democrats to identify those responsible for his death.

We also need the truth about the July 17, 2014 destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which killed 298 passengers and crew. The Putin regime made a disinformation effort after the plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine to create the impression that it was accidentally destroyed by the separatists. But evidence points to Russia.

A Dutch criminal court ruled that the Buk-M1 missile that struck MH17 was introduced into Ukraine by the 53rd Russian Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. According to a report by Radio Liberty, the battery was accompanied by Russian intelligence agents. In a May 2020 interview with the Times of London, separatist leader Igor Girkin denied any involvement. Asked if he accused Russia, Girkin said, “People can interpret this however they want.”

What is particularly creepy about the destruction of MH17 is that it appears to have been part of a political strategy. Putin immediately called on Mr. Obama after the downing of the plane and, citing the danger to civilian planes, called for an end to the Ukrainian offensive that was advancing rapidly into separatist territory. In the next ten days, he made 24 calls with Western leaders with the same goal in mind.

Finally, we need the truth about the September 1999 bombings, which led to a new invasion of Chechnya and brought Mr Putin to power. More than 300 died in the explosions of four buildings. Shortly afterwards, three Federal Security Service (FSB) agents were caught placing a fifth bomb in the basement of a Ryazan building. The bomb, disarmed before it could explode, tested positive for hexogen, the explosive used in the four explosions. Other evidence that has accumulated over the years also points to the FSB.

The United States never raised the question of why FSB agents were caught planting a bomb in the basement of an apartment building. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright declined to answer questions about the Senate Foreign Relations Committee bombings, saying only that “acts of terror have no place in a democratic society.” Russia blamed the bombings on Chechen rebels. If the truth is not established, terror can become the way power changes hands in Russia from now on.

Many critics of Russia focus on corruption, which is easy to understand. But the biggest danger the Putin regime poses to the world is a mindset that treats assassination as a normal part of political life. The notion of human beings as completely expendable originated in socialism, with its abolition of private property and the conversion of the individual into state property. This idea is rooted in the minds of Russian leaders.

Russia has responded to Biden’s statement by threatening “irreversible degradation of relations.” But the road to better relations leads to the realization by Russian leaders that the rest of the world is determined to put limits on their crimes. The president must reverse decades of American political practice and act in accordance with his recognition of Putin’s role. If he does not, the next crime of the Russian ruler is only a matter of time.

Mr. Satter is the author, most recently, of “Never Talk to Strangers and Other Writings from Russia and the Soviet Union,” and is an advisor to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.