Estonian president compares situation in Russia to The Godfather

In an interview to the Voice of America Ukrainian department, Ilves said that capitalism was not necessarily inseparable from liberal democracy, although in the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a perception that the free market is automatically accompanied by liberal democracy.

Ilves reminded that mankind has seen capitalism under the control oligarchs before, and a good example of this was Nazi Germany. “The term ‘national Socialists’ did not mean anything, it was an oligarchic society. Such capitalism was also under Mussolini’s power. What we are seeing now, is authoritarian capitalism, where the state power and mafia structures are closely connected. The state protects those who give them good contracts,” he said.

He added that he watched at Christmas time with his son the film “The Godfather”, based on Mario Puzo’s novel, and what happens in the film is precisely what is currently happening in Russia.

Speaking of Russia’s hostile propaganda, Ilves said that it is being taken more seriously for the past year and a half, previously it was just laughed at.

“Today we can see how people gathered at Maidan are labelled fascists. What we have come to. In Great Britain, Estonia, Denmark and Lithuania, a common position was reached that common measures throughout the European Union have to be implemented against such propaganda. If only one country does it, it is of low effectiveness to fight such propaganda,” Ilves said.