Now, I’m not against Putin and the FSB assassinating targets out of a neoliberal misguided sense of morality, it’s almost impossible to have a functioning security state without some equivalent of secret police. My criticism is that even though most of Putin’s targets are neoliberal idealogues endangering the Russian state, I wouldn’t be surprised if he uses it to suppress legitimate opposition.

I wouldn’t be surprised either, sure. But these are just assumptions- neither of us are crying for Nazi Navalny (who remains alive and well also, not that he necessarily should be- no doubt neither of us think of him as legitimate opposition), and Russia if anything- as we both agree- is more democratic (albeit still liberal and thus insufficiently, inherently so) and with both a widely popular government that is relatively competent at meeting its citizens’ needs and demands, actually features meaningful semi-autonomy for its minorities, and even a large (controlled) communist opposition.

None of these things can even be said, for the western dictators (those of the Anglosphere and EU). It’s for these many substantial differences, and more, that I hesitate and even object to some extent to calling Putin a “dictator,” particularly when it’s a word with such… baggage.