Putin Calls Opponents 'Scum and Traitors' at Rally, Signaling New Repression in Russia
MOSCOW (CBS News) -- Facing stiff resistance in Ukraine and crippling economic sanctions at home, Russian President Vladimir Putin is using language that recalls the rhetoric from Josef Stalin's show trials of the 1930s.
In an ominous speech on Wednesday, Putin likened opponents to "gnats" who try to weaken the country at the behest of the West — crude remarks that set the stage for sweeping repressions against those who dare to speak out against the war in Ukraine.
In the heart of Ukraine, meanwhile, there was a silent protest against the toll Russia's brutality has taken on the most vulnerable. More than 100 empty strollers were placed in rows in a central square in Lviv, symbolizing the children killed in the country since Putin's war began.