Russian government is trying to impeded a rally in support of pro-Russian militias in Ukraine
It seemed like a no-brainer. Supporters of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics wanted to hold a rally to drum up support for the ongoing conflict. It was supposed to take place in Moscow on this Sunday, September 28. There has been a similar rally as recently as August 2. It seemed like the sort of thing United Russia apparatus would support - especially since it would make a logical counterpoint to last week's March for Peace.
Activist is collecting money in support of Donetsk People's Republic in Moscow (RIA "Novosti"/Gazeta.ru)
But according to a recent Gazeta.ru article, when Battle For Dombass (the group that's been organizing rallies like this) tried to apply for permit, Moscow authorities simply didn't reply for a while. Then, asked BFD to move the rally to a smaller location further from downtown. And to bring down the number of participants from 5,000 to 2,000. And when BFD tried to protest, noting that the location that the city was suggesting wouldn't have enough room for the event they were proposing, the city told them that, unless they accept its terms, the permit won't be granted.
This is the sort of the thing city government usually does to discourage opposition rallies.
Naturally, this left BFD Alexei Zhivov very confused.
We have four days until the rally [at the time the article was written], and we, most likely, are going to have postpone the event for a week because we can't agree on the proper space. We will be appeal to Office of the Prosecutor and the Investigative Committee so that would investigate why the Mayor's Office is accommodating opposition pre-Maidan rallies and preventing the supporters of [independent eastern Ukraine] that don't criticize the government or the President, from conducting their own event.
Zhivov and his allies are blaming Vladislav Surkov, Putin's adviser on Ukrainian affairs. Which has been something of a common theme among the more outspoken DPR/LPR supporters. If the Russian government does something they don't like, it's because of someone in the government trying to lead Putin astray. Putin himself, of course, supports them wholeheartedly.
Political scientist Konstantin Kolachyov has a different theory.
"Putin's peace-making efforts require broad social consensus around the president. And then, we get this inconvenient event that threatens to get out of control. Any further inflaming of tensions, it seems, becomes impractical. The genie needs to be returned into the bottle. Sanctioned activities in acceptable forms threatens to grow into unsanctioned activities in new forms. It can go beyond the topics of [Ukrainian] junta and kill squads and touch upon some aspects of Russia's new approaches to resolving the Ukrainian Crisis. Why would Kremlin want to hear about the Fifth Column in Putin's inner circle? That can lead to criticism of Putin Himself. The essence of those events is an expression of support or displeasure. In this case, mostly displeasure. The Moor has done his duty, the Moor can go
Which, if true, would be fairly interesting. Russian state media has been supporting any and all opposition to the current Ukrainian government pretty much from the get-go. And the whole "Ukraine is being oppressed by a murderous Nazi junta that kills innocent women and children" narrative certainly plays better in Russia than "we are trying not to lose influence in Ukraine." But I have always wondered - with the rhetoric that extreme, how do you back away from that? Because, sooner or later, Russia would have to back away from that. It can't fight Ukraine and the West forever.
As the gazeta.ru article points out, aside from impeding the rally, the Russian government hasn't really done anything to limit other BFD activities, or activities of other like-minded groups. So it isn't that they are abandoning the current narrative. But they may be carefully, slowly trying to tone it down.
It's always possible that the rally will eventually take place, just on a smaller scale. Maybe something more generically pan-Slavic. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
24.09.2014, 10:31
Новороссию возвращают в бутылку
Движение «Битва за Донбасс» может отменить или перенести третью крупную акцию сторонников самопровозглашенных республик. Она должна была состояться в Москве 28 сентября, но, как рассказали «Газете.Ru» организаторы «Третьей битвы за Донбасс», они не могут согласовать с мэрией место проведения митинга и готовы обращаться в прокуратуру и Следственный комитет.
http://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2014/09/23_a_6233329.shtml
Activist is collecting money in support of Donetsk People's Republic in Moscow (RIA "Novosti"/Gazeta.ru)
But according to a recent Gazeta.ru article, when Battle For Dombass (the group that's been organizing rallies like this) tried to apply for permit, Moscow authorities simply didn't reply for a while. Then, asked BFD to move the rally to a smaller location further from downtown. And to bring down the number of participants from 5,000 to 2,000. And when BFD tried to protest, noting that the location that the city was suggesting wouldn't have enough room for the event they were proposing, the city told them that, unless they accept its terms, the permit won't be granted.
This is the sort of the thing city government usually does to discourage opposition rallies.
Naturally, this left BFD Alexei Zhivov very confused.
We have four days until the rally [at the time the article was written], and we, most likely, are going to have postpone the event for a week because we can't agree on the proper space. We will be appeal to Office of the Prosecutor and the Investigative Committee so that would investigate why the Mayor's Office is accommodating opposition pre-Maidan rallies and preventing the supporters of [independent eastern Ukraine] that don't criticize the government or the President, from conducting their own event.
Zhivov and his allies are blaming Vladislav Surkov, Putin's adviser on Ukrainian affairs. Which has been something of a common theme among the more outspoken DPR/LPR supporters. If the Russian government does something they don't like, it's because of someone in the government trying to lead Putin astray. Putin himself, of course, supports them wholeheartedly.
Political scientist Konstantin Kolachyov has a different theory.
"Putin's peace-making efforts require broad social consensus around the president. And then, we get this inconvenient event that threatens to get out of control. Any further inflaming of tensions, it seems, becomes impractical. The genie needs to be returned into the bottle. Sanctioned activities in acceptable forms threatens to grow into unsanctioned activities in new forms. It can go beyond the topics of [Ukrainian] junta and kill squads and touch upon some aspects of Russia's new approaches to resolving the Ukrainian Crisis. Why would Kremlin want to hear about the Fifth Column in Putin's inner circle? That can lead to criticism of Putin Himself. The essence of those events is an expression of support or displeasure. In this case, mostly displeasure. The Moor has done his duty, the Moor can go
Which, if true, would be fairly interesting. Russian state media has been supporting any and all opposition to the current Ukrainian government pretty much from the get-go. And the whole "Ukraine is being oppressed by a murderous Nazi junta that kills innocent women and children" narrative certainly plays better in Russia than "we are trying not to lose influence in Ukraine." But I have always wondered - with the rhetoric that extreme, how do you back away from that? Because, sooner or later, Russia would have to back away from that. It can't fight Ukraine and the West forever.
As the gazeta.ru article points out, aside from impeding the rally, the Russian government hasn't really done anything to limit other BFD activities, or activities of other like-minded groups. So it isn't that they are abandoning the current narrative. But they may be carefully, slowly trying to tone it down.
It's always possible that the rally will eventually take place, just on a smaller scale. Maybe something more generically pan-Slavic. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
24.09.2014, 10:31
Новороссию возвращают в бутылку
Движение «Битва за Донбасс» может отменить или перенести третью крупную акцию сторонников самопровозглашенных республик. Она должна была состояться в Москве 28 сентября, но, как рассказали «Газете.Ru» организаторы «Третьей битвы за Донбасс», они не могут согласовать с мэрией место проведения митинга и готовы обращаться в прокуратуру и Следственный комитет.
http://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2014/09/23_a_6233329.shtml