“The tendency is to tighten the screws”

Lilia SHEVTSOVA: They have clearly shown the autocratic logic that cannot hold even a gulp of fresh air@WW

The leading scientist of the Carnegie Moscow Center Lilia Shevtsova has already predicted that the fact that the members of the board of directors at the radio station Ekho Moskvy were urgently dismissed is the signal that the Russian authorities tend to resort to repressions against the independent media (see The Day No.10 of February 16, 2012). The Day addressed the Russian expert and asked her to comment the fact that the owner of the National Reserve Bank of Russia and shareholder of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta Aleksandr Lebedev stopped funding this edition.

“I would say that the situation with the radio station Ekho Moskvy and with Aleksandr Lebedev who is one of the owners of Novaya Gazeta who also helps the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation and is related to Mikhail Gorbachev completely reflects the authorities’ desire to close the ventlight before the elections. They have clearly shown their autocratic logic that cannot hold even a gulp of fresh air. They understand perfectly well that if the freedom of speech exists, even if it is limited, in the independent and uncontrolled editions, it will lead to the further atrophy of this state machine.

“Of course, you are right, it is a tendency that is unlikely to stop since after Putin is elected president he will not have any restraints he had before the election and that he would like to preserve.”

By the way, what do you think about the declaration made by the editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy Aleksei Venediktov that the slogan “Putin, go away!” makes him sick? Does it mean that Venediktov is trying to play up to the power?

“I do not think that Venediktov is trying to play up to Putin now. Venediktov is a reasonable person heading the project Ekho Moskvy in hard times. Naturally, he can do some tactical things but he has to have the strategic vector. Ekho Moskvy exists since it has a very serious basis: audience’s confidence and possibility to present pluralistic opinions to the society. If he openly supports Putin, especially in the situation when Putin’s power is losing its legitimacy, he might stain his reputation and the reputation of Ekho Moskvy. However, it might be surprising but if we speak about his phrase: ‘I am sick and tired of the slogan ‘Putin, go away!’, I would support Venediktov. I am also tired of the slogan ‘Putin must go away!’ since it is just a slogan, the same as ‘Honest elections’ and it can mean only one thing: Putin, go away, let someone new come to your place. However, if someone else comes to the Kremlin with the current government system we will have the same elected or appointed monarchy and autocracy. That is why for me a more reasonable, adequate, and strategic slogan in the current situation is not the one ‘Down with Putin!’ or ‘Putin, go away!’ but the slogan ‘Down with autocracy’ that implies urging Putin to leave and requires the constitutional political reform. The slogans ‘Putin, go away!’ or ‘Down with Putin!’ fit into the model of the old Russian mentality and perception of the politics as one’s personal power.”

By the way, Venediktov visited Kyiv the other day and confessed that he had the post-imperialistic syndrome, but his son didn’t. We, Ukrainians, were very surprised when the Russian blogger Aleksei Navalny when answering the question about his vision of further relations between Russia and Ukraine in Yevgenii Kiseliov’s talk-show said: “Our foreign policy should be focused on the maximum integration with Ukraine and Belarus… We are practically the same nation… We have to reinforce the integration. We can live in a very close construction…” How could you explain the fact that such a young politician has this syndrome?

“It is true that Aleksei Navalny is a politician of the new generation. For many people he is the dream of the new Russian society that wants to see new people. It is natural that the society looks at all new faces with hope. Thank God, such people appear. They are the people of the new generation. I did not hear what he said but it is very regrettable if he really touched upon Ukraine and its independence, using this pseudo-Soviet approach that Ukraine cannot be an independent state and we all should live as fraternal nations. It means that he has stayed in the past as for such an important question as the determination of the essence of the new Russian state. Unfortunately, he has failed the test of imperialism, of the neo-imperialistic syndrome. In principle, one of the main guarantees of Russia’s movement towards the liberal democracy is reconsidering Russians’ attitude to the former Soviet republics that are new independent states, recognizing their sovereignty and identity – it is the only way to get rid of the imperialism even without the new liberal look. If Navalny is unable to do so it is very said and regrettable. We can only hope that he will evolve in the European direction since saying this about Ukraine Navalny is moving to the absolutely opposite direction, to the opposite direction from Europe. In this case there is no difference between him and Putin’s team as for the foreign policy.”