Boris Nemtsov rallies in Russia

Last Sunday, rallies took place in Russia, commemorating the second anniversary of the assassination of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov (February 27, 2015). The rally in Moscow numbered some 15,000 carrying posters and banners with slogans criticizing the Kremlin’s policy and Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. Boris Nemtsov actively campaigned against it. Among the marchers were representatives of opposition parties: Parnas, Yabloko, Solidarity, Open Russia, and Alexei Navalny’s unregistered Progress Party.

Parnas (People’s Freedom Party) leader Mikhail Kasyanov was at the head of the marching column when someone splashed him in the face with a brilliant green solution. Russian media reported that the police had arrested the malefactor.

Solidarity functionary Ilya Yashin said the main purpose of the rallies was to solve the Nemtsov murder case and bring the perpetrator(s) to justice.

“HE IS MORE AMONG THE LIVING THAN THE DEAD”

Semen NOVOPRUDSKY, Moscow-based freelance journalist:

“Such events shouldn’t be assessed in terms of effectiveness or numbers, although some believe that more than ten thousand people took part in the rally [in Moscow]. Considering the situation in Russia, this is pretty much. I’d like to single out other aspects.

“Number one. The place where the murder was perpetrated. There are always flowers there, even though the authorities see to it that they are removed from the site, just as there are always fresh flowers by Nemtsov’s grave. Number two. Even if posthumously, he is the one who is getting Russian society increasingly united, for the benefit of Russia’s future. It is also important that such rallies were held in St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yaroslavl where he had been an active public politician as a member of the City Duma. Most importantly, Nemtsov remains a moral standard and that was the main result of the rallies. Regrettably, we lack the opportunities, resources or other means of politically implementing the cause Boris Nemtsov served. The rallies showed, however, that this moral standard is getting increasingly significant in the building of another Russia, and in current politics.

“What happened to Kasyanov – I mean when he was splashed in the face with a brilliant green solution – is proof that the authorities are worried, considering that the man may become the united opposition’s [presidential] candidate. They know that there aren’t many such individuals, but that those present have considerable moral strength.

“The problem with organizing a political force that could operate, using Boris Nemtsov as a symbol, is that it is now hard to picture a united opposition party in Russia. Getting the existing opposition united is easier said than done. To begin with, they would never be officially registered – and even if they would, there would always be a way to prevent them from running in the next presidential race, or to prevent them from collecting the required number of votes. Today, this is probably the number one blind alley within the Russian political system, when any changes can only be authorized ‘upstairs,’ rather than through elections. Elections have stopped being a means of changing the system the way they are supposed to be in the democratic countries.

“Most likely, Russia’s opposition is facing an important problem: run in the presidential race next year or ignore it. Of course, the current election laws are such that changing the system in the course of elections is impossible in principle. Regardless of the number of votes actually collected, only the Kremlin’s nominee will win. This candidate will win because the required number of votes will be secured. Therefore, the important task for the opposition is to uphold the idea that politics can be different, legitimate. A significant aspect of the Nemtsov rallies was their peaceful nature; there were no acts of violence on the part of the marchers. Boris Nemtsov remains very much alive in Russian politics. He is more among the living than the dead. I mean the ‘dead’ politicians like Zhirinovsky, Zyuganov, and many others. I think that it is very important to maintain ideals and principles. This would come in handy for the next phase in Russia’s historical process. No one ‘upstairs’ is immortal, just as each regime eventually comes to an end, no matter how hard it tries to prove otherwise, with its leadership making every effort to remain in power ad infinitum, so no one can replace them in a legitimate and peaceful manner.”