“Another manipulation”

The eleventh big press conference of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, which lasted for three hours and seven minutes, was one of the shortest in the past few years. The Russian leader told journalists in the very beginning that he had said almost everything in his message to the Federal Assembly a few weeks before.

Nevertheless, when asked the first question, he began to speak in detail about economic stability in Russia, reading statistics from a sheet of paper. This may have calmed Russians, including the Russian journalists present in the hall. Incidentally, he spoke more peacefully this time about Europe and the US, except for Turkey about which the Russian president twice used insulting comparisons.

Against this background, it was rather unexpected but quite in the style of the Kremlin’s occupier to admit military presence in the Donbas. “We have never said there are no people there, who are tackling some problems of a military nature. But this does not mean that there are regular Russian troops there. Can you feel the difference?” he said in answer to the UNIAN journalist Roman Tsymbaliuk who had rendered to Putin best regards from the Russian GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate) operatives Aleksandr Aleksandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev.

When the Ukrainian inquired whether it is planned to exchange the Ukrainian political prisoners, particularly Nadia Savchenko, Oleh Sentsov, and Oleksandr Kolchenko, the Kremlin boss said there should be an equivalent exchange.

The Day has requested some experts to comment on the Russian president’s press conference.

Volodymyr OHRYZKO, ex-minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine; chairman, Russia Research Center, Kyiv:

“Putin’s statements on Ukraine are another manipulation and a typical case of passing off half-truth as truth. Nobody can prove now that there are no Russian troops in the Donbas. Therefore, they are resorting to a typical hybrid ploy – claiming that there are some people there, who have something to do with the military field. But are ‘some’ people not the troops?

“The same applies to the Minsk process, where a fair analysis is substituted by making decisions which Russia can benefit from and base its propaganda on. Instead of discussing the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, they speak about changes to the Constitution of Ukraine.

“Frankly speaking, I become more and more convinced that Putin’s statements are just lies, a traditional Russian political practice for centuries on end, not only in the past 2, 3 or even 15 years. This is what the Muscovite state began with and is now. It is a historical tradition, which must be regarded as a fact and taken into account when we shape our policy towards that country. All I can do is to express sympathy for the viewers of and listeners to this ‘circus.’

“As for Putin’s words about the exchange of all for all, it is obvious that Russia does not want to understand that the criminals convicted for offenses on Ukrainian lands are in no way comparable to those who fight for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence. For the Russians, their bandits are militiamen, but for us they are common criminals to whom just punishment was meted out. How can criminals be exchanged for patriots?”

Roman DOBROKHOTOV, chairman, democratic movement “We,” Moscow:

“Vladimir Putin has admitted that Russia is a party to the conflict, saying for the first time that his country is ready to exchange the POWs for those who are in Ukraine. On the one hand, it is very good that Putin is prepared for this exchange. But, on the other, he confesses that Russia took part in the war, which has certain legal consequences. Yet it is not ruled out that he will then deny this in some way and try to use a different wording.

“Besides, it was clear that Ukraine is far lower on Putin’s agenda than it was a year ago. Much more was said about Syria, Turkey, and Europe as a whole. Putin, as well as the Russian populace, begins to gradually lose interest in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. This is also a good sign, for it means that there is potentially a scenario of a peaceful settlement of this conflict and withdrawal of Russia at least from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Putin has made it clear that he awaits a new stage of negotiations, which may result in some progress.

“In the context of Ukraine, trade was the last subject discussed. Putin answered this question more in detail than all the others combined. It is clear that he is thinking over all these economic problems, paying much less attention to military and security matters. The point is that Russia’s economic situation has radically changed – Russia is no longer a prosperous oil-producing state but a country in a deep recession, which is cut off from global currency markets and is short of investments. This is why Putin has taken a much milder attitude towards Ukraine and seems to be willing to do constructive work rather than commit aggression and to put more emphasis on economic matters. This is what the economic crisis has changed since the previous press conference, and we can see it well on the example of Ukraine.”

Interviewed by Natalia PUSHKARUK

VOICE FROM FACEBOOK

The Kremlin session of  psychotherapy – 2

A major press conference is the Kremlin’s new ritual. In a situation when there are no institutions of power in Russia and the country is slipping into a crisis, the role of rituals as policy substitutes is on the rise. The leadership is more and more aware of the need to avert the attention of the populace from problems, to allay some fears, and to arouse others. Today’s media ritual of the Kremlin was to resolve a domestic political question – to pacify the people and relieve their anxieties: ‘Things are not so bad! The peak of the crisis has gone. Problems are being solved.’ Obviously, the Kremlin really fears that the zombie effect is expiring and moods may go out of control.

“You’ll never live that long!” was the answer to those who demand that the Kremlin explain the Chaika scandal and the government’s inability to ride out the crisis. Putin has made it clear that the principle of loyalty (“I care about people,” “we don’t need a mess”) is decisive for him, as far as the regime’s survival is concerned. In a word, I won’t betray my guys! This is a signal to the elite: calm down and don’t be nervous! Yet the situation in society does not so far force the leader to cleanse the elite.

Putin’s answer to the question about long-haul drivers shows the Kremlin’s preoccupation over the split in the government’s mainstay. But the Kremlin does not want to create the impression of a retreat. So, the leadership will be seeking a balance between selective intimidation of political protesters and a semblance of concessions to economic protesters.

The reaction to the Turkish incident (the Turks “stabbed us in the back”) confirms the Kremlin’s intention to preserve the military-patriotic legitimacy of power and the functioning of the system in a “protective” mode. So, today it is Turkey, and tomorrow… Yet, by all accounts, Turkey is going to be a long-playing record. Putin has made it clear (“We’ll support the US resolution on Syria”): Moscow wants to get back to negotiations with global players and is playing down its anti-Americanism. Putin’s reaction to Ukraine and Turkey shows the emotional background of the president’s decisions (Turkey – “I can see no prospects”), which cannot but evoke fears.

The leader, who has seen self-expiration of his own regime (he cannot help being aware of the depletion of his resources), has offered a rhetoric that can be multiple-valued and does not envisage responsibility for duties. Very often, the filtered questions were about one country but the president spoke about another in his answers. This is also a sign of the loss of a vector and of being drawn into a whirlpool. The main impression of this media ritual is inevitability of a conflict between the Kremlin’s interpretation of reality and real life.

By Lilia SHEVTSOVA, Moscow