Press Release, 21.06.2017

Yabloko launches the all-Russian campaign Time to Return Home. The party will collect signatures in 40 regions of Russia, so that Russia’s federal budget funds are spent on Russia’s domestic development, rather than on foreign policy ambitions and adventures, including the war in Syria. Such a statement was made by Yabloko’s presidential candidate Grigory Yavlinsky in his video address to Russian citizens.

According to Yavlinsky, it is high time “to raise the issue of peace and prosperity of our country as the key issue of the agenda”. “This is the essence of my political activity so that to offer people a definite alternative to the present policies that would be close to them and their families and important for millions of Russian citizens. And I will fight for success, for the implementation of this alternative – for the victory and for our country! – to the end, not surrendering or retreating,” Yavlinsky stressed.

“Time to Return Home will be part of Yavlinsky’s presidential elections campaign. In May, signatures were collected in three “pilot” cities – Omsk, Barnaul and Pskov. We got a very good result – many people supported Grigory Yavlinsky stance of transferring the priorities of the state from foreign policy adventures to the solution of Russia’s domestic problems,” said Nikolai Rybakov, Deputy Chairman of the party and head of the united headquarters of the election campaign 2017-2018.

“Every city needs new good schools and kindergartens, hospitals and outpatient clinics, high quality housing and roads, but the authorities say that there is no money for this. “We know that there is money! Yabloko Chair Emilia Slabunova says. “The funds needed for arranging life in the country now go to offshores and residence palaces, exempting the oligarchs who got under sanctions from taxes and writing-off debts to other countries. They are also allotted to the war in Syria, which took dozens of lives of our soldiers and officers. The money that Russia needs so much is used to preserve the power of a dictator in a foreign and distant country.”

According to Yabloko estimates, each week of the Syrian campaign costs Russia over one billion roubles. For example, one launch of the cruise missile Caliber costs 85 million roubles. This could suffice for an average salary of 3,203 kindergarten teachers, or 2,605 school teachers, or 1,905 university teachers, or 1,775 doctors, or 3,488 nurses, or 3,335 cultural workers, or 7,727 librarians, or an average pension of 6,860 retirees.

Party activists will collect signatures in support of the campaign over 50 cities in 38 Russian regions. All who sign under Yabloko’s initiative will receive a leaflet showing where the money spent on the military operation in Syria could go: how many hospitals, kindergartens, schools, bridges could be built, what an increase in the salary could be received by state employees, etc.

The collection of signatures under the initiative is also open on the party’s website.