Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Radio Finam, May
12, 2010
Photo: Deputies of the Pskov Regional Assembly from Yabloko Artur Gaiduk and Lev Shlosberg / Photo: Artyom Avanesov
More than three weeks have passed since the publication of the investigation by Bellingcat and The Insider about the circumstances of the two attempts on murder on politician and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr., but the Investigative Committee of Russia keeps silent. Earlier, the Investigative Committee did not respond to direct appeals from Vladimir Kara-Murza and his lawyer Vadim Prokhorov. Yabloko deputies demand to start legal proceedings.
How the pro-government United Russia party stole Yabloko’s initiative and passed it off as its own
Press Release, 4.03.2021
Photo: J-Aleks/depositphotos, Moscow, Russia: Entrance to the building of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, street Okhotny Ryad, 1
Since June, the State Duma was supposed to publish parliamentary inquiries on the website. It is a surprisingly good initiative: this way you can track whose interests the deputies are promoting and disclose the use of inquiries for personal gain. However, there is nothing surprising here, the Yabloko’s Anti-Corruption Policy Centre offered the same thing in November 2017. At first, United Russia refused us, and then simplified our idea and passed it off as its own.
On 3 March, Nezavisimaya Gazeta published an article on the reform of the Yabloko party. The text by Darya Garmonenko, like many other texts by this author, is replete with errors and distortions. We publish the full text of the commentary of the Deputy Chairman of the party Ivan Bolshakov:
– The goal of the reform is to transform Yabloko into an efficient professional, but at the same time ideological party with clear political principles, massive membership and involvement of a significant number of supporters in its activities. The reform will launch mechanisms to renew the party and increase the influence of rank-and-file members on the decision-making process.
Federal Political Committee Decision No. 137, 3.03.2021
Having heard and discussed the reports of the Chairman of the Party Nikolai Rybakov and Deputy Chairman of the Party Ivan Bolshakov on the preparation for the elections of deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, representative bodies of the state power and local self-government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, having considered the draft decision on the preparation of the Party for the election campaign, prepared by members of the Federal Political Committee Boris Vishnevsky, Valery Borshchev, Svetlana Gannushkina, Emilia Slabunova, Viktor Sheinis and Lev Shlosberg, and taking into account the discussion
Mikhail Gorbachev. Photo by Alexander Polyakov / RIA Novosti
On 2 March, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, the first President of the USSR, turns 90. Yabloko leaders congratulate Mikhail Gorbachev on his anniversary and speak about the role of his personality in history.
On March 2, Sergei Adamovich Kovalev, a member of the Yabloko party, the legendary human rights defender and the first Ombudsman for Human Rights in Russia, turns 91. On behalf of the party, Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov congratulates Sergei Kovalev on his birthday:
Yabloko activists honoured the memory of the murdered politician throughout Russia
Press Release, 1.03.2021
Photo: Nizhni Novgorod, the region where Boris Nemtsov was Governor in 1991-1997
On February 27, Yabloko members went to rallies, single pickets and other events in many regions of Russia so that to commemorate murdered opposition politician Boris Nemtsov. In Moscow, Yabloko leaders Nikolai Rybakov and Grigory Yavlinsky laid flowers at the place of murder of Boris Nemtsov on the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge.
423 agents of “foreign secret services” were identified in Russia in 2020, as Vladimir Putin said. At the meeting of the Board of the Federal Security Service, Putin spoke about the key, in his view, modern threats to Russia: spies, terrorists, hackers and opponents of the Sputnik V [vaccine against COVID]. These threats are, certainly, along the “external perimeter”. The external enemy again wants to “undermine the values that unite Russian society, ultimately weaken Russia and put it under external control”.
Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov took part in a permitted rally in memory of murdered opposition politician Boris Nemtsov in Barnau, the Altai Territory. Barnaul became the only city out of 22 Russian cities, where the authorities satisfied Yabloko’s application for a mass action.
Yabloko leaders laid flowers to the place of murder of Boris Nemtsov on the Nemtsov Bridge
Press Release, 27.02.2021
Yabloko leaders Nikolai Rybakov and Grigory Yavlinsky laid flowers at the place of murder of Boris Nemtsov on the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, which Muscovites have been calling the Nemtsov Bridge. The mourning action was also attended by the Deputy Chairman of the party Ivan Bolshakov, Moscow City Duma MP from Yabloko Yevgeny Bunimovich, member of the Federal Bureau of the party Kirill Goncharov, independent politician Vladimir Ryzhkov and Alexei Minyaylo, ex prisoner of the so-called the “Moscow case” when Muscovites were protesting against falsifications in the Moscow City Duma elections.
Boris Vishnevsky, head of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, asked Governor Alexander Beglov to give an opinion on the bill prepared by the parliamentarian. The bill envisages that in the event of dismantling of any buildings and structures (which are not historical buildings that are subject to mandatory restoration), in areas where the indicator the provision of the population with green zone does not exceed the minimum standard, only green zones for the use of general public can be located in this place for twenty years from the date of the demolition of the building.
On Thursday, 4 March, Yabloko’s Gender faction will hold a Zoom conference “The Soviet and the Russian woman: how have the roles changed?” The conference will begin at 19:00.
The conference will be attended by Galina Mikhaleva, Chair of the faction, Olga Radayeva, First Deputy Chair of the faction, Tatiana Ovcharenko, Marina Karavayeva, Olga Shtannikova (St. Petersburg), Kristina Abramicheva (Ufa), Svetlana Ivanova (Perm), Irina Safronova (Rostov) and other activists of the faction.
Photo: Yabloko at the Moscow March in Memory of Boris Nemtsov in 2017 / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
Regional authorities in 21 Russian regions refused to give permissions for Yabloko’s actions in memory of Boris Nemtsov. Opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin, was shot six times in the back and in the head on the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge on the evening of 27 February, 2015. Only the Altai branch of Yabloko managed to get a permission for a limited number of participants – up to 100 people. The commemorative action will take place in Barnaul on Freedom Square, on 28 February. The action will begin at 14:00.
On 25 February, an online discussion “Factions and other associations within the party and under the party” will be held within the framework of the work of the Yabloko’s Reform Commission which will summarise and discuss proposals for reforming the party. The discussion will begin at 19:00.
Primaries, selection of candidates, formation of a network of supporters are on the agenda
Press Release, 22.02.2020
Photo: Participants of the seminar in Kazan. / Photo by the Yabloko party Press Service
On February 20-21, Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov and Deputy Chair Ivan Bolshakov held seminars in Kazan with regional headquarters.
The concept of changes in Yabloko was presented to the regional branches, which implies introduction of the institution of primaries for the selection of candidates for elections of different levels, party-wide voting in elections for the party Chairperosn, limiting the term of office of the governing bodies of the party and its regional branches, forming a network of supporters and other changes.
Today is the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland [in Russia]. A memorable day for all our multinational people, who defended our country shoulder to shoulder during the Second World War. I congratulate all those who today defend Russia from foes, diseases, poverty, arbitrariness and lawlessness. All those who love and care about our country.
But 23 February is also another memorable date. On 23 February, 1944, mass deportations of Chechens and Ingush began. 180 echelons, 100,000 servicemen were involved. In two weeks, over half a million people were deported to Central Asia and Siberia. During the deportations and in the first years after them, about 100,000 Chechens and 23,000 Ingush died, that is, every fourth representative of these peoples.
This terrible crime is not only against the Vainakh peoples [the Chechen and the Ingush]. This is a crime against every citizen of our country. And the future of modern multinational Russia depends on whether we can preserve the memory of these events, where not only the authorities are trying to play the “friend or foe” card, but also those seeking to get into power at any cost.
Photo: Grigory Yavlinsky / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 19 February 19, a regular meeting of the Federal Political Committee (FPC) of the Yabloko Party took place. The meeting was attended by all 17 members of the FPC. The Federal Political Committee considered two issues: the statement “On systemic threats to life, health and rights of citizens” and approved the principal directions of the party’s reform. The meeting lasted about six hours.
Nikolai Rybakov, Chairman of the Yabloko party, launched his own YouTube channel and was the first Chairperson of all Russian political parties to register in the Clubhouse social network.
Party members will take part in a memory watch and a round table
Press Release, 20.02.2021
Photo: Personal page of Maxim Petlin on Facebook
On 20 February, the Leninsky district court of the city of Yekaterinburg refused to approve the March in Memory of Boris Nemtsov and the memorial meeting.
On February 19, the Sverdlovsk branch of Yabloko filed an administrative lawsuit in the Leninsky district court against the Ministry of Public Security of the Sverdlovsk Region, asking to acknowledge the refusal of the city officials to permit the procession and rally in memory of Boris Nemtsov as unlawful. The march and a rally were previously announced on 27 February, the day of murder of Boris Nemtsov.
A meeting of the Regional Council of the Yabloko branch was held in Kaliningrad
Press Release, 19.02.2021
Photo: Meeting of the Regional Council of the Kaliningrad branch of Yabloko / Photo by the Press Service of the regional branch of the party
A meeting of the Regional Council of the Kalinigrad branch of the Yabloko party was held in Kaliningrad. The Regional Council discussed preparations for the 2021 election campaign.
The Regional Council made a decision to take part in elections of all levels and nominate as much as possible Yabloko candidates to the electoral districts. Igor Pleshkov, Chairman of the regional branch, outlined the main directions of the upcoming work: mobilisation of supporters of democratic choice and real changes in the region and in Russia as a whole.
In addition, the Regional Council launched the formation of the electoral headquarters and a team of volunteers and observers from the Yabloko party.
