Decision by the Yabloko Federal Political Committee No 161 of 20 October 2022, published on 1.11.2022

Photo: Flags of Russia and the European Union / Photo by Vladimir Sergeyev, RIA Novosti

The mission of our party today and its main task is to overcome Bolshevism, the oligarchic nature of the state, the irremovability of power and militarism, create prerequisites and implement a real modernisation of Russia founding a modern political and economic system in our country.

The vector of Russia’s development, connected with the future, is obvious to us – it is the European one. At the same time, Europe is not merely the most rational choice among several: Russia is a European country. Anti-Europeanism is not a “different choice”, but a falling out of reality. One of the reasons for the current national catastrophe is the absence of a positive unifying idea among the ruling elite. European Russia is unacceptable for them, since it implies a change of government, separation of powers and an independent judiciary. It is impossible to find another idea of such a scale – it simply does not exist. War with Europe is the only “alternative” to European Russia.

The future European Russia is, first of all, orientated towards a person and his/her development, ensuring a life without fear, freedom of creativity in close connection with the native history and culture. A new Russian statehood should be built on this, where the man is the goal, and the state is the means; where the state exists for the sake of preserving and implementing human moral values.

We need a working model of freedom for the majority of Russian citizens living in all regions and corners of its vast territory, in cities, towns, and villages.

Freedom in our understanding means, first of all:

– private property independent of the state;

– an opportunity to own land and a house for one’s family;

– the right to self-government (the ability to arrange life around in one’s own way in harmony with the local community);

– a civil society disposing of real rights;

– fair elections and regular change of power.

All this creates the basis for exercising freedom of expression, assembly, and movement.

Conditions so that Russia could have a future are as follows:

– cessation of war and renunciation of war at the level of values;

– restoration of historical continuity, and movement of Russia towards a modern democratic state, which was interrupted by the October coup of 1917;

– overcoming Bolshevism, a clear assessment of the crimes of the Stalinist and Soviet periods;

– “overcoming the 1990s” – an assessment of the failed policy of modernising the country in detachment from the interests of its citizens, a set of measures for overcoming the consequences of the criminal privatisation of large property.

The future of Russia, corresponding to the strategic interests of the Russian people, is possible only in a united Europe together with its neighbours, primarily Ukraine and Belarus. Only in a common European space based on the principles of the European Union can Russia’s relations with its neighbours be really reconciled.

The Yabloko party needs to make every possible effort to ensure that it becomes possible to develop towards the creation of a new Greater Europe in the future – no matter how difficult it may be, we must explain this to people already now.

We must, certainly, take into account that the movement of our country towards the future is taking place in the conditions of a most serious crisis in global politics, and world political entropy. An adequate response to the crisis is the modern evolution of the institutions of European politics, maintaining the development that began after the Second World War and led to the creation of the European Union.

Russia, with its cultural, philosophical, intellectual heritage and potential, can play a role in this process, and this can be a much more significant contribution to the common European cause than the fossil fuels that the world will be abandoning.

In the light of these tasks, we need to continue working on the concepts that are critical for the future of Russia and Europe:

– the new Constitution;

– preparation of the convocation of the Constituent Assembly;

– economic reform and, above all, draft laws aimed at separating business from power, and radical demonopolisation;

– creation of a stable institution of mass-scale private property;

– improving living standards of people;

– a judicial reform aimed at creation of an independent judiciary;

– creation of an empowered and effective system of local self-government, which will be able to keep the country from disintegration;

– protection of citizens from the government’s use of modern technologies in order to control people and their lives, expand the boundaries and scope of persecution, total control and repression.

Everyone should have the key human freedom – the ability to choose. This is where the future for Russia and Yabloko lies.

Grigory Yavlinsky,

Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko