Decision by the Yabloko Federal Political Committee of 24 March 2023

Published on 21.04.2023

Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Mutual distrust and intolerance towards opponents have been deliberately imposed on people in modern Russia. Sanctions under “political articles” have appeared in the legislation and are being tightened; and political repressions are rapidly intensifying in the country.

At the same time, an atmosphere of anger, hatred, a desire to punish, morally persecute and even physically eliminate Russian citizens is deliberately stirred up in Russian and foreign, mostly Russian-speaking, social media. Some opposition activists (mostly those who left Russia) have deliberately created labels to harass and suppress people of a wide variety of professions, views and levels of social activity. We are talking here not only about the Russian bureaucracy and the employees of the regime. The persecution is targeted at all the Russian inhabitants remaining in the country.

We are categorically against the propaganda of hatred and harassment, we consider it unacceptable to insult Russians and incite people against Russians on the basis of citizenship.

The Party believes that all adult citizens of Russia, without exception, bear unconditional responsibility for what is happening, although the responsibility is different.

However, the greatest share of the responsibility lies, in addition to the authorities, on the so-called elite and that part of the post-Soviet intelligentsia that vehemently supported the reforms of the 1990s and those who conducted them, urged to vote either for Vladimir Putin, or “for anyone except …”, or the organisers of the “Russia for Russians marches”, then for the communists, the [Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s nationalistic and populist] LDPR Party and the [pro-Putin] Just Russia Party.

The Yabloko Party took part in the federal elections eleven times, each time offering citizens a professionally developed economic and political alternative. In the conditions of the political and economic system created in the 1990s and based on the criminal merger of power and property, and growing falsifications, we could not get enough support, although millions of citizens voted for us. This is our responsibility.

In the current extremely difficult conditions, we continue to engage in politics in Russia: in the interests of our country and our fellow citizens.

The Russian United Democratic Party Yabloko makes a conscious and principled choice of the path with our Russian people and our homeland. We will stay with our people, no matter what happens. We consider ourselves responsible for people and the future of the country.

Engaging in politics in today’s Russia means telling the truth and doing everything possible to prepare for the implementation of the country’s strategic perspective corresponding to the 21st century: when Russia is in union with Europe, when human rights and freedoms are guaranteed in Russia, the possibility of development, competition and creativity constitute the basis of life, and a democratic state, which is accountable to the people and with regularly changing government, serves the people.

The most important tasks are to overcome the “learned helplessness” imposed on people by the current regime, and doubting one’s own strengths and the capabilities of society, as well as to reject the populist attempts to rely on some kind of a magical technology or external force. What is needed now is political sobriety and honesty, an awareness of the causes of the catastrophe and starting to create the basis for the future while taking into account the experience, lessons and mistakes.

We do not intend to leave Russia and will share its fate. We are ready to fight politically for our vision of the future of Russia as an organic part of Europe and the EU. We also wish Ukraine to be a free, independent, sovereign, democratic and successful European state with its own identity and culture. Actually, we wish Ukraine everything that we wish Russia.

The future of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Europe and the world is in freedom, human rights, and the triumph of humanitarian principles. This is our patriotism and our love for our Motherland.

We are working and will continue to work in Russian politics to accomplish this.

Grigory Yavlinsky,

Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of

the Yabloko party

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