Decision by Yabloko Federal Council, 21.12.2018

Yabloko’s 25th anniversary takes place at a time that is not festive. At the same time, a quarter of a century is an important line to sum ups the results and estimate our abilities. It is important for us and for the country in general.

Our country is involved in two wars. Vladimir Putin’s policy blocks all attempts to lead the economy out of crisis. People are becoming more poor, they lose perspectives, and faith in a decent future for Russia.

Unfortunately, today we can state that the 25 years of the post-Soviet modernisation ended with a failure.

Apart from the historic preconditions and big objective difficulties which the country faced, the people who carried the reforms bear significant or probably the main responsibility. They made decisions that did not agree with professionalism, common sense, the interests of 150 million people and the future of Russia. The hyperinflation of 1992 and the criminal privatisation created the foundation for a mafia state and destined the post-Soviet modernisation for a failure.

Russia got an authoritarian and bureaucratic monster containing the worst features of the Soviet system instead of a modern European state. The heirs of Bolsheviks came to power. The treat people as material and put self-preservation above people’s wellbeing and national interests. Public affairs are being destroyed.

All these years Yabloko was an alternative to what was happening – this alternative ha snot been brought to life but it is efficient and realistic.

The initial goal of Yabloko was to continue implementing a well-designed and realistic alternative programme in the interests of the majority of people in the country. These programmes offered the society a different outlook on the market reforms and free-market economy. The reforms based on equality of all people before the law, transparency, competition, they were socially oriented.

The principles of honesty, transparency, competition, responsibility to the voters is foundation of our understating of politics.

Yabloko has opposed war openly, consistently and without any compromise. What is more, Yabloko’s representatives and leaders saved the lives of Russian military men and civilians that fell victims of the militaristic policy of the states.

The elections of 1993 and 1995 proved that the programme put forward by the democratic opposition was welcomed by people. That programme had prospects for growth. At a later stage millions of people voted for Yabloko and they continue doing so now. We are really grateful for this.

However, pseudo-reforms that were brought about in the interests of animated circle of people, a gap between the government and the absolute majority of people, the war in Chechnya resulted in the negligence of the democratic principles in Russia’s system of governance.

In 1996, 1999, 2000s those people who were in power and those who supported them made a conscious choice based on distrust in the country. They considered that those citizens who support democratic vales are a minority. They wanted to preserve their power at any price.

The system was based on the lack of checks and balances and privity property. Its aim was to make an illegitimate, non-transparent and semi-criminal privatisation lawful in the eyes of people. This system was not interested in developing a modern European democratic state. They showed off and created decorations but strengthened illegal institutions. These insinuations have become real and defined the essence of Russia’s state in the 21st century.

Yabloko has been the defender of European values, democracy, competition and an alternative to the policy that is leading nowhere.

We fought the elements of a mafia state. Our colleagues Larisa Yudina, Alexander Karasev, Timur Kuashev, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Farid Babayev lost their lives in this fight. We commemorate Galina Starovoitova, Anna Politkovskaya, Natalya Estemirova, Boris Nemtosov and all other people who were struggling against this criminal authoritarian system.

We warned the society against flirting with imperial nostalgia, nationalism, Stalinism and other manifestation of Bolshevism.

We opposed the attacks of the state on independent journalists and media freedom. We did not look for immediate benefit and did not hide behind empty words.

Yabloko played an important role in bringing the country together, Russia’s caring out an independent foreign policy, protecting people from the arbitrary rule of monopolies, creation of public control preservation of a real multi-party system.

Yabloko was the only political force in Russia that opposed the second Chechen war, cynical provocations, special operations, military actions and historic propaganda aimed at achieving internal gaols.

Our party continue functioning in most complex regions of Russia, including the Chechen Republic.

We were the only political representative of the citizens with a programme and a personal alternative to Vladimir Putin in the key moments of Russia’s history when the society has a change to change its course with their will – in 2000 and 2012.

The opposed turning the presidential election 2018 in a referendum in support of Putin. We warned the society that political indifference will be used by the authoritarian government to strengthen the dictatorship of the absolute majority.

We warned them that destroying the healthcare system and lowering social standard does not lead to social wellbeing.

It turned out that we were right.

The fact that we are right from the historic point of view does not give us any material or organisations benefits. However, out understanding of the situation, realising responsibility for the country that was betrayed by the elite more than once, allows us to give precision estimations without any compromise concerning the situation in the country and its future.

Today we live in a country that is involved in wars and has become victim of a mafia state. The policy of the government is on the edge of war. They are ready to engage in a big war, including a nuclear war, to preserve their power.

At the same time, such a sad end of the post-soviet modernisation period does not imply that our country has no hope for the future. Russia is not limited by its current government and its propaganda.

The current political model is aimed at cornering voters, depriving them of any alternative. Today’s policy is not simply the formula “Putin is Russia, Russia is Putin”, it is also based on division, animosity, confrontation, mutual hatred and lowering of social standards.

We offer a principally different ethical dimension of politics and public life. Today morality, spirituality, political and human ethics turned into empty words, they irritate many people. At some point the same thing happened to the words like “freedom” and “democracy”. However, everyone feels the connection between the lack of conscience and the lack of freedom.

Our mission is to alter the country by means of trust, love and respect. We should establish the principles for a new national elite. The main principle for this elite should not be the size of their capital but their attitude to people.

We come up with the proposal that has not been brought to life yet. Democratic values and slogans should be created on the principles of democracy.

It will be a new era both for Yabloko and the whole country.

We are coming to a new time in history relying on our voters and the majority of citizens in our country. We will continue working in their interests.

Emilia Slabunova
Yabloko Chair