Grigory Yavlinsky’s web-site, 31.08.2021

Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Photo by Alexander Miridonov /Kommersant

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov equated criticism of Joseph Stalin with an attack on the outcome of the Second World War. What for? It attracts communist voters to the [ruling] United Russia party and at the same time makes it clear that a negative assessment of the dictator who was guilty of the death of millions of people may soon become a criminal offense in Russia, as it will be considered a “revision of the results of the Second World War”. Now they will not even have to specially fabricate cases against those who tell the truth about the history of our country, such people will fall under criminal articles anyway and receive real imprisonment sentences.

Vladimir Putin and the Russian authorities in general are carefully monitoring the moods of the so-called active part of society (often referred to as “progressive” and even “liberal”) and clearly see that in these circles they are seriously discussing the options of voting for the Communists and Stalinists. “Nevertheless, voting in accordance with the recommendations of [Alexei Navalny’s] Smart Voting,” writes a prominent Russian professor in Paris, “is the most effective blow to the Russian government – whether they are people who support Stalin or are even openly homophobic and racist.”

The Hard Day’s Night programme at the Dozhd television channel, 6 July, 2021

Indeed, such an electoral strategy suits the Kremlin, because today the ruling party in Russia is not only United Russia, but also the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the LDPR and A Just Russia with the nationalists who have joined it. All these parties have been implementing and will implement only Vladimir Putin’s policies. Vladimir Putin said bluntly at the United Russia congress on 24 August, “I want to repeat again: I am grateful to all the parties that have so far been represented in the State Duma for their patriotic position. And United Russia plays a consolidating, uniting role here.” And the core of modern Vladimir Putin’s policy is the unification of supporters of militarism, annexations, hatred and the struggle against European values.

However, the main thing is that the calls on behalf of progressive opposition to vote for the communists and Stalinists, are the simplest and most understandable signal for the populist authorities: society is ready for an even greater scale of repressions, and even greater fear.

Did you long for a strong hand in 1999? Then get the Second War in Chechnya and “the revival of the Russian army in Chechnya”! Do you justify the Russian marches? Then get Crimea and Donbass! Are you saying that now the real opposition are the communists, that Pavel Grudinin, once an authorised campaigner for Putin and a member of United Russia, and now the Stalinist, is what you need? Then get the same Mr.Lavrov under red flags and with portraits of Joseph Stalin, and expect new repressions, the Iron Curtain and a war.

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