Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Radio Finam, May
12, 2010
The Yabloko faction in the Moscow City Duma made a package of proposals to the Moscow government aimed at providing socio-economic support to residents of Moscow in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. The document proposes to redistribute the funds envisaged in the budget for 2020 from long-term infrastructure and entertainment projects to immediate measures to support the living standards of ordinary Muscovites and the city’s economy.
Boris Vishnevsky, head of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, asked St.Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov to give a clear definition of the term “self-isolation” in order to end the arbitrariness of law enforcement. The term is mentioned in the decree of the Government of St. Petersburg “On measures to counteract the spread of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in St. Petersburg”.
Boris Vishnevsky, head of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, called on Roman Pugin, head of the St. Petersburg police, to consider the possibility of involving police officers in providing social assistance to elderly residents of St. Petersburg who are forcibly sent to “self-isolation” and are deprived of the opportunity to leave their homes.
Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov sent an appeal to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin with a demand to review the list of 646 systemically important organisations that should receive state support. The party believes that this list was compiled in a non-transparent manner and in violation of the basic principles of market competition.
Andrei Babushkin, member of the Presidential Human Rights Council and the Federal Bureau of the Yabloko party, demands that the director of the Federal Penitentiary Service urgently provide access to the Ombudsman, independent human rights activists, and journalists to the Irkutsk colony, where there was a riot, and then a fire. Babishkin demands non-violent methods to suppress disorders of prisoners, as well as involve mediators in resolving the situation.
Statement by the Saratov branch of Yabloko, 10.04.2020
To the Federal Penitentiary Service;
To the Federal State-Funded Institution Pre-Trial Detention Facility No 1
Of the Department of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Samara region
The Saratov regional branch of the Russian United Democratic Party Yabloko is deeply concerned about the health condition of the arrested Saratov political activist Sergei Ryzhov and strongly protests the inaction of the structures of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation, which cause undeniable harm to his health.
Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov sent an appeal to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin asking him to adopt a decree on the protection of delivery service employees and volunteers of social services. According to the head of the party, this document is needed against the background of increasing risks that these categories of citizens are exposed to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more »
Boris Vishnevsky, head of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, submitted to the city parliament a bill envisaging a rent waiver on non-residential premises for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as non-profit organisations they rent from the city of St.Petersburg for the entire period of validity of the restrictions related to the spread of COVID-19 infection in St. Petersburg. Anatoly Golov, member of the Yabloko party Bureau and Co-Chair of the Consumers Union of Russia, took part in the development of the draft law.
* St. George ribbons in Russia are considered to be a symbol of the USSR victory in the Second World War.
The Russian government, instead of allocating funds for the purchase of the necessary number of personal protection equipment (masks, respirators, gloves, protective suits and so on), which are lacking in hospitals and clinics, and which are not available in many pharmacies, decided to monopolise their wholesale and retail adopting Resolution No. 431 of April 3.
Now everything is in the hands of the “federal operator” AO Roskhimzashchita (managed by Rostech, the State Corporation for Assistance to Development, Production and Export of Advanced Technology Industrial Product) and its “regional operators”.
Boris Vishnevsky, head of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, sent a request to Oleg Ergashev, Vice Governor of St.Petersburg city, as well as Kirill Soloveichik, head of the Committee on Industry and Trade.
The Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko called on Alexei Teksler, Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region, to ensure compliance with the sanitary-epidemiological measures by the collectives of industrial enterprises the region is rich with.
Yabloko activists note that key industrial enterprises of the Chelyabinsk region resume or continue their work, but their employees do not have personal protective equipment. Moreover, there were no checks how enterprises observe sanitary and epidemiological standards at the majority of factories and plants.
Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov sent an appeal to the heads of several Russian regions. He called for redirection of funds allocated to the regional budgets for campaigning on the all-Russian voting on constitutional amendments to the needs of healthcare and aid to citizens in a difficult situation.
Appeal by the Novgorod branch of Yabloko, 6.04.2020
Photo: Anna Cherepanova
Anna Cherepanova, Chair of the Novgorod branch of the Yabloko party and deputy of the Duma of Veliky Novgorod, sent an appeal to Governor Andrei Nikitin to immediately take anti-crisis measures and provide aid to people and businesses.
Statement by the Novgorod branch of Yabloko, 3.04.2020
On 2 April, 2020, the head and members of the independent Alliance of Doctors medical workers union carried out a humanitarian mission in the Novgorod Region. Medical union workers brought by car medical masks, goggles, protective suits, and disinfectants to the hospitals and ambulance stations, which are lacking in the region’s health facilities. In the absence of personal protective equipment, doctors, paramedics, and nurses assisting patients daily endanger their lives.
The situation in Russia has been rapidly changing for the worse. The number of people affected by COVID-19 infection has been growing every day.
In most regions, bans and restrictions have been imposed on the work of enterprises and organisations in public catering, trade, tourism, culture, sports, entertainment and most services. This deprives a huge number of citizens and enterprises of means of subsistence and threatens to ruin a significant part of small and medium-sized businesses.
The Yabloko party believes that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic urgent measures must be taken to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in places of custodial restraint, and demands to conduct an urgent and broadest amnesty.
The web-site will generate proposals on measures to support those affected by the quarantine measures and the economic crisis. In addition, the website contains the proposals of the Yabloko party, as well as support measures voiced by federal and regional authorities.
The regional branch of the Yabloko party in the Ryazan region considers vacation of Yulia Rokotyanskaya, head of the municipality – the city of Ryazan and Chair of the Ryazan City Duma, during an active struggle against coronavirus be blatant cynicism.
The USA directs 9 per cent of its GDP to support people and the economy, the UK about 14 per cent and Germany over 20 per cent. Russia has so far allocated only 0.3 per cent of its GDP for medicine, aid to private businesses and the population.
Where to get the money from? Russia does have financial reserves:
The National Welfare Fund – 8.3 trillion roubles;
Gold and foreign exchange reserves – USD 580 billion;
Russia’s budget is 20 trillion roubles with a surplus of about 2 trillion roubles.
The Nizhny Novgorod branch of Yabloko called on Gleb Nikitin, Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, to abolish fees for capital repairs of housing in the situation of quarantine for COVID-19 and compensate for 30 per cent of residents payments for utilities at the expense of the regional budget.
