Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Radio Finam, May
12, 2010
Everyone knows that Russian elections are, to put it mildly, special. Especially in 2024. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Kremlin announced the result already in August of 2023: Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the President, said that Vladimir Putin would win the presidential elections in 2024 with a result of more than 90%. Certainly, they will announce about 75-78% in the end, everything is clear with the Central Electoral Commission.
However, there are more than 100 million voters in Russia. It is they – voters, citizens of the country, people – who should must formulate what they want.
Photo: A tent camp of civil activists opposing the construction of a road across the river / Photo by the regional branch of Yabloko
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Udmurtia joined in challenging the decision of the Izhevsk Mayor’s Office on the construction of a bridge across the Orlovka River. The supervisory authority, like the leader of the Yabloko branch in Udmurtia, Iya Boronina, considers the Mayor’s resolution permitting the construction to be illegal. The Oktyabrsky District Court of the Izhevsk combined the two cases into one proceeding.
On 4 December, the Yabloko party Moscow office will host the “Live Forever” theatre piece based on an excerpt from Vasily Grossman’s novel “Life and Fate”. The key idea of the play is as follows: one must remain human always and in any conditions and trials. The play is staged by the Moscow independent theatre Baggage.
On Friday, November 24, the Federal Political Committee of the Yabloko party summed up the results of the all-party nomination of candidates for post of Yabloko Chairperson.
The Counting Commission summarised the questionnaires received from party members and regional branches of the party and submitted nine candidates for consideration by the Federal Political Committee.
Thus, based on the results of the rating voting by the Federal Political Committee members, delegates to the party congress will have to choose the party Chairperson from the following four candidates:
Photo: Alexandra Skochilenko / Photo from open sources
The Qualification Commission of Judges of St. Petersburg conducted an audit of the actions of Judge Oksana Demyasheva during the trial of the criminal case of Alexandra Skochilenko. No violations were found. Earlier, in October, Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko party Boris Vishnevsky demanded the Commission to check the Judge for compliance with the rules of judicial ethics.
Photo: the Moscow City Duma / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 21 November, three pro-government factions in the Moscow parliament (United Russia, A Just Russia and My Moscow) made a proposal to the Moscow City Duma to adopt the Moscow budget for 2024 and the planning period for 2025-2026 at a meeting on 22 November – during just one sitting of the Moscow parliament, in one day, and without amendments. The Yabloko party faction released a statement on this:
Photo: Monument to Joseph Stalin in Velikiye Luki / Photo from open sources
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Pskov region once again found no grounds for taking measures of prosecutorial response in connection with the unauthorised installation of a monument to Joseph Stalin in Velikiye Luki, the Pskov region, and reported that documents for the approval of the monument were being prepared to be submitted to the City Duma. The monument was opened on 15 August, 2023.
On the day of the 25th anniversary of the murder of State Duma MP and politician Galina Starovoytova, Chairman of the St. Petersburg branch of Yabloko Alexander Shishlov, and Yury Shein, member of the Registrar Council of the Moscow Yabloko and General Director of the Regional Public Fund for Support of Science, Education and Culture named after Galina Starovoytova, laid flowers at the grave of Galina Starovoytova at the Nikolskoye cemetery in St.Petersburg. The service was performed by the Archbishop of the Apostolic Orthodox Church, Father Grigory (Mikhnov-Voitenko).
On 23 November, the Counting Commission of the Yabloko party will sum up the results of its consideration of individual proposals from party members and regional conferences (general meetings) of Yabloko branches on candidates for the post of Chairman of Yabloko.
On 6 December Yabloko will host a round table “Traditional Values and Women’s Rights”. The ideology of traditional values (of the patriarchal structure) promoted by the state is inextricably linked with the restriction of women’s rights, which contradicts modernisation, human rights and freedoms, as well as the principles of gender equality enshrined in the Constitution.
On 22 November – 6 December Yabloko will hold its regular actions of writing letters to Russian political prisoners. The actions will be conducted by the Yabloko branches in different Russian regions.
nyone can take part in the actions of writing to political prisoners. Yabloko has developed an instruction (https://www.yabloko.ru/pisma-politzekam ) for writing and sending letters, so that people can get in touch with political prisoners even if they do not have the opportunity to come to one of the Yabloko offices for the action.
Photo: Alexei Duplyakov / Photo from Alexei Duplyakov’s personal archive
Civil activist Alexei Duplyakov received a fine for participating in a peaceful rally against the start of the so-called “special military operation”. The rally took place in Moscow on 27 February, 2022. Duplyakov had to leave Russia fearing persecution for his active political position. While waiting for a decision on being granted political asylum, the activist cannot work and asks for help with paying a fine. Alexei Duplyakov fears that bailiffs will seize things in the apartment where he is registered with his relatives. Yabloko announced a fundraiser to pay the fine for Duplyakov.
On 16 November, the Yabloko Party University hosted a lecture “Ecology of Russian Regions: Trends of the 2020s” by Nikolai Rybakov, an environmentalist, human rights activist, and Chairman of the Yabloko party.
Artist Sasha Skochilenko was sentenced to seven years in prison. Not because she is a criminal and has caused immeasurable harm to someone. Such people, as you know, are now being pardoned. Sasha received such a ridiculous sentence for replacing several price tags in a supermarket with peacekeeping pictures, for her pacifist position, for her convictions and the courage to defend them.
Photo: A five-storey house in St. Petersburg that will be pulled down due to renovation / Photo by the regional branch of Yabloko
The Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg is preparing an inquiry on behalf of the city parliament to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation so that to verify the provisions of the City Planning Code and the Housing Code regarding the integrated development of territories (renovation). This was stated by Boris Vishnevsky, deputy head of the Yabloko faction, at a plenary meeting of the city parliament on Wednesday, 15 November.
Photo: Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Republic of Udmurtia / Photo by Iya Boronina
I sent an inquiry to the Ministry of Culture of Udmurtia, as part of the preparation of amendments to the draft law “On the Budget of Udmurtia for 2024,” about the amount of funds allocated by the regional budget and spent on the creation of performances for 2020-2023, in particular to the Tchaikovsky State Opera and Ballet Theatre. For some reason, the ministry refused to provide the data. I received a letter that did not contain a response referring to the substance of the appeal.
On 13 November, a conference and public forum The Alexei Yablokov Day were held at the Darwin Museum in Moscow as part of the events dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Acad.Alexei Yablokov (1933-2017), a renowned Russian ecologist and founder of the Green Russia Faction of the Yabloko party. In 2006, Alexei Yablokov, together with a large group of like-minded people, joined the Yabloko party and until his last day headed the Green Russia Faction of the Yabloko party, while remaining a recognised leader of the environmental movement in Russia.
On 16 November, the Yabloko Party University will host a lecture “Ecology of Russian Regions: Trends of the 2020s.” The lecturer is Nikolai Rybakov, an environmentalist, human rights activist, and Chairman of the Yabloko party.
Photo: Olga Tuzhikova / Photo from Olga Tuzhikova’s personal archive
On the morning of 10 November, a search was carried out in the apartment of Olga Tuzhikova, a Yabloko deputy of the Petrozavodsk City Council. Tuzhikova is a witness in the case initiated under the article on calls for activities directed against the security of the state (Article 280.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). During the search, the politician’s phone and computer were confiscated. Tuzhikova was summoned for questioning by the Federal Security Service and the Investigative Committee. According to her relatives, she has been under interrogation by the Federal Security Service since 14:00 (Moscow time).
On December 9-10, the Yabloko party will hold its 22nd Congress. Delegates of the Congress will elect the party’s executive bodies.
According to the Yabloko By-Laws, congresses at which the executive bodies of the party are elected should be held every four years. The previous congress was held in December 2019.
