Chairman of the branch Vitaly Ilyin, activists Valentin Grushevsky, Alexander Kalashnik and Denis Shakin are under pressure

Press Release, 12.03.2022

Photo: Vitaly Ilyin / Photo from social networks

The Chairman of the Kemerovo branch of Yabloko and activists of the regional branch were fired from their jobs and fined under the new “anti-war” article, also they received warnings and threats from the security forces for their position on *** in Ukraine.

The leader of the regional branch, Vitaly Ilyin, was fired from the metallurgical enterprise, where he had worked since 2015, with an unfavourable entry in his work record. The formal reason for dismissal is absenteeism. Ilyin’s parental leave was called absenteeism, despite the fact that the electronic sick leave was provided to the plant’s accounting department. Vitaly Ilyin was fired the next day after taking part in a series of single pickets against *** in Ukraine. It should be noted that employees of the security service of the enterprise, affiliated with the authorities of the Kemerovo region, and not the HR department discussed the dismissal with Ilyin. The leader of the regional branch of Yabloko was offered to leave his job of his own will, but he refused. Vitaly Ilyin is trying to get a job at other enterprises in the Kemerovo region, but he fears that he will be left without work, since the security services of all factories are linked with the authorities.

Yabloko activist in Kemerovo Valentin Grushevsky was fined by the court on 10 March under a new “anti-war” article (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, “public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Russian Armed Forces in order to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens, maintain international peace and security”). The formal reason was Grushevsky’s comments on social networks about the possible consequences of a nuclear explosion. The report was drawn up by employees of the Centre for Combatting Extremism of the Federal Security Service, Grushevsky was fined 35,000 roubles.

Alexander Kalashnik. A member of the Kemerovo branch of Yabloko, is awaiting trial in a “sanitary case” (violation of COVID restrictions for public gatherings) following his participation in a series of single pickets against *** in Ukraine. The formal reason was the violation of the mask regime during picketing on 27 February. Kalashnik faces a fine or a formal warning.

In Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo region, Yabloko activist Denis Shakin was taken to the police on 6 March after a video against *** in Ukraine with his participation was published on the YouTube channel of the regional Yabloko branch. The law enforcement officers did not allow a lawyer to see Shakin, threatened him and demanded to show the correspondence on the phone.

Denis Shakin, Alexander Kalashnik and Vitaly Ilyin were warned about their participation in unauthorised actions.

Earlier, the police detained at least 25 Yabloko activists in different regions. Searches took place in the Pskov and Bashkir branches of Yabloko, and in the homes of Marina Zheleznyakova, Deputy Chair of the Yabloko branch in the Maritime Territory, and Alexander Korovainy, an ex-deputy of the Council of Deputies in Yeysk, the Krasnodar Territory. The office of the Nizhny Novgorod Yabloko was destroyed. The leader of the Rostov branch of Yabloko Maria Krivenko was sentenced to ten days of arrest, activist Vladimir Beradze was sentences to 15 days of arrest. Kirill Goncharov, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow branch of Yabloko, served ten days of arrest, Nikolai Kavkazsky, a member of the Regional Council of the Moscow Yabloko, served six days. Two more Yabloko activists were arrested for participating in protests: Yuri Bagrov from St. Petersburg received ten days of arrest; Javid Agayev from Chelyabinsk got 15 days.