Statement by the Yabloko Chairman, 26.06.2024

Photo by Ganzhevi Gadzhibalaev/TASS

 The Yabloko party expresses its sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the terrorist attack in Dagestan, including Orthodox Archpriest Nikolai Kotelnikov, who worked there for more than 40 years, civilians and a large number of law enforcement officers. May their memory live forever! We wish a speedy recovery to the wounded.

Both the attack on police officers and the attack on an Orthodox church and synagogue are obvious manifestations of terrorism, which is a huge danger both for Russia and for the whole world.

Recent manifestations of this danger were the terrible tragedy in the [concert hall] Crocus City Hall and the taking of hostages in a pre-trial detention centre in Rostov. And the earlier ones were mass riots and anti-Semitic protests in Dagestan in October last year, which remained virtually unpunished (the pogromists received only administrative punishment, and none of the heads of the security forces were punished). New tragedies are the result, among other things, of impunity for those responsible for previous tragedies.

The present developments again bring to the fore the question of the quality and priorities of the work of the intelligence services, their efforts should aim at ensuring the security of the country, and not at suppressing of the critics of the authorities, at combating real terrorism, and not at searching for “misconduct” among theatre directors, poets, writers and civil activists.

The Yabloko party considers the priority task to be the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine and transfer to ensuring the security of the country’s citizens, including an end to political repression.

Nikolai Rybakov,

Yabloko Chairman