Adventures of Fathers of the Russian Democracy in Kiev

At the conference "Russia-Ukraine: Dialogue" Mikhail Khodorkovsky, no matter if he wanted it or not, carried out review of real forces of the Russian democratic public (smile). I will make a reservation at once and say that conference had noble official purpose and there were a lot of worthy people among its participants. Though the first violin was played there by representatives known to all liberal beau monde, "fathers of the Russian democracy", frequenters of "independent" mass media.

On photos from the congress we Óan see respectable gentlemen of the pre-retirement age, known people with rich past. All types of former: stars of Gusinsky's NTV, PR managers of Yeltsin and Chubais, staff of the government of "young reformers", leaders and managers of Union of Right Forces, participants of the committee 2008 (threatening to write off Putin ten years ago), members of Coordination Council of Opposition. Here you Óan also find those (and, in many cases, these are one and the same people) who dispersed NTV, conducted Óampaign of Union of Right Forces under the motto "Putin - in Presidents, Kiriyenko - in the Duma!", supported "revival of the Russian army in Chechnya", over a bottle of whisky in the city hall agreed about convenient for authorities variant of transfer of protest far away from the Kremlin, somewhere to the shelter, to Bolotnaya Square.

During their political career the government of young reformers ended up with default. Yeltsin finally lost himself into drinking and left after himself the security officer Putin. Union of Right Forces lost everything that is possible and collapsed. Perspective mass movement for democratization of 2011 – 2012 was brought to deadloÓk and ended with nothing. Coordination CounÓil of opposition disgracefully stopped its senseless existence. The mode which they had been “opposing” so many years became stronger and felt impunity to suÓh extend that it began annexing other territories and menaÓes war. However, all these respectable gentlemen are in good mood and form. They lost everything except fight for own social survival and material welfare. In the majority they are extremely self-confident, in love with themselves and absolutely convinced of own correctness and infallibility.

These people remind strange team of sports veterans, which has continuous chains of failures and defeats behind them. They long ago don't participate in any championships, but despite it still try to threaten rivals with revenge.

Show has to go on. The result, not process is important. It is necessary to be very famous, to remain afloat. It is possible to turn chain of failures into profitable business, assuring each time that now everything will be ok. The main thing for them is to be able to find resources, where and what for is minor matter.

Let’s look at the guests of the Congress. "All faces are familiar!" Here’s gray-haired gentlemen in due time entering Creative Council of Union of Right Forces. Where’s that Council and that Union of Right Forces? "Looking back we see only ruins". Here’s Sasha Morozov once issuing ridiculous newspaper for ridiculous Sergey Mironov. Now he serves to Pavlovsky. By the way, why there is no Pavlovsky? If he is as crooked as a dog’s hind leg? He is afraid thet the Ukrainians can beat for provocations against first orange revolution? Though he turned over a new leaf as soon as he was expelled from the Kremlin, he also became "oppositional intellectual". Now this forum is his place. Belkovsky is also here. If he is better? He writes skillfully? Here’s Gelman, after all he used to work for wide range of people. There is even Koch. Well, all know about his feats during privatization of TNK before he was dispersed from NTV.

Recently the power ceased to use services of our liberal beau monde and blocked many channels of financing. The Kremlin doesn't like them, Berezovsky hung up, Chubais hid and silently saws not nanobudgets using nanotechnologies, Gusinsky and Nevzlin buried in the Israeli sand. The situation difficult, not all "intellectuals" appeared to be lucky to take part in privatization of TNK. The rests have to jump round Khodorkovsky, Prokhorov, Kudrin.

Now they are going "to save Ukraine", trying out of habit, to teach "younger brothers" of life. Nemtsov suggested to turn it into confederation. In today's situation it means breakdown of the country to spheres of influence, realization of Putin’s dream about creation of the Russian protectorate, so-called "Novorossiya" in the Ukrainian southeast. Koch would like to turn Kiev into Russia-two for "good" Russians refusing to live in Putinland. Khodorkovsky spoke about East Slavic civilization with center in Kiev.

Having failed in Russia, they fondly believe that they would find fertile place in Ukraine where they would be demanded, interesting, actual again, where they would be listened to and read. Though the Ukrainians are not "East Slavic civilization", they don’t need either "Novorossiya", or "Russia-two". They simply want to protect Ukraine-one (they have no other homeland) from aggression. They don’t need teachers from Russia who have no real strangleholds on policy of their own country.

Russian "liberal subculture" is a transcendental object. It exists in own "ghetto" protected with a high fence from other country. Liberal guys teach life liberal young hipsters and creative persons. Some Parkhomenko has been telling one and the same banalities for decades on "Ekho Moskvy" for the same audience of his adherents. Narrow circle of these under-revolutionaries doesn't extend, it can't extend. Other ideas, aims, persons, formats of communication with citizens are necessary for this purpose. It seems that Navalny made break, but then liberal beau monde strangled him in embraces, assimilated in its environment. Unprecedented growth of his popularity stopped.

Successful intellectual opposition appeals first of all not to socially close adherents, but to unprivileged majority of the population. Cultural figures, lawyers and journalists fighting "against old mode", always looked for support among city bottoms which the Russian liberal public derides and despises. The liberal intellectuals aren't capable to stop war. "Their circle" is too narrow and "they are far from the people". The mode pregnant with war can fall only as a result "revolts of masses".

It is nonsense that people want war. In the majority they don’t care for the stories about mythical external enemies, for all this patriotic hysteria. Their main enemy is own Russian administration. They hate ruling and fattening. Though they have no belief that something can change in the country and there are no ideas how to make life better. They feel that they were deceived, pushed aside on a life roadside, deprived of chances for social success during reforms, privatizations. They need fairer society where they will be able to receive their share of public pie and recognition. Mission of the true intellectuals is to help them to find confidence in their forces and to change the country together with them.

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