The Real Russia. Today.

The first half-decent photo of Navalny in months

Thursday, December 9, 2021

International: Putin sees ‘genocide’ in the Donbas, a Ukrainian warship flirts with the Kerch Strait, (opinion) Alexander Baunov says Biden still has to achieve de-escalation, and (opinion) Larisa Deriglazova breaks down Soviet nostalgia
Law and order: the Stephen King of Russia’s National Guard, Navalny appears on camera, and human rights attorney Ivan Pavlov’s disbarment begins
Corruption: August Meyer’s fraud case, a new McMansion in Rostov, the military charges an advisor with bribery, and Putin weighs in on Memorial and jailed scholar Sergey Zuyev
Public policy: the Communists want to abolish e-voting, here comes an awfully expensive new gene therapy, social-media advertisements’ days might be numbered, and (opinion) Andrey Pertsev says Moscow’s regional micromanagement will lead to a ‘shadow power vertical’

International

🕯️ Putin compares Ukraine conflict to ‘genocide’ (he also warned that “Russophobia is a first step toward genocide” but urged caution, going forward)

🔱 Ukrainian warship turns back from Kerch Strait after brief but tense standoff with FSB (Russia actually captured the “Donbas” command ship in 2014 during its annexation of Crimea. The vessel was returned to Odessa, after about a month.)

🕊️ (Opinion) Alexander Baunov says Biden appears to have averted an imminent wider war in Ukraine, but not yet achieved de-escalation (Following Biden’s call with Putin this week, U.S. outreach to NATO allies has been “unusual” and “maybe to the Russian leadership’s liking.” Though Ukrainian leaders would like the U.S. to reject the Minsk II settlement outright, Washington continues to see it as the only basis for a resolution in the Donbas. Meanwhile, Putin “is consolidating his political and historical legacy ahead of 2024” and “will look for other ways of resolving the Ukraine crisis” if the existing legal framework fails again.)

🕰️ (Opinion) Larisa Deriglazova argues that the declining population of people who actually remember the USSR means the country’s image has grown more abstract, reshaping today’s nostalgia (Popular theories about the USSR’s collapse say the union died because its system grew obsolete, its political and ethnic elites betrayed it, and/or because foreigners undermined it. Reasons for nostalgia vary by age and location, materializing not just as emotions but also “longing for a social safety net.” Geographically, former Soviet Republics’ modern-day relations with Moscow strongly influence how the Soviet past is perceived now.)

Law and order

Meet Police Sergeant Alexey Abramov, the proud recipient of a writing prize you can buy

Russia’s National Guard is honored to have among its ranks a decorated author. On December 8, a security firm contracted by the federal agency proudly announced that Police Sergeant Alexey Abramov was recently awarded third place in the International Stanislaw Lem Fantasy Competition for his children’s book, “Dungeon in the Clouds: The Witch Delivery Service,” a crowdfunded novel about two girls who “visit the world of the Gnomes” and help solve the mystery of “disappearing homes and entire Gnome villages.” According to the National Guard’s security firm, Abramov’s book was ranked just below recent works by Canadian novelist Steven Erikson and American King of Horror Stephen King. The prize, it turns out, is for sale.

🏆 Long time no see: Navalny joins hearing (via video link) on latest lawsuit against prison administration

On Thursday, December 9, a district court in Russia’s Vladimir Region held a preliminary hearing on Alexey Navalny’s latest lawsuit against the administration of the prison where he is serving out his sentence. The Kremlin critic is suing to overturn the prison administration’s decision to place him under preventive supervision as an inmate “prone to commit crimes of an extremist orientation.” Navalny took part in the hearing via video link. The next court date is scheduled for December 28.

⚖️ St. Petersburg Bar Association caves to Justice Ministry and initiates disbarment of exiled human rights attorney (Ivan Pavlov says the association’s qualification committee is likely hoping that it can compromise with the authorities, but he says this won’t end well. The founder of the now disbanded Team 29 legal defense team, Pavlov fled to Georgia last month after officials designated him as a “foreign agent.” One of the last people he defended before leaving Russia was imprisoned journalist Ivan Safronov, who stands accused of treason.)

Corruption

⚖️ Russia jails prominent U.S.-born investor, pending trial for fraud

A St. Petersburg court has jailed prominent investor August Meyer for two months pending trial for fraud. Meyer, a U.S.-born businessman who now holds Russian citizenship, is the owner of the beauty chain Rive Gauche and co-owner of the online retailer Ulmart. He stands accused of two counts of fraud totaling 2.4 billion rubles ($32.6 million). Meyer’s wife, Inna, is also a suspect in the case and was placed under house arrest. Speaking in court, in English (see the video below), Meyer recounted coming under pressure from Russian investigators. Allegedly, he was told that if he plead guilty, the authorities would release his wife. “Is it appropriate to hold a wife hostage?” Meyer asked. “Is this 1931 Soviet Union?”

💰 Another McMansion bought with embezzled public funds surfaces in Rostov (a state official named Vitaly Latyshev reportedly stole roughly $4.1 million over the past six years — 30 percent of the subsidies allocated to local families in need)

⚖️ Procurement advisor to Russia’s Defense Department put under house arrest on bribery charges (Alexander Lopatin faces up to 15 years in prison)

⚖️ Off camera, Putin says the pretrial detention of scholar Sergey Zuyev is unnecessary (during the closed session of his meeting with human rights advisors, he also promised to study up on the case against Memorial — an organization he “respects,” though he also says it “defends” terrorist organizations, which is partly why the Justice Ministry wants to shut it down)

Public policy

🗳️ Communist Party submits draft law on abolishing electronic voting to Russian State Duma (Deputies point out that e-ballot results in Moscow this year flipped the results from paper ballots. The legislation is not expected to pass.)

💊 Russia registers multi-million-dollar gene therapy drug ‘Zolgensma’ (the move follows the death of a 10-year-old cystic fibrosis patient who never received the court-ordered doses of Trikafta that she needed to live)

🪙 Advertising on foreign social networks could be in jeopardy, following latest Internet regulations (New legislation entering force in 2022 will empower Roskomnadzor to block platforms that refuse to set up local offices, designate ads, establish advertising accounts with the Russian government, and post special forms for the public. The new rules will apply to 22 networks. In the event of noncompliance, local Russian ad agencies could be prohibited from placing promoted content on these platforms.)

🤝 (Opinion) Andrey Pertsev says reforms to increase the Kremlin’s direct control over governors will backfire and lead to a ‘shadow power vertical’ (Further subordinating regional governments will reduce the appeal of gubernatorial office, says Pertsev, and drive away the federal groups that currently take responsibility for these territories. Meanwhile, many business owners will keep their local authority and influence while refusing to enter public service, which disrupts the state’s capacity to know what the public wants. Additionally, greater centralization and verticalization contradict President Putin’s pandemic policy of shifting accountability for lockdowns and restrictions to Russia’s governors.)

Yours, Meduza