Let's go in

Young “front-line soldiers” want to meet independent bloggers

At the end of last week, Ekho Moskvy journalists Vladimir Varfolomeev and Alexander Plushev were invited to take part in a meeting between the youth wing of the All-Russian Popular Front (ONF) and the “blogging community.” Varfolomeev got...

At the end of last week, Ekho Moskvy journalists Vladimir Varfolomeev and Alexander Plushev were invited to take part in a meeting between the youth wing of the All-Russian Popular Front (ONF) and the “blogging community.”

Varfolomeev received a letter by mail. It indicated that the meeting would take place on June 9 at the Moscow government building on Novy Arbat. In the appendix to the letter, its authors noted (the spelling of the original is preserved): “We have talked a lot about the lack of dialogue between the authorities and the opposition, that the authorities are not ready to answer acute questions. We are ready! We are waiting for you, regardless of political views and party affiliation. We will be happy to answer the most pressing questions and listen to your proposals for the development of dialogue among the youth and the further development of Russia.”

The event should be attended by the leader of the "Young Guard" Timur Prokopenko, the curator of the ONF from the "Young Guard" Veniamin Rodnyansky, the chairman of the "Union of student communities" Kantemir Khurtaev, the deputy head of Rosmolodezh Denis Kravchenko, the chairman of the Russian Youth Union Andrey Platonov and the "face of the nationalist opposition" Alexander Barefoot (the nationalist opposition would certainly be very surprised to know that she has such a face). Barefoot is a member of the Presidium of the Congress of Russian Communities, which, not sharing the position of United Russia, nevertheless declared its readiness to cooperate with the ONF.

Alexander Plushev learned about the desire of the youth wing of the ONF to invite him to a meeting through acquaintances.

“They asked me to give an email address to which they could send an invitation,” Alexander explained to Novyi. My email address is pretty easy to find. And if people can’t even do that, then it seems to me that it’s pointless to talk to them. I said that I did not want them to write to me, and asked my friends to pass it on to them. In general, I have nothing to add to what was said on the air of Echo. There was a good idea from a radio listener: they also master the budget in this way. I don't want to help them cut the budget.

On the air of Echo, Plushev said: “Everyone is discussing something, some innovations, some kind of Skolkovo. There was the Public Chamber. Who remembers anything about her? She always organizes some kind of round tables. Is there any real result from this? I am not such a radical person as Alexei Navalny, who believes that any such discussions are completely useless (Navalny told Novaya Gazeta that he has not yet received such a letter. - N.G.), but look at the composition of the People's Front Ready to answer tough questions. Who are these people? Have you heard about them? They only want to talk."

One of “these people”, head of the ONF Russian Youth Union Andrey Platonov, told Novaya Gazeta that the purpose of the meeting was to involve non-political forces in the ONF: “In the blogging community, any idea is often taken with hostility, somewhere with a bit of irony , somewhere with fierce criticism. This will be the first meeting with independent people - and bloggers are independent in many ways. I would like to share my position with them, to find allies. If they are skeptical, then in any case we will go our own way and defend our position (emphasis added by me. - N. G.).”

Veniamin Rodnyansky, the organizer and moderator of the meeting, told Novaya Gazeta that 25-30 bloggers were invited, selected according to several criteria: “political engagement”, “authority in the blogosphere” and the interest that their opinion represents.

I can't share specific names. But most of them have already agreed. We want to invite opposition-minded environments to cooperation. If their claims turn out to be constructive, we will take them into account. Registration for the event will begin on Monday.

It is strange that the “front-line soldiers”, constantly declaring their “openness”, do not want to name the invitees. However, the meeting is expected to be open to the media.

Vladimir Varfolomeev and Alexander Plushev told Novaya Gazeta that they would not attend the meeting. And we are looking for those who agree to discuss the "further development of Russia" with the ONF.