Process

First, about the general impression on the state of the minds of the Russian political "elite", which had prevailed after returning from a long foreign business trip. In personal communication, you will learn a lot of things that you will not read in any articles and reports.

The Elites calmed down and came to the conclusion that social riots do not threaten them. Somewhere they will throw money, somewhere a riot police will be scared, somewhere they will kill a too persistent journalist or working activist.

None of them has none of them. All anti -crisis activities are thought exclusively in the context of the retention of power and property in the coming years.

The Kremlin "blood party" and "bolt party", which stood in December-January, judging by the pamphlets of their fiery publicists, on the verge of a frontal clash, came to the sober conclusion that either they would remain in power or they will lose it together. No one is sending Hitleransk to Krasnokamensk, and they are more and more sitting in the presidential councils and discussing the merits of "tandemocracy". Following Benjamin Franklin, they could repeat the famous phrase We must eng Together or We Shall Hang Separately.

The only cloud dissonating with this blessed Kremlin consensus remains the second process of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Plato Lebedev.

He was conceived by the Putinsko-Sechinsky organized group (Psog) in the midst of the intra-Krelev crisis as an instrument of public humiliation of the “heir”, around the shadow of which the “bolt party” is trying to punch, demonstrations to him and his potential supporters of their well-deserved place at the Kremlin parachais. Today, the Psog no longer needs such strong and risky means (the "bolt party" has accepted the ritual pose of humility), but the process continues to live its own life.

I visited it. Both accused, still relatively young people, were very gray and old in these six years. The Russian prison does not add health to anyone. But they are absolutely not broken and are in an excellent intellectual and emotional form. They were brought to an open indicative political process. They accepted this challenge and conduct a political battle, smearing the prosecutors of Shokhin and Lakhtin, mocking the ridiculous and legally absurd accusation (physical theft of Yukos with the head office of all their subsidiaries from all their oil).

They directly call Shokhin and Lachtin members of an extensive criminal organized group, which included, in particular, the Baikalfinance group, which was registered in the Tverskaya glass, which has been so warmly described by the long -known non -moryed -free our national leader so warmly.

The preliminary hearing was won by the accused of a clear advantage, and judging by the miserable and tongue -tied bleed of prosecutors, the overall picture will not change in the next stages of the process.

Judge Viktor Danilkin will make a decision. The press notes that he refuses in most formal defense petitions. But he does something much more important for ensuring the genuine adversarial process. He gives Khodorkovsky and Lebedev the complete freedom to speak out, not limiting them in either time or on the subject of legal, economic and political issues raised by them. Emphasized politely, by name and patronymic, he addresses all participants in the meeting, including the accused. In my opinion, Judge Danilkin conducts the hearing of the case impartially, objectively and professionally.

But it was precisely such a course of the process that the prosecutors did not expect the accustomed to complete impunity. They feel obviously not at ease when, under the laughter and applause of the hall in front of the eyes of Russian and world media, the accused and the protection of stone on the stone do not leave their prepared fakes from their prepared fakes.

"We didn't agree like that!" - It is clearly read in their confused and dedicated glances. A terrible suspicion in our eyes covers the Order -bearing of Shokhin. But what if with every new court hearing he is increasingly turning into a gondon used by power? No! Really?! And the Order? He was awarded by the national leader himself, said such warm words, thanked for the right service.

Just think, the order. Here, here the heroes of Russia, faithfully serving the regime, shed blood for him, their own and alien, shoot like frantic dogs in the center of Moscow and in the middle of other capitals, when political expediency has changed.

Be sure to go to the process next week to see what will remain from Mr. Shokhin.