RJ under two courts

Date of publication: October 8, 2003

From the editor : “On October 6, 2003, in the Solntsevsky District Court of Moscow, the claim of S.V. Pugachev against G.O. Pavlovsky, the editors of the media: “Russian Journal”; “Political Expert Network “Kremlin.org”; "Independent newspaper"; "Vedomosti"; "Echo of Moscow" on the protection of honor, dignity and compensation for moral harm." This is a fragment of an official notice received by the editorial office of "Russian Journal". For comments, we turned to the author of the analytical note "On the negative consequences of the "summer offensive" of the minority opposition to the course of the President of the Russian Federation" , in which, among others, the name of Sergei Pugachev is mentioned.

Russian magazine: “Service Note” is a genre far from matters of honor. However, what in your statements could serve as a reason to apply for “compensation for moral damage”?

Gleb Pavlovsky : Pugachev announced a month ago that he would sue. This promise surprised me extremely; the note was nothing more than a summary assessment of publications in the media, a generalization of original materials. Following the media, the names of new oligarchs were announced. If I had offered the note in its entirety, I think the people mentioned would have liked it less. But the main thing is that there is no gag in it. Its main content is in the conclusions. In particular, I proposed to evaluate the good - the administrative potential of the group - and direct the energy of their unauthorized activity into a peaceful direction. In this respect I am completely satisfied with the results of the note. But Pugachev, apparently, not very well. The possibilities and field of his influence are most likely now narrowed. That is, the claim is related to Pugachev’s dissatisfaction.

RJ: Still, do you view the lawsuit as a political demarche of the “Group” that can have a continuation, or as a private reaction?

G.P.: The Group’s response initiative was discussed. I am sure that filing a claim in court is a coordinated step. In general, Pugachev had two options for responding: legal or non-legal - Sharia.

RJ: What do you mean by Shariah response?

G.P.: Let me remind you that RZh is under two courts at the same time. The first is Solntsevsky, where S. Pugachev applied. The second is Sharia, where the author of the Kavkaz-Center website, who hid under a pseudonym, filed a lawsuit. The system of sanctions of the Sharia court of Zakaev and Basayev involves a wider choice of means of influence, including direct physical influence. I have reason to guess that Pugachev is not averse to playing on an illegal keyboard. Therefore, I welcome that for the first time the banker decided to limit himself to the Solntsevo court and chose the legal path.

RJ: Are you satisfied that you finally received an “answer” from the “Group”?

G.P.: I did not seek an answer. My goal was to bring the situation to a legal, public level. Such a transfer limits the possibilities of shadow behind-the-scenes pressure and limits the “Group” as a political threat. These people are strong as a latent opposition, as a certain faction in Putin’s team, but they are not carriers of an alternative project. In the public sphere, they are incapable of reaction or dialogue. I welcome the discussion and would be happy to contribute to it, including in the Russian Journal. But I think that Pugachev is not the person who is capable of conducting such a dialogue.