Maria Gaidar and Pavel Khodorkovsky spoke about the events in Bolotnaya, protesting for fair elections in New York

The rally “For honest elections in Russia” gathered only 200 people in New York. “Mal Soldier, but dear,” says its participants, among whom our famous compatriots - Maria Gaidar and Pavel Khodorkovsky. In an interview with “New”, they shared their vision of the events rapidly developing in Russia

The rally “For honest elections in Russia” gathered only 200 people in New York. “Mal Soldier, but dear,” says its participants, among whom our famous compatriots - Maria Gaidar and Pavel Khodorkovsky. In an interview with “New”, they shared their vision of the events rapidly developing in Russia. The very case when the big, indeed, is seen at a distance.

Maria Gaidar: "I would have such a scenario - Putin compromises"

- If your father was alive, what rally would he go to?

• He was always for democracy. I think he would have joined the civil movement.

- Which was on Bolotnaya?

• Do you think he would go to Kurginyan? Of course, no. My dad always said that the main threat of Russia is an authoritarian regime, the lack of political institutions. He wrote an article on this subject, that is, there was always on this side of the barricades.

- Ilya Yashin arranged an action in Moscow, hung a poster “Putin, leave” opposite the White House. Would you participate in it?

• Well done, they did well. Would I hang there with them? Ilya Yashin and I participated together in the “Return elections” shares. If I had the opportunity to hang this poster, I would hang it.

- More than once I heard that Moscow is not Russia, and protest actions in the capital do not reflect the opinion of the entire population of the country.

• Firstly, Moscow is also Russia, a huge metropolis that collects people from other cities. Such a "melting boiler." In this “cauldron”, among other things, political institutions, CEC, but Putin himself, in the end, are “boiling”. This also mobilizes people. But there were other cities where people actively went outside - Yekaterinburg, Tomsk, Novosibirsk ...

- One of the arguments for Putin: if not he, then who?. Say, without him the country will fall apart.

• Will not fall apart. I am sure that citizens will make normal, correct, calm, maybe a little conservative choice. Regarding the personalities: perhaps we still do not know a person who could become a real alternative to Putin, perhaps he does not live and works at all, but in one of the regions, leads, for example, some company.

- You are in opposition to power, but at the same time you worked in the government of Nikita Belykh, that is, in the vertical of this very government.

• In a normal system, different people work in power. There is a governor from the Democrats, it happens - from the Republicans. On the contrary, it is abnormal when only representatives of the Party of government work in the system, people with various beliefs, representing different parts of the political spectrum, should work. I have never refused my beliefs or refuse. If people work in power, then this does not mean that they should not have a civil position. And they, too, can go out somewhere, as I went to the action when they beat Kashin: I went to single pickets, they criticized me very much for this: what kind of vice-governor is this-stands in pickets?

- A lot of mud in the Russian media resulted in your family. Does this press on you strongly?

• Wolves to be afraid - do not go to the forest. As a child, I went through a very serious school of criticism, which was directed against my father. It was quite difficult, I had to develop a certain stability and learn how to argue, sometimes not to notice attacks and insults. Now what is already regarding me directly, does not hurt at all.

- What is your forecast for the development of events in Russia?

• I would have such a scenario. Putin compromises and announces this before the elections. He says that he is ready to declare parliamentary re -election, that this is his last term and he will not go to another, will simplify the registration of parties and will honestly fulfill all this. Of course, ideally, it would be nice to cancel 6 years of the presidential term and return to 4 years. If he promises all this, I think that many protesters will agree and wait. If new parliamentary elections are scheduled, then everyone will begin to prepare for them. This is the best, healthy option that involves a compromise, including the possibility of withdrawing from this situation for Vladimir Putin himself.

If Putin does not do this, then after the March 4 elections, protests will only intensify directly against him. Whether they are crowned with success is the issue of time. I think, six months later, in a year or two, but Putin will have to leave-he will not sit until the end of his term.

Pavel Khodorkovsky: "The liberation of the father will be the strongest signal about the beginning of real changes"

- How much does the shares in the United States influence Russia? They hear you behind the ocean?

• Of course they hear. These are shares of solidarity with those people who are much more difficult to go out onto the streets. In Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities there is a risk associated with expression of position. There is no such risk here, so we must express solidarity with people who are incomparably more difficult.

- Many presidential candidates in Russia speculate on the liberation of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. How do you feel about such statements?

• I welcome them. Naturally, I will be happy with any statements that my father will be released. But today is just an attempt to earn fame, speculating with a popular name of the political prisoner. The release of my father will now be the most powerful signal for the business community that real changes begin.

- Does Mikhail Khodorkovsky plan to engage in politics?

• He has now taken a neutral position. There were “Khodorkovsky readings” in Moscow, and he turned to their participants with the message that we did not need a revolution, but we need to strengthen public pressure on power and prepare for gradual changes. You do not need to try to remove the authorities with one scab, you need to grow civilian society, prepare for re -election.

- How many people should go out into the streets so that the authorities react?

• In fact, the authorities are already reacting. It’s just so far such concessions are meaningless. Medvedev immediately made statements that they are ready to amend the law on parties ...

- How many statements they already made, but in the end nothing happened.

• This happened immediately after the protests, and judging by the speed of the reaction, if the protests do not fade away, then the authorities will understand that something needs to be done. That is, not just unfounded to declare that they will reduce the threshold of registration of parties, but to propose and coordinate the real bill. Our positive slogan - “we will come again” is the most important message for the authorities, the call to listen. They came, crawled - already great, but we will come again. This means that we will demand that promises follow specific actions, changes.

- In Russia, there are two main arguments in defense of Putin. First: if not Putin, then who?

• Unfortunately, we are in such a situation that in the worst situation, Putin wins, even if there is a second round. People are not ready to vote for Zyuganov or Mironov.

It is vital to clean the site in order for new parties to grow, new leaders. Of course, this will not happen for the remaining month, the process will be long.

- And the second argument in favor of Putin: all shares are funded by the United States that want to ruin Russia.

• Yes, it’s funny to even talk about it. The US Ambassador to Moscow, Mike McFaol, said a very correct thing: when you say that we, Americans, finance the opposition, you are offending ourselves. I subscribe under these words.

Irina Khryaeva,

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