Do what it should, and what will happen

On April 24-27, the Congress “Ukraine-Russia: Dialogue” takes place in Kyiv and Kharkov. He was discovered by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, co -organizer of the congress. Here is the text of his speech

Mikhail Khodorkovsky at the opening of the Congress on April 24, 2014/ Photo: Reuters/ Valentyn Ogirenko

Over the past month, the most asked question I asked: why to hold our conference? How will this help Ukraine, which today has been, perhaps, in the most difficult situation in the history of its state independence? How will our fellow citizens in Russia look at it?

I have a common answer to this that helped me for 10 long years: do what it should, and whatever happens.

We gathered here for various reasons, but primarily because we do not agree with the policy of Russian President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine.

We also gathered because we want to express solidarity with the Ukrainian people, to whom the Kremlin regime is trying to prevent his own life.

It is difficult for Ukraine, but I do not believe that the people who have passed in the last ten years two revolutions and survived on the Maidan under bullets are ready to reconcile with the loss of statehood, which means that we have reasons not only for anxiety, but also optimism.

We gathered because we are outraged by how Russian state spagand is lying to our own citizens, and we want to tell people what we ourselves see and hear here.

We gathered to look into each other's eyes and say again: no dictator, even the most powerful, will make us-independent people-enemies.

We can and want together to solve the most complex tasks that life sets before our peoples.

We will be able to talk on sections about the analogue of the Marshall plan for Ukraine, and about the creation of a full -fledged university in the European model on the basis of one of the leading universities of Ukraine, and about cultural dialogue, and about the honest informing of society, and, of course, about the real struggle with corruption.

And now, a little not as a co -organizer of the forum, but as Mikhail Khodorkovsky from his own person.

The most sad for us is Russians that President Putin is not solving global, strategic problems. He again, now in Ukraine, uses his official capabilities to take revenge on his personal resentment. And he is offended by the revolution, for the expulsion of the stroked ex-president Yanukovych and his corrupt environment.

Too, alas, the parallels are obvious.

As a result of these ambitions, for a long time or forever, the possibility of Moscow is blocked for Moscow to become the center of attraction of the entire East Slavic world, the idea of ​​uniting the Orthodox Church around Moscow was actually buried, millions of our compatriots abroad became an object of ill -wishes.

It is as if the United States instead of creating an euro-Atlantic alliance would be introduced to troops, for example, to Canada, to dictate how to build relations within the country, and to pull off a couple of gardens.

By the way, as a result, the place of the Slavic center can return to Kyiv after a millennium. I will be happy for Kyiv, but I am sick, honestly, I say, as a Russian and a citizen of Russia, for Russia.

In the XXI century, you can live according to the rules of past centuries, you can still think in the categories of power increment of territories, and not in the categories of improving the quality of life of people.

Only in the modern globalizing world, it does not just look strange and wild, this is losing behavior. The construction of the largest mosque in Europe in a small Chechnya or sea bridge on the peninsula instead of roads, schools and housing, so necessary for the Russians themselves outside the Moscow Garden Ring, is the result of the “great victories” of the current regime.

And the last.

Gratitude to the co -organizers. Lyudmila Ulitskaya-Pen club. Yuri Lutsenko. And, of course, Dmitry Bulatov - in the past to the head of Avtomaydan, now the Minister of the Transport Government.

As a conventor to the conference, I am very well aware of how it was not easy for many people to come to Kyiv. It is not easy because of the pressure of power, it is not easy because of the temporary insanity of most of the society.

My personal experience of the last ten years has taught me to operate with long time periods and remember that a bright, and the most unrealistic dreams are always coming up to the dark one today become a reality tomorrow.

I am proud of my fellow citizens who are able to maintain common sense, think about the future of my country and ready for this future to go against the opinion of the "aggressive-auditory majority."

I wish you successful work!