Crimea, Russia, Christ resurrected

In Moscow, the anniversary of the annexation of the peninsula was celebrated. Reporting Ilya Azar

In Moscow, on the first anniversary of the accession of Crimea and Sevastopol, a rally concert was held to the Russian Federation on the Vasilievsky descent. According to the police, at the height of the working day, 110 thousand people came to the Kremlin. Almost everyone who performed from the stage emphasized the significance of a new holiday for Russia and noted the merits of President Vladimir Putin that there was no war in the Crimea, as in the Donbass. For the audience, the beloved artists of Putin and the Russian people sang - Grigory Leps and the Lube group, and the president himself made a small spiritual speech. The special correspondent of Medusa Ilya Azar listened to the pathos speeches of politicians and talked with the happy visitors of the rally.

Who listened

An hour and a half before the rally began at the Gostiny Dvor, four friends quietly and culturally drank vodka with lemonade, trying not to attract unnecessary attention.

- What do you note? - I broke their solitude.

- What do you think? A piece of land has been annexed! The original Russian, - the men responded cheerfully.

- Do you see the negative consequences? The sanctions are there ... - I continued my attempts to ruin the holiday for people.

- sanctions? Here is my answer! -one of the men laughed and opened a jacket, from under which a T-shirt appeared with two little men who have sex in the “rear” pose, and the text “I **** your sanctions”.

“That's all we can say,” another summed up. - On the contrary, we have positive!

“So, after all, problems, prices have risen in the economy,” I did not give up.

- And we don't give a shit! We did not have money, and no money! We are the working class, ”the man answered in a black jacket with a bourgeois, to which two“ St. George ribbons ”were tied.

“We live in the coolest country in the world, everyone only envies us silently, but they can’t do anything,” the third friend entered.

- And what is cool? I specified.

- She's big! - answered one.

- What is the nah*th sent! - suggested another version of his friend.

-And now she rose from the bottom, before she was killed, trampled. She is now developing to develop, you see. We are 100%suppliers of Europe.

- Are you talking about oil and gas?

- And where? We are suppliers of the entire Mendeleev table! - the man answered proudly.

The men admitted that they came to a rally concert at the call of the soul, although at work they were given a day off. In general, at any mass pro -government event in Russia there are always a lot of people who were strongly asked to come in the service or promised to pay several hundred rubles for participation in the shares. There were many of them this time .

However, unlike the usual event of “United Russia” or, say, a festive procession on the day of popular unity, most people on the Vasilyevsky descent were really happy to combine the pleasant with the useful - not to sit in the office on a sunny day (the rally was held in the middle of the working day) and celebrate the return of the beloved Crimea to Russia.

The audience was somewhat different from the similar procession of the Anti-Maidan movement, which was in Moscow on the anniversary of the Victory of Euromaidan on February 21, 2015-there were more joyful and smiling faces. The posters that people carried on March 18 were mostly positive: “Crimea and Sevastopol are the cradle of the Russian spirit”, “Crimea is the Holy”, “Happy Together” and so on.

With similar template posters, for example, six Kyrgyz went to the rally.

- We support, of course. And we have Russian citizenship, ”they answered fearfully when I asked why they were worried about the fate of Sevastopol.

“Are you not afraid that Putin and Kyrgyzstan will ever join?” I asked, but they did not answer the provocative question.

- What exactly are you proud of? - I asked a decent dressed man with a sign "I am proud of the country."

- We have a great power, it was and will remain it. No difficulties will break us, we will be even stronger. If only there was no war. We are for peace so that all issues are resolved peacefully, ”answered the man who turned out to be the teacher.

-Do you think that the war in the Donbass began just because of the Crimea?

- You can’t say that this is exactly what you have cited. Everything goes in the complex. Russia chose bad and very bad option from a bad and very bad option, ”the teacher answered me.

There was no place for skepticism or doubts about the Vasilievsky descent that day. Nobody wanted to talk about bad.

-Tell me, when you went today-you went to a regular rally, march or is it still a holiday for you in your soul?! -Once, even a chant was asked by the young Channel Channel correspondent for a group of solid elderly men in Anti-Maidan scarves.

- Of course, a holiday! Nationwide! The people rejoice! - one of the men answered him, who introduced himself as a colonel of the Soviet Army, Yuri Generalov.

The colonel began to read a piece of paper under the name "Oda Putin":

- We were all at a loss

The original Russian land

As if in a different dimension

For decades we are not our own

Where is justice, where is the limit

But suddenly everything decided as it should

You got up in time

Crimea is ours again and we are all glad.

* * *

The Vasilievsky descent is not a ministry to accommodate all those who came, so they stood throughout the large Moskvoretsky bridge, where the opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was killed at the end of February. On the parapet of the bridge there are still flowers, on the day of the rally they were surrounded by a fence, they immediately put up a chain of police officers.

Near the place of the murder of Nemtsov in the sky, the ball with the emblem of the Anti -Maidan movement - the one who called Nemtsov the representative of the Fifth Column and the Organizer of the Maidan soared.

“This is the only place where you can collect as many people, although there is some moral aspect here, I agree,” said one of the teachers.

The fact that Nemtsov was killed here, not everyone knew - against the backdrop of flowers and posters “fight” the girls were photographed, and the “star” correspondent went on a live broadcast.

“Do you know what happened here, why are there so many colors?” - I turned to a girl with a large flag of the flowers of the St. George ribbon and a patch of “New Russia” on her shoulder.

- Yes, I know! You have already lifted us up by your Nemtsov, ”snapped the girl.

- Who are we? I clarified carefully.

- Liberals, who else!

- And how did you determine that I was liberal? - I was alert.

- In the face. You, at the liberals, are always dissatisfied with everyone, ”the girl snapped and turned away.

Who performed

Before the start of the rally-concert, the crowd was entertained with fragments of Putin’s speech of a year ago and video features recorded in advance. For example, the poet Ivan Kupyanov (he made a scene on the February march of Anti -Maidan) read a poem that ended like this: “Without options and doubts without, there is nothing to cover the enemy - Crimea, Russia, Christ’s resurrection, and otherwise cannot be.”

At about five in the evening, leading events took the stage - actor Dmitry Kharatyan and co -chair of the All -Russian Popular Front Olga Timofeeva.

“Today is a big holiday for everyone who loves Russia. And for those who love history and create it - for the people. One Vladimir baptized our Rus, the other returned the cradle of baptism to her, ”said Kharatyan.

The singers in the level of pathos did not lag behind the speakers. “This Russian character helps us to believe, this Russian character leads us ahead. We cannot be defeated, God and Russia are with us, ”Alexander Marshal sang.

Following the stage, the co-chair of the Central headquarters of the All-Russian Popular Front Alexander Brechalov and Rear Admiral of the Black Sea Fleet Vladimir Bogdashin entered the stage. Brechalov noted that "Crimean spring has become a symbol of the revival of the Russian world." According to him, President Vladimir Putin gave people “hope to preserve ourselves, dignity and pride”, and “the future of the Russian world now depends on them.”

Bogdashin was not afraid to spoil the holiday with a reminder of the war in the east of Ukraine, reminding everyone that in the Donbass - “blood, death, death of children, destroyed houses and souls”, but in the Crimea this was not, thanks to the leaders of Russia.

“The Black Sea Fleet,” said Bogdashin, “is an outpost that holds back the onslaught of American aggressors and NATO hires who seek to capture Crimea.” This is a guarantor of security - the same as the president of Russia. Glory to Putin!

All four leaders of parliamentary factions appeared before the audience.

-In the Crimea there was almost a 20 thousandth army of Ukraine, and not a single machine gun, not a single gun shot. If we actively support Novorossia, then it will be the same there, ”said the Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov.

“The Crimeans of 23 years interfered with listening to Russian music, forced to study someone else's language, but now his occupation is over,” said Vladimir Zhirinovsky, chairman of the LDPR and urged everyone to rest only in the Crimea.

-One of us is a very polite person, someone is not, we are all different here, but we all love Russia. Anyone who wanted to change the course of Russia with sanctions did not receive a split in society, but a unity that has never been, ”said Vladimir Vasiliev, head of the United Russia faction in the Duma.

- Last year will go down in history as a year of Russian spring. The concessions and losses are over. There was an era of victories, the era of land collection, ”the head of“ Fair Russia ”Sergei Mironov supported his colleagues.

They talked a lot from the scene about the intrigues of the Americans and about the fact that Russia cannot be broken by sanctions. “We will not exchange freedom and dignity for American food and gadgets,” shouted the representative of Antimaydan and Uralvagonzavoda Alexei Balyberdin (Obama Kosterili, also ordinary participants in the rally: “Obama! O-Ba-na! Crimea-ours!”, “Crimea-ours! Do not envy, Obama!”)

After the head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, once again praised President Putin, calling him a “courageous, reliable, honest person”, the President of Russia himself arose on the stage (spite everyone who discussed his recent disappearance).

“Urr-a-ah-ah-ah! We waited! " - the whole crowd exploded with joyful cries, perhaps for the first time in the entire rally - the rest of the speakers was mainly supported only by the scene itself.

Putin's speech was brief. In addition to duty phrases about Crimea as a source of Russian spirituality, Putin recalled that “Ukrainians and Russians are one people” and promised to do everything to restore normal interstate relations. Not forgetting to mention the need to get rid of Ukraine from dangerous and harmful "extreme nationalism."

“We will strengthen our country. And we will solve the difficulties that we are so easily created for ourselves over the past time, ”said Putin and smiled slyly (it remained unclear whether Western sanctions or something else were meant).

After Putin’s speech, a anthem sounded, to the last words of which “Glory to the country, we are proud of you” the president added loudly to the public: “But the country is proud of you.” "Pu-Tin, Pu-Tin, Pu-Tina!" - People began to chant people in response.

Meanwhile, a huge state flag of Russia was launched on the Moskvoretsky bridge right next to the place of murder, and the Lyube group sang on the stage.

"Russia! Russia! - alone, the tall bearded man continued to loudly chant, but quickly fell silent, muttering: - Why no one screams? ”

Nearby, a large balloon with the emblem of "United Russia" burst vinally.

- Our Crimea! - shouted a red -remelery man with an old portfolio in his hands, but no one supported him either. Why chant, if so clear.

Ilya Azar

Moscow