"Russia is under the yoke of the Cheka"

Alexander Belov - about prison, opposition and revolution. Interview from the Kremlin Central

In October 2014, the leader of Russian nationalists Alexander Belov (Potkin) was arrested. In 2011–2014, Belov was an active participant in the general civil protest movement, and was a member of the organizing committee of a number of protest actions. On November 4, 2011, he announced the beginning of the campaign for the resignation of Putin, participated in the activities of the coordination council of the opposition. In 2015, the association "Russians", whose leadership Belov was part of the arrest, was prohibited.

Belov is accused of creating an extremist community that set the goal of overthrowing the Nursultan regime Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan, inciting interethnic growth (Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), public calls for extremist activity. Belov does not admit guilt and considers the criminal case by political reprisal. Many politicians, including Boris Nemtsov and Harry Kasparov, said that the case was fabricated by the Russian and Kazakhstani special services acted as his support.

On May 11, it became known that Belov would take part in the primaries of the democratic coalition. The Central Electoral Commission of the Democratic Administration accepted the application from Belov, which was supported by the party on December 5, and approved his candidacy by a majority of votes. Since there is no court decision in the case of Belov, the law does not prohibit him to participate in the elections to the State Duma.

It is not easy to take an interview with Alexander Belov, who has been in one of the most carefully guarded Russian prisons, but we managed to convey questions and get answers to the prisoner.

- In what conditions are you containing? There were reports that the investigator threatened to kill you in prison with a screwdriver. What happened then and do you think that your life is in danger?

Those whom the state considers the most dangerous for itself, place here

- I am in a special prison of federal subordination No. 1, the so -called "Kremlin Central". This is a special prison (moreover, a prison inside the prison, that is, it is located inside the territory of a regular pre-trial detention center), it is more pedantic compliance with the norms and the absence of any concessions. But everyone has its own place to sleep, you do not have to sleep in two shifts, as in many other prisons in the country. The food is relatively tolerant, and, of course, incomparable with what was given in the 90s ... A walk in the covered courtyard is 1 hour a day. Daily medical detour; Unfortunately, shower only once a week, but the cells have hot water (this is a large, so to speak, progress for the Russian Federation)! Refrigerator, TV, electric kettle. The contingent in the SIZO-1 is also very specific, the intelligentsia ... the library and the daily "MK". Such conditions are due to the fact that this is the most important prison in the Russian Federation. Those whom the state considers the most dangerous for itself are placed here. It is impossible to transfer almost nothing here for any money (unlike other prisons), the level of control over prisoners and employees is at the highest level. Unless from the will, and only through the Ozone online store, you can order books that, in your opinion, it will be useful for me to familiarize me . Books for prisoners arrive at the nearest post office, from where they are taken by an employee of the pre -trial detention center once a week.

The investigator dragged a screwdriver with a fifteen -centimeter iron pin in a pre -trial detention center, tried to intimidate me

Indeed, my business was fabricated by a very strange investigator - Rustem Shaidullin, who repeatedly threatened me with physical reprisal, murder and once dragged a screwdriver with a fifteen -centimeter iron pin into a pre -trial detention center, tried to intimidate me and force me to sign the recognition and consent to the simplified procedure for the consideration of the case in court. This is a chauvinist very dangerous with his inadequacy (he sent SMS to my lawyers that Allah was wandered to kill me ), used by the FSB and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, when it is necessary to achieve a certain result in the case, despite the lack of facts or logic. I hope that sooner or later I will be able to bring this wretch to justice. However, while he, Apparently, as an incentive for actions against me, Only raised it, now he heads the grandmother's inter -district investigative department of the UK in Moscow ...

But now, at this particular moment, I do not see any direct threat to my life. Of course, I can’t get in the pre -trial detention center the inspections of my health in connection with the presence of a number of serious diseases I need. But this is not fatal for now.

- Have you met prisoners in prison whose affairs can be regarded as political?

The FSB creates a whole system of visibility of the fight against terror, "lets dust in the eye"

- Periodically, I meet people who, to one degree or another, can be considered political prisoners. It is important to understand that, as it was in the 1930s, many people are victims of political campaigns. For example, Putin said about the judges discrediting justice - criminal cases in arbitration courts began; He said something else-they began to grab, without understanding, then these, then others, and so throughout the country, so many people, businessmen or officials are victims of political campaigns of GDP.

I just waited for my turn for Navalny. Still better than Nemtsov

A lot lately among the prisoners have become young Muslims, the whole fault of which they studied the Qur'an or prayed together. Most of them have nothing to do with terrorism. But the FSB creates a whole system of visibility of the fight against terror, “lets dust in the eyes” of society, taking 10-30 people each. Then they persuade one, sometimes using torture, stipulate the rest and get a minimum period. Many go to this. This is a terrible practice, since in prisons a special environment is formed for the spread of Islam, including radical. Let me remind you that at one time the current IS leaders spent years in American and Russian prisons, where they were subjected to inhuman attitude, and this, in my opinion, played an important role in their choice after liberation ... I practically do not communicate with anyone and I do not meet, except for the cellmates, which I can’t write about due to censorship. Persons involved in the real political duration - nationalists, left or liberals, general citizens - I meet very rarely, this is not surprising, given my almost complete isolation.

- What, in your opinion, was a true reason for your arrest?

It was decided to clean up politically active citizens for the period of the impending economic crisis

-In addition to the fact that I have been constantly in the development of special services, all the last years and it had to be implemented at least somehow, this time several factors came together. The main is the general. At the level of the leadership of the Russian Federation, it was decided to clean up politically active citizens for the period of an impending economic crisis. Almost all key leaders of folk speeches for the resignation of Putin 2011-2012 were arrested or were in exile. In this regard, I just waited for my turn for Navalny. Nevertheless, it is better than behind Nemtsov ... This is my turn. My case was also attended by special additional factors: the personal resentment of one of the FSB generals for my tough refusal to cooperate, the desire of Putin to please Nazarbayev during the period when Putin needed his support in Ukraine (and I maintained friendly contacts with the opposition in a number of CIS countries, including Kazakhstan, with dungeons, who advocated democratic changes). The society was not always noticeable for some alertness of Elbasy in relation to the Russian Federation after the annexation of Crimea. After all, the issue of Northern Kazakhstan can be raised at any moment .... As well as the mercantile interests of a number of senior managers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the protection of the constitutional system (UZKS) of the FSB and large law firms serving the interests of Kazakh officials. And all this at once played a role in the fact that they threw me into the stain.

- Is it true that they tried to involve you in a conspiracy on the murder of Igor Kolomoisky?

- That's exactly what the proposal that came to me from the leadership of the FSB (since it was impossible to understand it). I managed to previously report to the media uneven in the media, some details , but in this interview I can not explain all the background, given my position.

- In your Christmas appeal there are such words: "Fearing to lose his omnipotence, the new Herod dreams of destroying all the" Bethlehem babies. "But his days are numbered, his kingdom will not stand, the idol on clay legs will collapse and burns under his fragments of the dogs protected him." Could you translate it from the language of metaphors into the language of political realities? Do you think that a revolution is possible in Russia? Or is it more likely to be a variant of the palace coup?

- In order for the reader to decipher the metaphors of my Christmas Epistle, you just need to look at the Bible sometimes. In general, all educated people need to know biblical history, and even more so political activists.

The vulnerability of the regime is in its isolation on one person

If you evaluate reality from the point of view of classic formulas, then for the revolution the situation has not yet been ripened. The possibility of a coup is reduced due to many years of negative selection to the highest and middle echelons of power, the disunity of the elites. Therefore, there is a high probability of gradual fuse of the state mechanism of the Russian Federation, simultaneously with the natural aging of Putin’s clique, and a further conflict of generations. But ... everything is possible in Russia. And even the most fierce regimes that totally controlling society disappear, leaving behind nothing but bitter memories. The vulnerability of the regime is in its isolation on one person, the absence of a mechanism for the change of power, the illusion of unity and “success”. The liberation movement, people opposing tyranny, should be prepared for actions in conditions of destruction and collapse of the thieves' regime. They are ready organizationally, technically, practically, in every sense.

- Why, in your opinion, protests of 2011-2012 in which you took an active part, were defeated?

- In Russia, a protest culture was not sufficiently formed. For the first time in 20 years, a successful attempt to joint actions of various, sometimes opposite to each other according to ideology, political groups, was carried out. However, the isolation of political organizations on million-plus cities, failure to attract power elites that are influential in the Russian Federation, the lack of wide propaganda, except for the Internet, the underestimation of the atomization of society, the success of information provocations of the regime, the weak financial component played a role and did not allow dialogue with the regime for its surrender ... they all saw no serious diagnostic From the ruling forces, there is no mechanism for taking into account public requirements, which means that the situation could become revolutionary. However, there were not enough opportunities to realize the desired protest participants in those specific years.

- Many believe that the Russian national movement is defeated by special services. Do you agree with this conclusion?

The Russian movement is defeated no more than the whole of Russia, which is under the yoke of the Cheka

- The Russian national movement has never been an extremely influential political force, probably since the civil war and the fall of the nationalist government of the Amur Zemstvo Territory in 1922 under the blows of the Bolshevik army ... This should be clearly aware of. This is a problem not only of nationalists, but also of the entire unsystematic opposition. In the years of the DPNI there was more powerful on this flank, while our capabilities were quite modest. Despite the attractive ideas, recognizable brands, we have not yet managed to form a rather powerful political structure, ready to use powerful financial resources that effectively operate in each of the thousands of cities in the country. We always have great potential, but it needs realization.

With Alexei Navalny, 2011

The Russian movement is defeated no more than the whole of Russia, which is under the yoke of the Cheka. But the people brought up by us have not disappeared anywhere, they are simply waiting in the wings. At the same time, the new young generation that raises the banner of the struggle today already has an example of senior associates, and I hope that it will be selflessly, but more methodically, more carefully continuing our business in this difficult situation for our people. Today it is necessary to form new foci of resistance, put forward new leaders, create or develop both public and closed organizations. It’s even here that, despite the repressions and the ban and the ban in the Russian Federation of the largest national movements, Russian nationalists manage to maintain organizational unity and continue the struggle, I sometimes read about the work of new open organizations - the Nation and Freedom Committee, the irreconcilable league, Bars, the RFF, the NSR, others, and I am pleased that the struggle continues, despite all the difficulties. But I consider this insufficient in the current conditions, non -public structures (or partially closed) are also necessary, such as Russian clubs that would solve problems inaccessible to mass communities. It is extremely important and it is necessary to master direct propaganda in social networks, to use new technologies, to strengthen our foreign networks.

-What do you think of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict?

The successful development of free Ukraine is the most reliable weapon against aggressive Putinism

- For a long time, the leaders of Ukraine did not want to notice the Russian factor, and those who pretended that they noticed only deceived people in selfish interests. And in vain. Ukraine could become a home for a Russian person, for those who were born on the land of Ukraine, if the history of recent times developed differently. Such a house that would be more dear than the Russian Federation, where the Russian people near the yoke for almost 100 years. But this did not happen, which was used by the Kremlin Chekists in their interests. I always believed that only the presence of real equality of the Russian people, the presence of reasonable administrative self -government on the land of Ukraine and will allow its citizens a strong state that can withstand the pressure of the powerful empire of totalitarianism in Eurasia.

The successful development of free Ukraine, the success of European integration, the fight against corruption, economic success - this is the most reliable weapon against aggressive Putinism. The pressure exerted by the world community in Putin actually led to a breakdown of plans for the Ukrainian section, stopped armed expansion. I think I will not reveal the secret that the "drain" of Donbass from the Russian Federation is already happening. But I would like my beloved Ukraine to look at Switzerland. This is a very interesting example of the formation of a single developed successful multilingual civil community.

- Are there any actions that you regret in your political biography?

If I crossed the side of Putin, I would not sit in a concentration camp. But I don't know how to betray

- There are actions that I would call my personal weaknesses, but these are not political actions. I always tried to follow the interests of our movement. And here there is a subtle moment. What should you do? Conjunctural? Or fundamentally? Was it necessary to give a protest and go over to Putin, for example? Maybe someone will consider it practical and beneficial here and now (although in the future of history and large meanings-this cannot be “profitable” as “profitable”), and some considered it, and they did so.

To do this - I would not sit in the concentration camp, and the unification of the "Russians" would not be prohibited, but I did not mimic and lie. From the point of view of political magicians, this is a mistake. But this is such a victim, for the sake of a position that I consider correct, more honest, or something if this word matters in politics (and for me it has). I don’t know how to betray-let someone consider it for weakness.

- What would you like to tell readers of the site Radio Liberty, liberals, with distrust and fear of the Russian national movement?

- Liberals are who? I have not liberal? I love freedom and respect the freedom of another person. I am capable of empathy. We all need to strive to get rid of prejudices, labels, illusory fears.

Perhaps the issue implies supporters of specific liberal organizations. It should be noted here that I am not sure that the political organizations of the liberals are interested in alliance with us. Why? Because not everyone thinks deeply. And if Boris Nemtsov, who was killed for his truth, understood these things and spoke out to combine the efforts of all political forces in the fight against dictatorship, then not all are. After all, on the surface, the fact that today we do not have financial resources, registered parties, many popular VIPs, which means where where are the benefits of cooperation? But whoever thinks so, does not simply understand that the friendly nationalism and publicity of such a union will attract many new people who are widely and successfully frighten with too cosmopolitan liberalism and excessive bruthelity of nationalism. Joint actions would give a synergistic effect, increasing the strength and power of the liberation movement as a whole, for me it is obvious, and I hope that over time, those who have not yet realized.

- How many people come to support you to the courtroom? Много ли вы получаете писем в тюрьме? Нуждаетесь ли в помощи?

Alexander Belov in the courtroom

– Хотя Мещанский суд Москвы – это бывший Мосгорсуд, залы там очень маленькие. В обычный день можно занять не более 12 мест. А сейчас, когда используется видеоконференция с алма-атинским судом, всего четыре места. Это, конечно, безобразие, но председательствующий судья не может его разрешить. Поэтому прошу всех писать жалобы на имя председателя Мещанского районного суда Селиверстова и Московского городского суда Егоровой. Гласность – основополагающий принцип правосудия, требуйте его соблюдения. Я сердечно благодарен всем, кто приходит меня поддержать, всем, кто выходит на протестные массовые акции с требованием моего освобождения.

Я регулярно получаю письма и успеваю на всё ответить, но, наверное, переписка могла бы быть больше, буду рад получать письма и от ваших читателей.

Моя семья находится в достаточно сложном финансовом положении. Супруга одна тянет двух детей-школьников и еще одного бедолагу – их отца-арестанта. Поэтому от помощи не откажусь.

Написать письмо Александру Белову можно по адресу: 107076, Москва, ул. Матросская Тишина, 18а, ФКУ СИЗО-1 ФСИН России (99/1). Поткину Александру Анатольевичу, 1976 г.р. Отправка писем бесплатно через интернет: http://rosuznik.org/write-letter