"I hope that Russia will fight for me"

Interview with the policy of Mikhail Svetov. He was searched and questioned in the case of depraved actions with a minor

On November 6, politician Mikhail Svetov became a defendant in a criminal case of depraved actions against a person who did not reach 16 years (Article 135 of the Criminal Code). Svetov is in the status of a witness - he was a search at his house, and he spent several hours during interrogation in the Investigative Committee. Back in August 2019, Roskomnadzor included the Mikhail Svetov page on Instagram on the list of prohibited sites (without blocking): several publications on social networks considered children's pornography. The politician himself is a member of the unregistered Libertarian Party of Russia, one of the active participants and organizers of summer rallies in Moscow. And also - the leading channel on Yetube and the author of the lectures, which are held in different cities of Russia and the holding of which local authorities often interfere. “Medusa” learned from Svetov, with which he himself connects the criminal case that began.

- The site was the first to announce the website of the REN TV channel, did you already know about the case at that moment?

- Every evening I check the mailbox, in the evening on the eve of [the publication of news] there was no agenda in it. Already in the morning I was woke up with calls about the news that Ren TV thrown. I did not know anything at that time. He quickly went down to the box and only then found the summons. A few minutes after that, REN TV journalists were already guarding in the entrance.

-You said that the case appeared due to a successful lecture tour . But why, for example, according to your version, could there be no summer protest? After all, you have already been arrested for organizing a rally.

- I think all this had a cumulative effect - and the tour was the last straw. Libertarians were always marginalized: they tried to show that we are purely Moscow movement, supposedly our ideas are close only to the capital's hipsters, and the country lives completely different. And then I clearly demonstrated that all of Russia is interested in my ideas. They [the authorities] realized that they rammed something important, and therefore now they are nightmare.

- Hundreds of people came to the lecture, but hundreds of thousands of people live in the regional cities where you spent them - against this background, the turnout does not look so impressive. What are the authorities then?

- It is important not quantity, but growth [of the number of interest]. A year and a half ago, a scored hall for 150 people in Moscow was a good result. Today I am collecting 250 [man] in Ufa - and this is a philosophical three -hour lecture! This is not a rock concert, not a film, but a difficult intellectual content. Few people in the world can boast of such a success. And I get it.

- But what is so dangerous in these lectures?

- I distribute ideas, I propose the image of the future, I explain in advance to people that our country is poor for a reason, but because there are objective political reasons for this. And most importantly, I am struggling not only with the current government, but with the idea of ​​power in general. This is the worst thing for them, it all deprives them of thieves' prospects in the future. With the opposition who simply wants to power, you can agree - and rob the country with him. I explain to people how a society should look that it does not allow to crystallize a strong nomenclature. They are most afraid of this.

-Could your business be somehow connected with the case against the FBK of Navalny? Often Libertarians in the regions are in the headquarters of Navalny.

- Personally, I never worked for the FBK, we are united only by independence and love for Russia. From the point of view of the current government, this is the worst sin. Therefore, they nightmare all politically subjective and independent players. They come up with their own topic for each. So that no one bothers them to ruin Russia further.

-The criminal case on which you are a witness is most likely instituted because of the photo of Anastasia Starodubovskaya on your Instagram. How old was she when you met?

- We first wrote off when she was full of 16 years. She spoke in detail about our relationship. The UK does not even formally restore any truth. The main pressure is now going to Nastya. Such nasty things are told [investigators] that I don’t even want to reproduce them. I think she will still write about it.

-If the persecution, in your opinion, is political, then why was the article for depraved actions in relation to minors who have not reached the age of 16, and not the same “Dadinskaya” article have been chosen?

- They [the authorities] expect that if the article is not frankly political, but “dirty”, then civil society will fit my protection with less readiness. Fortunately, it does not work. Everyone understands that the matter is purely political.

- Were there any questions about politics during interrogation?

- Yes, most of them were about politics. Especially a lot of them were asked by Nastya.

- The defendant in Moscow Affairs Aidar Gubaidulin chose to leave Russia so as not to be in prison. Do you understand this decision?

- You can understand, but I did not return to Russia [from Japan, where I worked until 2016] to leave it. I will still compete for Russia - and I hope that Russia will fight for me.

- In your opinion, how can the matter end?

- Why everything goes while I'm afraid to predict. Political affairs live their own life.

Andrey Pertsev