Translated material
Viral content
Cycle " Disaster Medicine "
Viral content.
The story of how the authorities are promoting at the height of the coronavirus epidemic
Olga Churakova, Mikhail Rubin, April 29, 2020
The fight against coronavirus turned for the Kremlin into an operation to maintain the popularity of Vladimir Putin - only he can tell the Russians good news, and the rest only develop his decrees. All this is done so that the population approves the “zeroing” of the constitution, the vote according to which officials are so reluctant to postpone for the future.
In mid -April, Russian officials overtook the news: Sergei Kiriyenko had a temperature, soon a test to Koronavirus gave a positive result. Three interlocutors told this “project” - in the Kremlin and relatives in the presidential administration. It sounded especially frighteningly because Kiriyenko is one of the people closest to Putin, the first deputy head of his administration, he often sees with the president himself. And Kiriyenko is responsible for the most important project for Putin - the preparation and conduct of voting on amendments to the Constitution, which will allow the president to stay in his post for the fifth and sixth terms.
Preparing the “zeroing”, Kiriyenko and his employees did not attach much importance to the development of the epidemic and for a long time neglected the rules of quarantine. One of these employees, Vladimir Tabak, he is one of the leaders of the Koronavirus information center and the Kremlin contractor for working with social networks, picked up coronavirus at the end of March and admitted to social networks : he did not follow any recommendations of doctors, even hugged his friends, and therefore fell ill. Also relaxed, according to his acquaintances, Kiriyenko himself behaved before the illness. In a word, the news of the coronavirus found in him looked not only frightening, but also in something symbolic.
Who is Sergey Kiriyenko
As the curator of the domestic political unit of the Kremlin, Kiriyenko is responsible for the work of the four most important administrations of the administration of Vladimir Putin, including domestic policy departments and the State Council. It is they who should prepare a vote on amendments to the Constitution and come up with how to convince citizens to come to polling stations.
In general, the domestic political block is responsible for the elections of all levels, so it was Kiriyenko who ensured Putin’s re -election for the fourth term in 2018. After those elections, he even received the star of the Hero of Russia, however, formally she was given for her previous work by Kiriyenko in Rosatom. Before Rosatom, Kiriyenko was Poldin’s envoy, a deputy of the State Duma, and during the 1998 crisis-the Prime Minister of Russia.
Voting or quarantine
The presidential administration until the last opposed tough restrictive measures and hoped to conduct a vote on April 22.
The Kremlin officials did not like the idea of quarantine not only in relation to themselves, but to the whole country, and long before Kiriyenko's illness. One of the pro -Kremlin bloggers, who asked not to give his name, says: back in March, when the epidemic only came to Russia, he began to write alarming posts about the danger of the virus on social networks. But then he received a call from the authorities with a convincing request - "not to be overstated."
Coronavirus and the possible introduction of quarantine prevented officials from fulfilling a plan that clearly established in their heads: to carry out all -Russian voting on the amendments to the Constitution on April 22, pre -pre -preceding it with very active campaigning - they had already hung posters with calls to polling stations, and deputies and senators were preparing to travel around the regions, convincing people to vote, he said to be voting, he said One of the parliamentarians.
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Quarantine is not compatible with these plans, so almost the entire second half of March, while in Russia the number of cases grew in Russia, officials of the domestic political unit of AP at meetings at different levels opposed tough restrictive measures. Three interlocutors of the “project” close to the Kremlin are given by three related arguments:
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The quarantine and the transfer of voting tear off the Kremlin’s plan to disguise “Khuptations”: in the winter, Putin announced populist amendments to the Constitution - regular increase in pensions, equalizing the minimum wage and the subsistence minimum, the priority of Russian law when concluding international treaties. To support just such changes, all this time campaigned by the Russians, and only on March 10, as if in addition, they entered “zeroing”. A month before the alleged vote, the president’s opponents would not have time to mobilize their supporters, but now the situation has changed along with the terms.
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By the end of quarantine, the economic situation in the country will deteriorate, and it will be more difficult to convince dissatisfied citizens of the correctness of any initiatives of the authorities.
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The Kremlin has already prepared everything for voting, and, first of all, came up with how to provide a sufficient turnout. Nobody wanted to start this work again, especially after quarantine.
Officials did not want to cancel the vote so much that they discussed the following plan with the country's leadership: to vote on April 22, and the quarantine is introduced on the 23rd, the federal official claims. Putin also hesitated for a long time with his subordinates: on March 17, he met with the head of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova and, although with reservations, signed a decree on the vote in April.
News on the CEC website on the finalization of the all -Russian voting logo
However, all this time, opponents had a quarantine idea of a powerful opponent - the authorities of Moscow, the interlocutors close to the Kremlin say. According to one of the federal officials of the “project”, the city hall was in “panic”-the calculations showed that the healthcare system of the capital could not cope with an growing epidemic.
It was these calculations that ultimately played a decisive role: on March 24, Putin in the company of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin visited the hospital in Kommunarka, and its head physician Denis Protsenko called to prepare for the “Italian”, that is, a bad scenario of events. After that, a hard quarantine with a bandwidth was gradually introduced in Moscow, and the vote is now postponed indefinitely: under an optimistic scenario until June, with a pessimistic one in the fall, the interlocutor of the “project” in the Kremlin claims.
"So that Sobyanin does not flirt into the rescuer"
Sobyanin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin were too noticeable for some time, and the Kremlin had to correct this.
“Who does Sobyanin work for? To the West, ”-such a post appeared in the main pro-government political Telegram channel“ Nezigar ”on March 31, the day after the introduction of tough restrictions in Moscow. This is a typical post for the “non -sentence” recently - in March and April there almost daily criticized the mayor of Moscow, accusing the conspiracy with the West and the Russian opposition.
These posts, very reminiscent of the campaign, could be initiated by those Kremlin officials who considered that the city hall needed to be “pulled away”. At least, two officials of the presidential administration are convinced of this, an interlocutor involved in the Telegram channels in the interests of the authorities, and a source in the State Duma.
In the understanding of the Sobyanin authorities, there was something to “pull” for - he became very public and even partially independent. In the last week of March, he was invited to the White House to a meeting of the Presidium of the Government Council to counteract the coronavirus. This body is headed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Moreover, from the point of view of government officials, it was that Sobyanin did not come, the interlocutor in the government says. True, Formally Sobyanin is not included in the Presidium, but is the deputy of Mishustin on all advice, while the mayor himself heads the working group to combat coronavirus in the State Council. Instead, the mayor himself actively visited hospitals and turned to Muscovites through social networks.
This began to bother not only Mishustin, but also the Kremlin, says the interlocutor in the State Duma. At first, the mayor became too noticeable, which is clearly visible from this schedule:
How Sobyanin quickly increased mention in the media
Thousands of references in February, March and April (1-22)
Sobyanin's mention in March increased by
338%
Data "Mediassogy"
But then visibility was reflected in the ratings. In March, the State Sociological Service of the VTsIOM once again asked the Russians which of the politicians they trust the most. Respondents have always called the names of people of the federal level - president, prime minister, ministers, parties leaders, etc., but this time the mayor of Moscow was the first time, although with a low result - 2.4%.
In this situation, it was necessary to show Sobyanin so that he “would not flirt into the rescuer,” says the interlocutor in the State Duma. Many were attracted to educational work. For example, the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation, Andrei Klishas, stated that Sobyanin has no authority to limit the movement of Muscovites. And the state media, where censorship usually reigns on the theme sensitive to the authorities, widely covered the problem with the bonds in the subway after the inspections of digital passes introduced by the mayor. The city hall fought back with its PR resources: after the collapse in the metro on the website of the newspaper Vechernyaya Moscow, a report was released with the heading of “Checking serious problems”.
But putting the Moscow mayor was not enough. Now it was necessary to make sure that the rating of the most important person, at least, did not fall by the Fifth Fifth Day. And it was not easy.
"Our president"
The Kremlin made so that the victory over the coronavirus had only one father - Vladimir Putin
On March 23, the authorities watched an unpleasant message with irritation in social networks - President Putin allegedly left Moscow and was isolated in his residence in Valdai. First, this text circulated in Telegram channels, and then reprinted it on Twitter Alexei Navalny.
It is important to understand that Putin behaved as usual in those days, that is, he really disappeared. On Thursday, March 19, he visited the Crimea, and over the next four days, including working Friday and Monday, the Kremlin published only one report on Putin’s work - an office meeting with the Minister of Industry Denis Manturov. Since the journalists were not invited to this event, it could be assumed that the head of state decided to linger in the south, and the meeting, the so -called “canvy” was recorded in advance, the rain television channel told in detail about this practice. Such a rhythm of work for Putin is really common - how Putin lingers in the south after working trips can be read here.
But against the background of the epidemic, this vacation looked strange, and Putin's ratings went downward - according to the FOM, from 60% to 56%, and, according to VTsIOM, from 62% to 60%. It was clear that the president looks bad, especially against the backdrop of Western leaders constantly communicating with his population, and “we also need to act,” recalls his conversations with colleagues in those days a federal official. As a result, on March 24, Putin denied talk about his self-isolation, having arrived at the clinic in Kommunarka, and the 25th turned to the citizens, announcing the first non-working week.
This appeal gave the instant growth of Putin’s rating - from 60 to 65 percent, according to the VTsIOM. After that, the Kremlin developed a strategy that was supposed to constantly support citizens' loyalty to power, says a federal official. All points of this strategy are clearly visible from the broadcasts of federal television channels, as well as the fact that in practice they were not always implemented qualitatively.
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"Putin every day"
“Our president spoke today before the country,” are the typical first words of the host of the “Time” of the First Channel Channel Kirill Kleimenov. It was with this phrase that he began the release on April 15.
Putin began to regularly speak with appeals to citizens - sociologists conveyed to the Kremlin that people like personal appeal and it is it that leads to an increase in his rating, says the interlocutor close to the presidential administration. In addition to calls, the television channels now showed without a break every day how Putin meets officials and discusses the problems of the epidemic.
In practice, Putin’s mandatory presence on the air led to strange decisions: for example, in the release of Vladimir Solovyov’s important program “Moscow. Kreml. Putin”, an exclusive interview of the president to this program showed . With one amendment - the interview was shot back in October last year in Armenia, for an unknown reason, it was not shown then, and now an irrelevant conversation was reanimated in order to, apparently, show the country an active president.
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"Putin solves all the problems"
By mid -April, the government was preparing to announce the next measures to support citizens and business in the conditions of quarantine. Everyone prepared for Prime Minister Mishustin to make an appropriate statement at the office meeting, says a federal official. This is indirectly evidenced by the publication of Forbes magazine, which reported that the new package of measures will be declared at a government meeting on April 16. But on April 15, the prime minister received a team - not to say anything, the president will personally announce everything at a meeting with members of the government. So in the end it happened.
On the terms of anonymity, the federal official claims that the Kremlin wants to ensure that citizens understand: all problems are solved only thanks to the president: “It is important how to get out of this story, so that the people understand that nothing could work without a leader.”
As a result, officials and loyal journalists began to attribute to Putin the main role in solving all problems, not only with coronavirus, but, for example, with oil prices. For example, in this issue of Putin was called "one of the key authors of the oil transaction." And even journalists present the actions of Sobyanin as the “development” of the president’s actions: “Here are the measures that, by their decree in the development of presidential assignments, was introduced by Sergey Sobyanin” - this is how the Channel One submitted a package of measures to support the Moscow business.
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"How are we and how they are"
The interlocutor in the presidential administration calls this thesis the key. The news should be told daily how badly the authorities of Western countries save citizens from coronavirus. If you look at the air, then this happens:
In Russia, the situation is much better, they emphasize pro -government media. For example, on April 11, a statement by the doctor and TV presenter Alexander Myasnikov about the “Russian Miracle” was brought out in the TOP service “Yandex.No”. “Everyone is talking about the“ German miracle ”and are silent about the Russian: but in Germany 2800 died at 82 million people, despite the fact that in Russia there are less than 100 by 145 million,” the head physician of the Zhadkevich hospital, and now the representative of the information center for the fight against coronavirus. What is characteristic, butcher, like the other Tabak employee mentioned at the beginning of this text, was skeptical of the coronavirus before his appointment and managed to get sick.
Coronavirus for the good
The Kremlin asked the regional authorities to use coronavirus to increase the loyalty of voters, but the measures were not too successful.
In the midst of the epidemic, the regional authorities began to receive a document from Moscow called “Pandemia of the Coronavirus Covid-19”. The document is at the disposal of the “project”, fragments of this document were published by Telegram channels. Despite the name, he had nothing to do with the fight against the virus. He was written by officials by Kiriyenko, the interlocutor says in one of the regions and confirms the source in the leadership of United Russia, and his goal is to increase the loyalty of the electorate before voting to change the constitution.
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Some regions tried to realize part of these ideas. For example, in Ulyanovsk, Governor Sergei Morozov, having forgotten about self -isolation, in the company of dozens of people under the cells, sealed boxes with the inscription “Support”. The interlocutor, close to the leadership of another large region, says that, on the contrary, they have a frozen work on preparing for voting - the authorities are afraid to not cope with the sick, and they are not up to other problems.
How Putin's rating has changed during the pandemic
In percentage
Gradually, ordinary citizens and ordinary citizens are gradually getting tired of such PR.. Putin's approval rating of approval, grown up against the backdrop of the first appeals, went downward quite quickly
. According to both FOM and VTsIOM, it fell to 64%.
VTsIOM data
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Kiriyenko was sick for three days, the interlocutor says in the Kremlin. His coronavirus was not confirmed: the second and third tests, as often happens, gave a negative result, says a person close to the presidential administration. Все сотрудники внутриполитического блока Кремля, как минимум раз в неделю, теперь тоже сдают тест на заболевание , рассказали «Проекту» два кремлевских чиновника.
В Белом доме тест сдают только чиновники, которые лично контактируют с премьер-министром. Остальных просто обязали входить в здание правительства в масках , утверждает собеседник в Белом доме. Маски раздали казенные, и они оказались китайскими ! , одна из этих масок есть в распоряжении «Проекта». Перед этим члены правительства уверенно заявляли : Россия полностью обеспечена собственными масками.
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