The Real Russia. Today.

The Russian authorities activated ‘turbo mode’ last year and public politics is now all but dead

Friday, January 8, 2021

• Russian lawmakers rush to tighten legislation ahead of the 2021 State Duma elections
• How the Kremlin canceled public politics in 2020
• News briefs: Tinkov family relinquishes control over TCS Group

Feature stories

🗳️ Making life difficult (3,140 words)

In the lead up to the close of the State Duma’s fall 2020 session on December 24, Russian lawmakers were working in “turbo mode.” In a matter of days, they submitted and successfully adopted — although sometimes only in the first reading — an array of bills that will seriously tighten the country’s legislation concerning “foreign agents,” public demonstrations, election campaigning, and “educational activities.” Generally speaking, lawmakers from the ruling party, United Russia, introduced these initiatives, though they were sometimes joined by their colleagues from nominal opposition parties. Politicians and experts alike told Meduza that the new legislation will make it much more difficult for opposition parties to nominate candidates, run campaigns, organize public rallies, and monitor the integrity of elections in Russia. All of which will affect the State Duma elections set to take place in 2021.

🗳️ You’re better off this way (2,200 words)

The principles of Russian politics changed beyond recognition last year. In-person voting held over multiple days (first introduced as a temporary pandemic measure) was codified and made permanent, supposedly for voters’ convenience, guaranteeing victory for the authorities’ candidates (even in regions where protest sentiment is high). The State Duma hastily adopted a series of repressive laws that complicated election monitoring, campaigning, and peaceful forms of protest. The authorities tried to remove society from political participation and distance the public from any decision-making, as the country prepares for new parliamentary elections in 2021. At first glance, these efforts have been a success, so far.

Other news in brief

• 👋 Exeunt the Tinkovs. (230 words.) The family of Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov has relinquished control over the TCS Group Holding PLC — Tinkoff Bank’s parent company. As a result, the Tinkov and his family’s voting rights in the TCS Group have now fallen from 84 percent to 35 percent.

🔱 Tomorrow in history: 100 years ago tomorrow, on January 9, 1921, two French destroyers (in the Black Sea as part of the Allied Intervention into Russia’s Civil War) intercepted a Soviet gunboat off the coast of Anapa. The Russian vessel was hit and beached.

Yours, Meduza