Putin is not all of Russia

In the capital of Bulgaria Sofia, the constituent conference of the new anti -Kremlin organization was held. Will political emigrants from Russia give out "Nansen passports"?

To those forces in Europe, who strive to neutralize the Kremlin propaganda, a new public organization was added - "For Free Russia! (Bulgaria)." The initiator of its creation was the Russian opposition politician Gennady Gudkov, who was permanently residing in the Bulgarian port of Varna. Last Saturday, February 19, in the Sophia Intercontinental, more guests gathered at the constituent conference than expected. Some specially flew from Moscow and other capitals.

Among the guests of the conference were former deputies of the State Duma and opposition figures Dmitry Gudkov, Ilya Ponomarev, Leonid Gozman, as well as entrepreneur and business trainer Dmitry Potapenko. According to the video, the participants were welcomed by the deputy of the Moscow City Duma Vladimir Ryzhkov and the journalist and public figure Nikolai Svanidze.

The Russian people will always be friends with Bulgarian, said Gennady Gudkov , speaking at the conference, but today's Russian regime is harmful to both countries. The task of the new organization is to bring to the collective consciousness of the Bulgarians, and politicians, and ordinary citizens, the truth about the state of affairs in Russia, including growing political repressions that return the country to the Soviet past, when any manifestation of free thought leads to the loss of freedom and sometimes life.

Many Bulgarians sympathize with the Kremlin policy. The picture is a member of the Rusophile Movement Racing in Kazanlyk

The struggle to preserve power in the Kremlin acquires forms that are dangerous for the whole world, and this was demonstrated in Bulgaria, when the involvement of the Russian special services in attempts to poison the father and son of Goebrev and explosions in weapons plants became clear. At the same time, the difference between Russia and the Putin regime is huge - they are shared by the abyss, Russian oppositionists believe. The picture of the world also does not look at all like the Kremlin draws it. The public organization "For Free Russia! (Bulgaria)" states that he is going to counteract Putin's propaganda, creating a different image of Russia.

In Bulgaria there is a powerful Pro -Putin "Fifth Column" - and these people work

According to the conference participants, corruption has actually turned into an important article of Russian export, which threatens Europe, destroying its unity. If we talk about Bulgaria, this applies primarily to the energy sphere. According to authoritative international experts, part of the energy sector of the Bulgarian economy is totally corrupt and works on the interests of Russian state companies that artificially overestimate gas prices. Bulgaria acquires an agent of the Kremlin’s influence in Europe, and this is very dangerous.

Gennady Gudkov called for revising the facilitating of those provisions of national and European legislation that regulate the arrival of political emigrants from other states to the European countries, primarily from Russia. This is a new wave of smart, educated, talented people, he said. According to the politician, something should be introduced like Nansen's passports , which at one time facilitated the fate of a huge number of refugees from Soviet Russia.

The constituent conference of the movement was attended by famous Bulgarian politicians. Rosen Plevneliev , the President of Bulgaria in 2012-2017, said that dark times had come in Russia, and the regime of autocracy was established there. However, without compliance with civil rights, the world in Europe is impossible, and this problem is inextricably linked with the ban on a larger state to occupy the one that weaker, the politician noted, speaking of the current Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Gas should be a product, not weapons, also emphasized by Plevneliev.

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Deputy Chairman of the Opposition Party "Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria" (Coat of arms) Daniel Mitov pointed out the presence of "powerful Pro -Putin" Fifth Column "in Bulgaria - and these people work." The Putin regime, Mitov said, pursues two goals: the main thing is to destroy the existing architecture of international relations and create another, which goes through its ideological roots in the 19th century. Secondly, Putin and his environment are convinced that democracy is a "weak" form of government that should be eradicated, including methods of corruption. Therefore, they are not embarrassed to abuse freedom of speech in order to promote their propaganda, to discredit democratic values. “We must draw a clear distinction line between us and I am not saying“ Russia ”, but the Putin regime. This is a difficult but fulfilling task,” Daniel Mitov believes.

Only democratic and free Russia can be a strategic partner of both Bulgaria and the European Union, the representative of the ruling coalition from the Democratic Bulgaria party, deputy chairman of the parliamentary faction of this party, Atanas Slava , said. Ten days ago, "Democratic Bulgaria" adopted a political declaration of cooperation with the democratic Russian opposition, he noted.

At the same time, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the heiress of the Bulgarian Communists, did not accept the invitation to the conference. Her leader is known for proxy sentiments.

Speech at the conference of representatives of Russian emigrant organizations from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, as well as Belarus and Kazakhstan were reduced to general cultural and humanitarian themes. It could be concluded that their influence on political processes in the relevant countries is only indirect. As Freedom noted in an interview with radio The opposition figure and corrugatedist from Berlin Dmitry Bagrash , of about 300,000 Russian diaspora in Germany, about 80 percent support the Kremlin’s policy, "which tragicomically resembles a well-known Russian proportion of 86:14."

We must draw a clear distinction line between us and I am not saying by Russia, but the Putin regime

Gennady Gudkov considers it necessary to make the movement of foreign compatriots, critical of the Kremlin’s policy, as wide and international. According to him, this is important in order to influence the policy of "stay countries" against the Kremlin. In an interview with Radio, Freedom Gudkov said that his organization intends to convene a conference of specialized European movements and organizations this summer in order to develop general proposals on the problem of sanctions against the Kremlin, including those related to aggressive aspirations against Ukraine and other states, as well as on the problems of political prisoners and migration policy. According to Gudkov, the opposition are also going to make contact with the apparatus of the permanent speaker of the European Parliament in Russia, the former Prime Minister of Lithuania Andryus Cubilyus, with the corresponding parliamentary groups and commissions of European countries, informing them about the real state of affairs in the field of civil and political rights in Russia.

The movement "For Free Russia! (Bulgaria)" is going to establish the Fund for Assistance to Political Immigrants, which are in distress - primarily from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The sponsors of the fund can become Russian, Bulgarian and other companies. Already now, the politician said, there is consent of some large Bulgarian entrepreneurs. Finally, the plans are the convocation of the forum of Russian entrepreneurs who conduct their activities outside Russia: the exchange of business information can open new unexpected prospects for them. A good example, Gudkov noted, is the area of "green energy": say, in its geothermal potential, Bulgaria takes second place in Europe after Iceland, but it is used limited and extremely inefficiently.

Author - Novaya Gazeta correspondent in the Balkans, especially for Radio Liberty