"Putin's power will ever end." Coordinators of Navalny’s headquarters that they will return to Russia

In dozens of cities in the world among the embassies of Russia or in central squares these days, promotions are held in support of the Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny and other Russian political prisoners located in the colony. Participants in shares - mainly citizens of Russia - also act with slogans against the war and in support of Ukraine.

January 17 has been two years since the detention of Navalny after his return to Russia. Since then, the opposition has been deprived of freedom: at first he was sent to the colony in the so -called “Yves Rocher” case, and then a new verdict in the fraud case was issued and transferred to a maximum security colony. Navalny accuses the administration of bullying due to the fact that he was repeatedly sent to the penislator for far-fetched, as he claims, grounds. The criminal prosecution of Navalny and his supporters consider it politically motivated. Leading human rights organizations recognized him as a political prisoner or a prisoner of conscience.

During this year, the coordinators of Navalny’s headquarters from various cities of Russia were constantly persecuted, many of them were forced to leave the country and are now in exile. Is it possible for them to effective political activism and the fight against Putin’s regime in such a situation and whether they still hope to return to Russia - the North correspondents talked about this with the closest supporters of Navalny.

"There is no policy in Russia"

Alexander Shurshev now lives in Tbilisi, he was the coordinator of the headquarters of Navalny in St. Petersburg - he led the municipal election campaign of the headquarters in 2019, and also conducted work as part of the governor's election campaign.

“We told how the signatures for Beglov are drawn, even shot this moment in the administration of the Vyborg region, there were a lot of bright stories on the election campaigns of individual candidates,” recalls 40-year-old Shurshev. - I had my own election campaign in the municipal district "Yekaterinhofsky", probably one of the most scandalous. After me, the headquarters was headed by Irina Fatyanova.

Shurshev has been engaged in politics since 2000, when he came to the Youth Apple. He decided to leave Russia two years ago. According to him, he was greatly influenced by the story of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, and then his famous investigation of this poisoning. This is what made him look differently at his 20 years of experience in political activity.

-I saw that there is no policy in Russia, they can allow you to get to some position, but you will not be able to do anything, and if you apply for something serious, you will send such a detachment of poisoners for you. I did not express these thoughts out loud - I did not want to demotivate anyone, because many people still continue to act, and thank God that there are such people. But even then it became clear to me what everything was going on, I just did not expect that everything would change so quickly.

The May Day procession of the democratic column in 2019 ended with the riot police and police officers massively grabbed the participants of the promotion from the crowd and threw it into autozaki. Shurshev then headed the headquarters of Navalny, he stood on Nevsky Prospekt and simply talked with someone when an riot police attacked him from behind and fell to the ground by his neck.

“On this procession, many were rudely and unmotivated, but only I, together with Andrei Pivovarov, were sent for 10 days,” he recalls.

Looking back, Alexander evaluates Navalny’s headquarters as the most noticeable opposition force in Russia, which has done a lot in recent years and which has a chance to do a lot in the future. He is pleased that many of the former staff of the headquarters continue their activities without even being in Russia.

-Someone is conducting regional telegram channels, someone is making a video, talking about what cannot be learned from the Russian media. It seems to me that this is very important. The headquarters dispersed, but people remained, and it is good that they did not give up. Putin’s power will someday end, and it is precisely such people that work today in order to bring this event closer. I don’t know if the headquarters will gather again as such, because they appeared because Navalny was not allowed to register the party, but I hope that Putin's Russia will end, and in beautiful Russia the future will be different parties that will be formed by voters, and not be appointed from above.

Shurshev plans to return to Russia, where he has many friends and relatives. Now he is engaged in investigations of corruption in the north-west of Russia, and is conducting a project of chronicle with his colleagues. Media.

The network of regional "headquarters of Navalny" appeared in Russia in 2017 and lasted until 2021, when the Russian prosecutor's office demanded that the organization be recognized as extremist and liquidate them. In April 2021, the prosecutor's office announced the closure of the public movement "Navalny headquarters", although legally such a movement did not exist.

After the statement of the prosecutor’s office, the head of the headquarters Leonid Volkov officially dismissed all organizations and warned that the employees of the “headquarters of Navalny” could begin to be pursued under criminal articles. Many volunteers, staff of the headquarters left the country, including the coordinator of the Moscow Staff Oleg Stepanov, director of the Corruption Fund Ivan Zhdanov, Leonid Volkov, ex-head of the Petersburg headquarters of Navalny Irina Fatyanova, former head of the Murmansk headquarters of Navalny Violetta and others.

In November 2021, the former coordinator of the city headquarters of Navalny Lilia Chanyshev, who was accused of leading an extremist organization, although the activist left the post until the extremist “Navalny’s headquarters” recognized.

Criminal cases were also initiated against the former coordinators of the headquarters of Navalny Elizabeth Bychkova and Yegor Butakov, who were accused of participating in the activities of a NPO, who encroaching on the rights of citizens. They were appointed on the year of restrictions on freedom by withdrawing accusations of the leadership of the "extremist community" after consent to cooperation with the investigation.

"Allegedly, I resisted when arrested"

Maria Makarova is a former employee of Navalny’s headquarters in Chelyabinsk. She survived a search, two administrative arrests, a criminal case "for the overlap of roads", but decided to leave only when they began to put the former employees of Navalny’s headquarters, including Sammshchikov, in the pre -trialist. Now she lives in Tbilisi.

- After the first protest rally, I was arrested - they grabbed me in the morning on the street when I walked from a dentist. I served two administrative arrests, including one by the reservation of Eshnik (E -EXTRAL Office for Combating Extremism. - SR) Ermolaev - he said that I supposedly resisted during the arrest, and even so that he had to apply a painful reception to me. But I only found out about this at the trial, ”recalls Maria Makarova. - When a criminal case was opened against me for allegedly blocking the roads - the so -called “road business”, and I was threatened by the year of the colony, I did not want to leave, I thought that I could sit out this year. And even after the recognition of headquarters, I initially believed that I could get rid of, get used to be constantly in anticipation of another arrest and a new search, but in a few months I realized that I began to limit myself to activity, meetings that I could not get used to it. And then I realized that I had to leave.

A year ago, I flew to Tbilisi. I organized here with Georgians and emigrant actors the production of the opposition play by Arthur Solomonov "How we buried Joseph Vissarionovich." At first I wanted to spread this play in the cities where our headquarters were, but after the arrest of Lilia Chanysheva, everyone refused to set up such an acute play. But now, thanks to emigration, it is put in different cities of the world, ”says Maria Makarova.

She says that for her work at the headquarters is one of the best periods in life. The headquarters became important to her not only because she saw how many like -minded people, and started starting many civilian initiatives, but also because he introduced and united very worthy people.

- We held lectures, debates, meetings with interesting people, our volunteers and supporters even went to theaters and supporters together (for political or near political performances), and we still communicate. With some, even this New Year was already celebrated in exile. Yes, I was able to leave only thanks to the help of my friends in the headquarters with whom we still live together in Georgia. I believe that the headquarters laid a very good foundation for the formation and development of civil society in Russia.

Maria Makarova is going to return to Russia.

- And I'm going to return, and many of my friends and former colleagues too. Now we all do not stand still - we gain new experience, knowledge, skills, which, as I hope, are very useful for building a new Russia, the one in which the main value will be the rights and freedoms of human.

"We didn't return home anymore"

38-year-old Ivan Vostrikov was the coordinator of Navalny’s headquarters in Tyumen, now he lives abroad, left Russia in connection with the defeat of the headquarters. According to him, the persecution began in January 2021: at first he was seized near the house of his parents, then after the action with the lanterns, he felt constant surveillance.

- When we were in the process of moving to a new room, we learned that the prosecutor's office asks us to recognize us as an extremist organization. The owner of the former premises was intimidated, we found a new one and just finished the repair, painted the walls and thought whether we could not work here at least a day - Vostrikov sighs. -And when the April rallies were announced, my girlfriend and I looked at each other: well, we will sit in the next day or two, gathered in two hours and moved with the phones turned off to the conspiracy apartment, which the one friend provided us. We no longer returned home.

Another month, Ivan and the girl lived in Tyumen, trying not to get under the video surveillance cameras, not including phones, engaged in the help of detainees, wore programs, searched for lawyers.

- When we were more or less recruited, we decided to take a breath a little, at least not in Russia to meet the news of recognition of us with an extremist organization. And I didn’t want to sit down - many of those who came across sat down for a month, including our Tyumen video operator. Therefore, in May 2021, we also went to Ufa and from there without telephones. True, we were pierced for a long time, apparently, according to their Ephesians, but in the end they still released it. Well, then the vacation went into exile.

The work of the Tyumen headquarters Ivan Vostrikov is proud of, especially a series of investigations about the governor Alexander Moore and his friends.

- We found an unregistered house in him, it was a loud business, we forced him to make excuses, he immediately climbed to rule the Rosreestr, it was wonderful to watch him spin. And in 2020, we told how we ordered the IVL devices at a price three times higher than the retail, how our officials were heated well on this. And we are also proud of how many people went to Tyumen in January 2021 for protests in defense of Navalny, these were the largest performances with us, more than in 2011. And this is with a frost of 35 degrees! I myself was sitting in a special detention center then. Before that, it was believed that Tyumen is absolutely not a protest city, this is a showcase, here everyone is happy with everyone. But it turned out that no. The authorities have long tried to close us under all kinds of pretexts - she played with us, albeit julny, and then simply became furious and turned the board.

Ivan Vostrikov plans to return to Russia when everything that he was doing at Navalny’s headquarters will cease to be criminally punishable. He still dreams of making his hometown better than he is, and now he is working on this on Yetube , and with the help of the Tyumen telegram channel -a rich region! ".

"I plan to return when Putin will not"

Evgeny Karpov is now 24. He led Navalny’s headquarters in Belgorod and Voronezh, is most proud of Belgorod investigations, 2017-18 calls gold. In 2021, he began to notice increased interest from the employees of the E -E Center. In November he left Russia.

- I remember how we are sitting in the kitchen, and then we will find out that the prosecutor's office demands to recognize us as an extremist organization, well, we immediately realized that this is the end. It is most sorry that I rarely see children. They stayed in Voronezh, my wife and I are divorced, but every weekend I always met with them. True, they came to me this summer, but it turns out that they had seen each other once a week, and now - only once a year.

In the Fatherland they do not forget him - two weeks ago his parents had a search, he suggests that a criminal case could be instituted against him. In exile, he continues to work, leads the telegram channel "Vornadzor". Navalny considers the work of the headquarters very important on a country scale.

- Our work first showed that people can unite, work together, win - we helped many municipal deputies in different regions. I definitely plan to return - when Putin will not be, of course. There are no headquarters, but people stayed, and in the next two years we have a very hard work.

"I left with the aim of continuing"

Evgeny Kochegin headed Navalny’s headquarters in Volgograd in 2018. At that time, he studied in the third year of Volgograd State University and for a long time was a volunteer at the headquarters. Four years after the appointment of Kochegin, he left Russia during the elections in September 2021.

- We had to leave so that we could hold the elections. I had more than a hundred people in coordination in the areas, and everyone understood that if you simply turn me off from this system, it would be great damage throughout the structure. And since the bell - the headquarters recognized as extremist, two bells - Evgeny Prigozhin and RIA Fan wrote statements for me personally and for another employee that we supposedly continue extremist activities. I had an agenda for interrogation and a pre-investigation inspection in the criminal case under the 328th article of the Criminal Code ("Evasion from the passage of a military or alternative military service"). A lot of things have accumulated, which indicated that it was better to leave during the election. We left for Georgia, held elections, and during this time the situation became only worse. We decided to stay a little more, ”says 24-year-old Eugene.

The preliminary investigation soon turned into a criminal case against Kochegin, he "actually cut off the path back" to Russia.

- First, one criminal case, then the second, and there was added an absentee arrest. The second criminal case was opened by "fakes" for posts in a telegram. I am under this article in federal, international wanted list and arrested in absentia, ”adds Kochegin.

Despite the departure from Russia, Kochegin did not cease to engage in socio-political activities. After the closing of the headquarters of Navalny, Volgograd activists came up with their regional project "Watch in Volgograd".

- We were on our own. At first, this project lived simply on my accumulations. At first he was aimed at the elections, then investigations were added there, but as soon as the war began, we took up an anti -war agenda. This is our main socio-political activity. I did not look for some work abroad, I continued to do a project with other activists, and then they thought that if it doesn’t work out, I would have to close the project, submit to political investment and integrate into the local environment, and get some kind of work. We managed to resist, we saved the project. On February 24, they met in a state of shock, thought that something had to be done, but did not understand what we could do. Immediately began to promote the anti -war agenda, coordinated the arrangement of anti -war leaflets on Volgograd. But a few months later, this activity became impossible in Volgograd - people were caught in billing and outdoor surveillance cameras. We began to promote an anti -war agenda with our resources. When mobilization began, they made instructions on how to interact with the military commissariats, ”says Kochegin.

The project now exists at the expense of crowdfunding and grants. According to the activist, the "patrol in Volgograd" is his main work. The income of Kochegin is also brings a game on the exchange of cryptocurrencies, but he calls it a hobby.

The former head of the headquarters of Navalny in Volgograd says that he left Russia to continue to engage in socio-political activities.

- I left with the aim of continuing. If I stayed, I would sit down. Probably, I would already be in jail or there would already be a sentence, but I would be absolutely useless. It’s scary for me to be just useless. In Russia, for me there was no such form of pressure, because of which I would refuse to do what I do. Even taking into account the fact that I had relatives in Russia who constantly told me to stop, that it would be bad and I will spoil my life. They now treat everything with understanding. I have not seen my mother for almost two years. I would like to see myself, but there is no way, and it’s sad about this, ”he worries. - It seems to me that over the years of my activity, I was even able to convince my parents. They were either for power, or neutrally treated it. But I convinced. The only thing my sister, as they say, is cotton. Здесь ничего не поделаешь, мы с ней просто не общаемся.

"Все молчат, потому что им страшно"

Виктору Санженакову из Самарского штаба Навального 48 лет, он получил политическое убежище в Латвии, живет теперь в Риге. Он по-прежнему выходит на акции в поддержку Навального и других политзаключенных, участвует в антивоенных акциях, но возвращаться в Россию не планирует – не верит, что в ближайшие годы там может что-то измениться в лучшую сторону. Дома, как и других активистов штаба, его ждет штраф – за организацию двух январских митингов 2021 года. Суд оценил работу полицейских по разгону сторонников Навального в Самаре в 436 тысяч рублей, которые хотят взыскать с организаторов митингов.

– Я вырос в Таштаголе Кемеровской области, до сих пор общаюсь там со знакомыми. Так вот там чуть ли не целыми поселками идут на войну. "Ты ничего не понимаешь – там 200 тысяч платят!" – говорят они мне. А вокруг зарплаты 20 тысяч, 70 тысяч – это потолок на руднике по добыче железной руды, в тяжелейших условиях, и с опытом работы лет 30. Люди в регионах в разы беднее, чем в Москве, это просто разные планеты. И даже те, кто все понимает про режим, все равно молчат, потому что им страшно, а многие за Путина и войну топят, – говорит Санженаков. – В Самаре тоже путинистов много, меня поразило, что в 3,5-миллионном городе нас, активистов штаба, было по пальцам пересчитать, за четыре года моей постоянной работы там всего 14 человек прошло, мы все друг друга знали. Всех нас штрафовали, потом были аресты, в итоге почти все уехали из страны, потому что иначе бы нас просто надолго посадили.

Сам Санженаков улетел в Голландию после того, как отсидел за митинг 10 суток, это было максимальное наказание. В спецраспределителе для административно задержанных шел ремонт, арестантов не выводили на прогулки, а площадь камеры на четырех человек была 10 квадратных метров, личные вещи из-за короновируса передать было нельзя – Виктор описал все это и передал заявление на волю, его письмо опубликовали оппозиционные СМИ.

– После отсидки домой я уже не вернулся, прятался в другом месте, с отключенным телефоном. Навальному тогда дали 3,5 года реального срока. В Европе была очередная волна ковида и ограничений, билеты не купить, я увидел один в Амстердам и тут же схватил его – хотел уехать на пару недель, чтобы просто выдохнуть и решить, что дальше. Но вместо отпуска оказался в новой тюрьме, теперь уже не российской, а голландской. В аэропорту Схипхол мне устроили допрос, мои ответы их не устроили, и меня отправили за решетку, это была настоящая тюрьма, только я сидел в крыле для депортированных. Там я и попросил политическое убежище. Потом выяснилось, что мне даже повезло – если бы я это делал обычным порядком, то мог ждать решения несколько месяцев в лагере для беженцев, а там все рассмотрели довольно быстро: мое задержание в Схипхоле в суде было признано незаконным, мне даже компенсацию за это выплатили и отправили в Латвию, поскольку у меня была латышская виза, и по Дублинской процедуре меня обязаны были выслать в страну, которая выдала шенген, – рассказывает Санженаков.

Виктор оказался в лагере для соискателей убежища в Муцениеки под Ригой, где провел несколько месяцев.

– Тяжелее всего была разлука с семьей, мы девять месяцев не виделись: у меня маленькая дочка, я ее обожаю и все свободное время проводил с ней, играл, водил на занятий, – говорит он. – А так в Муцениеки был лагерь на 400 человек, сосны, тишина и покой. Уже там, глядя на все происходящее, я окончательно понял, что сторонникам Навального просто дали уехать из страны, чтобы глаза им не мозолили и воду не мутили. А сейчас они просто издеваются над Навальным, за всякую чепуху отправляют его в ШИЗО – убивают его на глазах всего мира, цинично и жестоко. Прессуют и сажают тех, кто против войны и не боится говорить об этом... Знаете, в Самаре мы жили гораздо лучше, чем в Риге: я работал на себя, крутился как мог, деньги всегда были. Тут работаю на стройке за 6,5 евро в час, жена тоже работу нашла, но все равно живем мы очень скромно, дочка пошла в местную школу, все учим латышский. Может, я просто стал скептиком, но не верю, что в России что-то может измениться в лучшую сторону, поэтому о возращении даже не думаем. И еще я не хочу, чтобы мой ребенок рос среди людей, которые выбирают смерть, а не жизнь.