Wow, we found a really big space for the campaign headquarters, and still not everyone could fit.
A huge thank-you to everyone who came. Sorry it was a bit cramped. But overall, the venue is excellent—right in the city center.
It’s really encouraging, and you can see how many people are not prepared to put up with the “Merkushkinization” of Samara. Governor Merkushkin (the subject of our investigation) is rapidly dragging the region toward the “Mordovian standard” (a reference to the authoritarian political practices associated with Mordovia, a republic in Russia). Over there, he muzzled all the media, subjugated the entire business community, and fabricated 99% election results—and now he’s trying to do the same here.
Everyone I managed to speak with is deeply unhappy about it.
So this is a textbook example of how the authorities themselves create “protest sentiment” through the hell they unleash and the things they say.
I was very happy to see you all—you’re the best.
Ufa tomorrow. Then Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod.