I’m worried about Ilya Yashin @ilya_yashin. He is currently being held in a cell under a 15-day administrative arrest. But this arrest looks like the classic situation where someone is jailed for a short term so that, during that time, the paperwork can be prepared to lock them up for much longer. The authorities—Moscow officials, the Kremlin, and, I have no doubt, Putin himself—hate Yashin and dream of getting rid of him. And they have a very good reason: by his very existence and his work, Ilya Yashin disproves their constant, monotonous lies about the opposition. That it has nothing constructive to offer, no program, doesn’t run in elections. That it only runs around attending protests. That if it ever came to power, things would be even worse. But Yashin, while he does indeed go to protests, also crushed United Russia, winning a majority in a Moscow district council (roughly the size of a decent-sized city in Russia). He had a clear program and transparent results. He brought the opposition to power and then got to work for the people, spending his days dealing with local urban issues and meeting residents. He gave up his official car to be used as a free taxi service for people with disabilities. In other words, under Yashin, life in the district genuinely got better. At the same time, his municipal council did not retreat into mere “small local matters.” They were elected representatives of the people, and they made political statements on the people’s behalf. Against the war, in particular (for that statement, Krasnoselsky Municipal District head Elena Kotyonochkina and municipal deputy Alexei Gorinov were arrested completely unlawfully). So people looked at Yashin and his colleagues and said: “This kind of government is better than United Russia’s.” In the Kremlin’s eyes, that is a crime. So I’m sending Ilya Yashin my support and wishes for his speedy freedom. I urge everyone to follow his case and support him. And also watch his excellent interview with Yuri Dud. I actually read it rather than watched it. But watching is even better! (link in Stories) Yashin praised me a lot there, but that’s not why I’m recommending the interview! It really is very good, and you can always skip the parts where he praises me 😉