Morning Briefing broadcast from April 13, 2017

And here with us on the line is Alexei Navalny. Alexei, good morning!

Good morning!

Good morning!

First, your comment on the detentions and searches at Maltsev’s and also at some other opposition figures early this morning.

I saw those disgusting videos of them sawing through the door, with children being in that apartment, with a huge number of police officers, the kind that probably only turn out for a bank robbery. And I can only express my support for Vyacheslav Maltsev and all the other people being detained today. Obviously, this is simply an act of intimidation. There is not the slightest reason not only to conduct searches at their homes, but all the more so to conduct them with such pomp, with doors being cut open, with some kind of fake witnesses. Clearly, this is the authorities’ reaction to the protests on the 26th. They really do not like Maltsev, because he not only has a network structure and quite a lot of support in the regions, but he also effectively has his own media outlet, his own YouTube channel, which is watched daily by more than 100 thousand people. They want to shut down this sort of people’s media outlet of his, if you will, including through his detention. I think that is the goal here.

Actually, it is interesting how the authorities are now focusing specifically on internet resources. Because they tried to shut down “Navalny LIVE” back then over the broadcast, obviously. And now they have come for Maltsev. Apparently, they have finally started taking his YouTube channel seriously?

Let’s be precise: they did not shut it down, they tried to shut it down.

Yes, they tried to shut it down.

Absolutely, that is so. They have found ways to fight traditional media. Here is what we see now: the RBC outlet is supposed to take over “Komsomolskaya Pravda.” The radio station “Echo of Moscow” constantly feels attention on itself, so to speak, and is under constant pressure. Some of the hosts on your station, in general, have experienced this personally as well. The internet generally frightens and unsettles them. They do not understand what it is. In Russia there are 103 channels with more than a million subscribers. Most of these channels, of course, are not political, but political ones are now appearing too. Besides that, we see such a shift of channels that used to speak only about various entertainment things toward politics. Well, because life itself pushes them in that direction. And, naturally, the Kremlin is furious about this and is trying to find ways to block it. And if they cannot block it, then they detain popular bloggers like Maltsev.

What do you think will happen with Maltsev, based on experience of what is happening and has happened? People are already writing to us here: 1937 and all that.

Well, of course this is nothing like 1937, but that is little consolation. We do not see mass repression in Russia, and, probably, mass repression is impossible. And the Kremlin acts within its favorite logic, that is, they make a show of detaining and arresting people. And I hope Maltsev will not be arrested, although, if I had to make a forecast, unfortunately, I assume that is exactly what will happen. They carry out targeted repression, but very demonstratively, so that by arresting a few they frighten millions. And of course, now they will try to create something like “Bolotnaya Case No. 2,” arrest 10 random people in order to try to intimidate the hundreds of thousands who recently came out to protest, and the millions who support them. That is how it works.

I cannot help but ask about the news now coming in marked urgent from the Lyublinsky District Court of Moscow. Within 5 days the question of accepting Alisher Usmanov’s lawsuit against you and the Anti-Corruption Foundation will be decided. Are you ready to go to court?

Well, of course, we are ready to go to court. From the very beginning, when we released the film, in a certain sense we even demanded some kind of response: at least sue us if you think something is wrong. As I understand it, Medvedev himself was too cowardly to file a lawsuit, so they begged Usmanov to do it, the one who takes the heat for the whole gang. We have not the slightest doubt about the outcome of this trial. The Lyublinsky Court has heard many lawsuits against me, and there have been all sorts of ridiculous things, like when we show an aerial view of some Volodin or Neverov dacha, and they tell us: “And this does not actually exist... What you are showing—do not believe your own eyes.” Or that same Sergey Neverov, one of the leaders of “United Russia,” said that his mother-in-law gave him a dacha worth 200 million as a gift. All kinds of things like that. And the court believes them. The court absolutely does not believe us. Therefore, the result of this trial is obvious. But during this trial, we will certainly once again prove to the public, to journalists, that we are right, that Usmanov paid bribes to Medvedev, and I continue to consider him a crook and a scoundrel, one of the most disgusting oligarchs who hinder Russia’s development.

And one more question, probably the last one. Yesterday on your blog you announced the date of the upcoming protest, June 12. But everyone was wondering how you would react to the “Enough!” protest, which supporters of Mikhail Khodorkovsky had rather indirectly announced for April 27. So it turns out that you sort of ignored Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s proposal to come out under the slogan “Enough!” and are suggesting that people come out exclusively, so to speak, under your banners. Or am I misunderstanding something?

No, you are misunderstanding somehow. Secondly, you have more information, because I have been busy elsewhere for the last two weeks and have not had that much information... And what exactly is the protest on the 27th, is it a rally?

Nobody knows, that is exactly the point. I misspoke—it is April 29, I apologize, that was a slip of the tongue.

Let me explain my position: I support all normal protest actions. People have the right to go out into the street, they have the right to engage in politics. Therefore, I support absolutely all such people. But I cannot join an action which, as you yourself say, it is not yet very clear what it consists of.

But it is known that they supposedly wanted to discuss and announce it on the 15th, yet you did not wait for that date and announced yours yesterday.

I do what I do. We have the Anti-Corruption Foundation, we have an investigation, we have people who supported this investigation. There are people who demand answers to this investigation. Our focus is fighting corruption. We believe this is the most important thing, and corruption is the foundation of the political system. We called on everyone to come to the rally on the 26th against corruption and against this government, and having received no answer, we are calling on everyone to come out on June 12, Russia Day, under Russian flags. This absolutely does not exclude participation in some other actions, so everyone who wants to participate somewhere else can participate and should participate. And that is wonderful. Let a million flowers bloom, as Mao Zedong said.

Thank you very much! This was Alexei Navalny.

Thank you. This was Alexei Navalny, politician, head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, and a man who wants to become a presidential candidate in 2018.