Opposition leader Alexei Navalny called and throughout the country, in particular, young Russians took to the streets to demonstrate against the government. Russia expert Stefan Meister speaks of a new protest dynamics.
Deutsche Welle: Mr. Meister, Alexei Navalny, wants to compete next year in the presidential election, denounces openly the corruption of the Russian state and the Kremlin. In the protests on Monday, to be mobilised where the 41-year-old opposition of many Russians to the country, called the protesters “Russia without Putin”. These protests are dangerous for President Vladimir Putin?
Stefan Meister: I would not say that it is dangerous. Vladimir Putin is still the most popular politician in Russia. But it is the new sound that comes into these protests. There are protests by young Russians, with which the System can’t handle. The more repressive you react, the more you imprison people, and beats, the more you will bring to citizens on the street and you against the System application. In this regard, we have here a new dynamic. We have Alexey Navalny, a politician who motivated people and, indeed, the election campaign. He speaks to the citizens. The people have in him the feeling that this is one, “is like us and thinks like we do. And thus we have for the first Time an Alternative to Putin.” Navalny attacks Putin’s absolute claim to power.
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, thousands of Navalny’s call followed. The wave of protests spread to other Russian cities. This means that the people politicizing now?
Stefan Meister
It means, above all things, that Alexei Navalny is able to bring about the social networks of people on the road. It is a new Form-is organized, as a Protest. He is very professional in the use of social networks. He reached especially the young Generation. These are people who watch no television and state Propaganda are no longer subject to. They are willing to take risks. Yes, it is a Form of politicization of the Russian population. But it is also a Form of Happening, a Form of Event, a new Form of Protest that we have, ultimately, in Europe and in the United States.
Even 14 – to 15-year-old pupils took part in the Protest. What does it show?
It shows that there are people in the social networks. This is the target audience, Navalny achieved with his Videos and his Blog …
… Navalny’s Video about the allegations of corruption against Dmitry Medvedev have more than clicks 20 million people.
This means that this young Generation Putin is not so cynical or inactive, as intended, but it is a Generation that has something to lose and is ready to go on the road and to protest against certain things. Still, it’s not about political demands, but, above all, corruption.
Political power in these young people?
Political power is not plugged in at the Moment behind it. It is a Form of Happening. But it is a young Generation. These are the Russians, Russia will dominate in the next 10 to 20 years. We can observe how they politicize. I would not overestimate this Protest or what he can achieve. But he shows that in Russia there are a lot more pluralism in the Russian society in the last 20 years has changed, and also that under Putin, a new Generation has grown that not everything can be like it. A Generation that understands what is happening in the world, and can thus lead to a politicization of the Russian society.
In Russia, again and again one hears the accusation that Navalny does not exceed the limits of the Responsible, because he is mobilising underage students to be part of a non-approved demonstrations. What do you think?
This is the main accusation of the Russian politicians, that the Minor is “seduced”. But I would say that from the age of 16 or 17 years, young people bear their own responsibilities and reasons to be the road. Of course, Navalny bears part of the responsibility for it. But I think that the Russian state bears the responsibility for how he responds to it: that he beat the people and in prisons. The state discourages with its repression of the people and provoked. I think it is exaggerated, which is the brutality of the police to respond. They provoked the opposite reaction. Not knowing how to deal with it, shows the uncertainty of the state. It is an Overreaction of the security forces.
What is Navalny’s campaign strategy is? Apart from his successful online campaign?
It is the first Time in a few years, that we have someone who works very smart with people in the regions and PR agencies. He has discovered a new Form of the election campaign. It is a new phenomenon, with the Power in Russia simply can not handle and where she has no answer to that because Navalny is very professional and in a very different way, the Russian population is responsive.
Navalny provoked the Kremlin, when he calls people to non-authorized demonstrations?
He provoked and does it deliberately. It is part of his campaign, that he provoked the Power, and the state so that the state overreacted. So Navalny gets in front of all things attention, but also support and, ultimately, he brings even more people out on the street. This is a tactic and part of his strategy.
The political scientist Stefan Meister at the German society for Foreign policy, head of Robert Bosch center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia.
The conversation was led by Oxana Evdokimova.