WHO LIVES WELL IN RUSSIA?

Gold-domed Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation, has always been a symbol of greatness and pride for people of the Soviet generation, as reflected in many songs of the time. Moscow, one of the largest and most beautiful cities in the world and a centre of economic and cultural development, has always been, and will continue to be, attractive to so many people from different nations, nationalities and religions.

Unfortunately, the virus of xenophobia began to multiply in the Russian capital some time ago, setting Russians against representatives of "alien" nations, cultures and civilizations, and this sentiment is transmitted to other major cities. Events that took place in Moscow in mid-December once again clearly demonstrated how nationalist sentiment, especially among the youth, threatens Russian society.

Such chaos last took place in the Russian capital in 2002, when soccer fans raised a real riot in Manezhnaya Square after the unsuccessful performance of the national team at the World Cup in Japan. But if in those days they targeted decorations, displays, cars and passers-by, this time their victims were people from the Caucasus and people of Asian and generally "non-Slavic" appearance.

The reason for another burst of ultra-nationalist sentiment was the death of a Spartak fan, Yegor Sviridov, in a fight between a group of drunken fans of the Moscow football club and natives of Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria. Although A. Cherkesov, suspected of the murder, was arrested, this did not pacify Sviridov's friends, as the other three Caucasian detainees were released by the investigator after giving written undertakings not to leave Moscow.

Outraged by such an "unfair" decision, thousands of soccer fans and crowds of ultra-nationalists took to the streets, blocking the Leningrad highway on 7 December and then continuing unrest and attacks on people of "non-Slavic" appearance on 11 December on Kronstadt Boulevard and Manezhnaya Square in Moscow. In fights involving the use of baseball bats and metal bars, dozens of people were injured and at least one person of Kyrgyz nationality was killed, news agencies reported.

The "acts of retaliation" against people of "non-Slavic" appearance were organized by members of the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DPNI), which was led by the well-known national-chauvinist Aleksandr Belov (Potkin) until April 2009, and Slavic Power headed by Dmitriy Demushkin.

According to Galina Kozhevnikova, deputy director of the Sova human rights centre (which specializes in monitoring xenophobia in Russia), the fans were joined by a large number of members of ultra-right organizations, and the aggressive actions of the fans were fuelled by the leaders of radical nationalist movements. "Aleksandr Belov almost immediately called for armed attacks. A text was published which cannot be interpreted otherwise. The main parties negotiating with the police at Manezhnaya Square were Tor and Demushkin, the leaders of extremist movements. How do they relate to the fans' movement? They went there and brought their militants," said the Russian human rights activist. Kozhevnikova is outraged that the police are not so zealous in fulfilling their duties when it comes to Russian nationalists. "I do not understand - despite the fact that the Slavic Union is officially banned, it goes by the name of Slavic Power and the police pretend that nothing is happening," she said.

By the way, Moscow's police chief Vladimir Kolokoltsev admitted that the police had been alerted to possible incidents and riots. But nevertheless, thousands of nationalists quietly moved to the Kremlin, beating people on the streets with impunity and continuing pogroms in the metro.

It is worth noting that the police initially played a passive role and virtually guarded the unauthorized march, in which participants chanted slogans of "Russia for Russians!" and "Russians, Go Ahead!" The police began to intervene only after the crowd aimed their aggression at them. For some reason, the law enforcement forces stated that the detainees would be brought to account for disobeying the lawful demands of the police, while the Russian Criminal Code has a specific article which provides for severe punishment for inciting ethnic hatred. Only after Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev promised to deal strictly with the ultra-nationalists and extremists, did the law enforcement forces start talking about possible criminal cases. "The recent events in Moscow, pogroms and attacks on people should be classified as crimes, and the persons who committed them should be punished. Everything is under control in the country and in Moscow. We will sort out all those made mischief. We will sort out everyone. Do not doubt that," said Medvedev. According to analysts, this shows that the problem lies not only in the inaction of law enforcement bodies, but also in the political will of the country's leadership.

By the way, experts and the media point to sharp differences in the reactions and statements of the president and the prime minister. They draw attention to the fact that Putin first responded to the unrest 10 days later. Moreover, in their view, the prime minister, unlike the president, spoke somewhat ambiguously about what was happening. "It is necessary to suppress all actions by extremists on all sides, regardless of the source," Putin said in response to a question and immediately issued a stern warning to all those who doubted the legitimacy of the security forces' actions. "Russia was established as a multinational and multi-confessional state. Our religion is Orthodox Christianity," the American publication Global Post quoted the Russian premier as saying.

Many regarded Putin's visit to the grave of the deceased Spartak fan as another manifestation of his dubious attitude towards nationalism, while he said not a word about the immigrants or members of other nationalities in Russia attacked by nationalists. "We may draw attention to an unprecedented meeting between the Russian leader Vladimir Putin and the fans. It is quite controversial since Vladimir Putin did not hold a public meeting with the Caucasian diaspora in Moscow and did not apologize for the brutal beating and humiliation of people of non-Slavic appearance,", Prime-TASS news agency writes in this regard.

Some observers believe it would be fairer and even desirable, if the Russian prime minister, for example, paid homage to the memory of the Kyrgyz man killed by ultra-nationalists.

The 15 December events outside the Europa shopping centre near Moscow's Kievskiy railway station revealed another interesting aspect. On that day, according to reports, clashes were planned between Russian nationalists and Caucasians in front of the shopping centre. In fairness it should be noted that this time the police responded promptly and more efficiently, preventing riots and pogroms. The police detained about 1,200 people. Interestingly, most detainees were persons of non-Slavic origin. Moreover, it became known later that three Russian police officers had been awarded medals "For Valour in Service". They deserved the medals because "they risked their own lives to stop 12 people of Caucasian appearance near Moscow's Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station". For some reason, they forgot about the police and OMON members who risked their lives trying to stop the rabid Nazis at Manezhnaya Square on 11 December, although a dozen policemen were injured by the brutal mob. Is this coincidence? Hardly.

It is also significant that, in connection with recent events, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor's Office opened criminal cases mainly under less serious articles (battery, infliction of bodily harm etc.), ignoring the articles on inciting ethnic hatred; after this most of the detainees were freed.

This actually means that impunity, whether the prosecutor's office wants it or not, encourages ultra-nationalist forces. Perhaps this neo-fascist orgy could have been avoided if, for example, skinheads accused of murdering a Tajik girl in St. Petersburg, or others who committed similar crimes on grounds of their dislike for "non-Russians" had not been released in the courtroom at one time. What are non-Russian citizens of Russia to think when they see how the prosecutors and judges refuse to accept the fact of extremism and present everything as ordinary "domestic" offences?

Nor will it be surprising if the activities of ultra-nationalist forces lead to further armed attacks on liberal politicians. Perhaps that is why immediately after the December clashes in Moscow, the authorities decided to resume their investigation into the attempted assassination of the former RAO UES chief, Anatoliy Chubays. On 24 December, Moscow's Lefortovo Court issued an arrest warrant for a retired colonel of the Main Intelligence Department (GRU), Vladimir Kvachkov, who had previously been accused of the attempt on Chubays' life, "on grounds of extremism and hatred" and who was acquitted in August last year. Now Vladimir Kvachkov is suspected under the articles of the Criminal Code on "abetting terrorist activity" and "an attempt to organize an armed rebellion".

In any case, judging by the recent developments, including statements by the Russian president at a meeting of the State Council, Medvedev, as a professional lawyer, understands that if crimes with racist and neo-Nazi motives had not previously been classified as "domestic" offences, this would not be happening now.

Meanwhile, some experts believe that the recent incidents in Russia could have been provoked by certain political circles, both internal and external, in their own interests, and this is quite plausible. Russia will hold parliamentary elections in 2011, and it is natural that certain forces, especially the Liberal Democratic Party, will try to exploit these sentiments. There are many external forces that do not mind playing this card to deliver a powerful blow to the foundations of the multinational Russian state.

It is clear today that the Moscow events and the marches that took place in other Russian cities almost simultaneously with the riots in the capital were not spontaneous. And this time, the Russian radical nationalists were not only against migrant workers, but also against Russian citizens of non-Russian origin. That is, Russia risks, according to Samuel Huntington's theory, slipping into the abyss of a clash of civilizations, which is so dangerous for multinational and federal states. The only salvation from this scenario is dialogue and a synthesis of the interpenetration of civilizations, for which Eurasian Russia is not ready.

Back in late 2008, the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology at the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted a survey called "The ethnic and cultural potential of the regions as a factor in the formation of the Russian nation", commissioned by the Russian Ministry of Regional Development. The survey revealed that public opinion perceives the non-indigenous population not by social, professional or age parameters, but only by "ethnic" qualities. Respondents were asked about their attitude to migrants and the poll results indicate that the situation here cannot be called favourable: only 10 per cent of respondents displayed a positive attitude towards migrants, while nearly one-third stated that they had a negative attitude to them (31 per cent). The respondents were also asked whether one can be regarded as "local" if you know where he came from and how long he had lived in the region. Responses showed a consistency of opinion in all federal districts: no matter how long people live in new places, they can be considered "indigenous" only if they come from the central regions of Russia (81 per cent of responses), Siberia (79 per cent) or the Far East (74 per cent). As for those who come from the North Caucasian republics, even if they live in a new place for 10 years, it does not guarantee their recognition as "indigenous" or "local". Such recognition is favoured by slightly over one-third of respondents, while two thirds believe that people from the North Caucasus republics are aliens, no matter how long they may live in a new place. Two-thirds of respondents said that they could not describe those who came from the Caucasian countries - Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan - as "their own people". Over two thirds of respondents (68 per cent) believe that immigrants from Central Asian states are never destined to become "local" in Russia.

What is the common view in Russian society today? An opinion poll conducted in 138 Russian cities by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Centre from 18-19 December 2010 revealed the following pattern: almost every fifth Russian (18 per cent) approves of the thugs' actions in Manezhnaya Square and 11 per cent are ready to participate in such actions, while in Moscow and St. Petersburg there are even more people who sympathize with the protesters - 37 per cent. An average of 65 per cent of respondents across the country do not support the protesters. But only 9 per cent of respondents believe that ethnic conflict lies at the heart of the riots, 22 per cent viewed the incident as a protest against lawlessness, murder and inaction by the authorities, and 31 per cent chose words such as "banditry", "unrest" and "lawlessness". These figures clearly show that xenophobic sentiments in Russian society are on the rise, becoming more and more entrenched in the socio-political consciousness of the Russians.

However, it is not surprising at a time when such well-known political figures as A. Isayev, ruling party State Duma deputy; Igor Melnikov, secretary of the Communist Party and State Duma deputy; Mikhail Delyagin, director of the Institute of Globalization Problems; and many others almost openly support Russian national chauvinists. Doctor of Law Y. Golik, vice-president of the Antimafia Foundation, regards the incident as "a spontaneous protest by young people against the authorities flirting with the Caucasian diaspora and groups living in Moscow and the region".

Nikolay Svanidze , a prominent journalist and member of the Public Chamber of Russia, explains the situation as follows: "The ethnic balance in major cities of Central Russia is changing. And neither migrants - our guests - nor those who live in these cities are ready to accept this situation. They are not prepared for normal healthy contact with each other." It should be noted that the situation is further aggravated by surveys conducted by some Russian media outlets and centres and characterized by such provocative questions as "Muscovites have a hostile attitude towards members of which nations?", "Russian women prefer to marry members of which nations?" etc.

Some reckless moves by the Russian political leadership in giving permission for Russian marches in November each year do not inspire optimism. It is also necessary to deal seriously with the forces that adopt the slogan "Russia for Russians!" What does this slogan mean? Oust all other nations and peoples from Russia, or allow them to separate from Russia with their own territories? According to the sociologist Vladimir Ilyin, "Russia for Russians" is a project for the elimination of Russia. The implementation of this project would mean a return to Muscovite Russia, which was Russian only, with specific reservations, since it included the lands of Finno-Ugric tribes and was under the control of Tatar khans for a long time. "Thus, Russia for Russians means Central Russia, where it will be necessary to gather all Russians from non-Russian territories. It is a country without natural resources and with cultural capital that is questionable by modern standards and it is surrounded by hostile countries (any Nazism creates an area of hostility). The Nazi pogroms in Moscow are the most effective campaign to mobilize forces wishing to replenish Islamic terrorist groups in the country. The only barrier it faces is that members of minorities doubt that most Russians are Nazis," says Vladimir Ilyin.

This is more than sober reasoning. The rise of radical nationalist sentiment is a bigger threat to a monolithic multinational country than separatist aspirations by all the other nations and peoples that inhabit it. Therefore, the way out of this difficult situation is a matter if honour for the current Russian authorities.