Yabloko, the only anti-war party in Russia, was eliminated from the race for the September elections through an unprecedented procedure, after it had already appeared on the ballot. Historian Armand Goșu asserts, in an interview published today by HotNews, that the decision says something about who is now leading the political processes in Russia: “The entire political construction in Russia regulated in the last 25 years is threatened”.
- On August 10, the Supreme Court of Russia decided to exclude the pro-Western liberal party Yabloko from the electoral race for the parliamentary elections of September 18-20, the main reason cited being that this party received foreign funding.
- “I don’t recall any party being removed from the lists in the last 35 years by a decision of the Supreme Court,” says Armand Goșu, who teaches the Political and Diplomatic History of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Bucharest.
- “I believe that even the administration at the Kremlin, which controls the political processes in the country, did not expect such a thing,” asserts Goșu.
- He explains how it came to be that the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia has an increasingly greater influence in politics: “What is not normal, not even for Russia, a country with an authoritarian-electoral regime, is the FSB’s intervention in the political game.”
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In the interview given to Contributors.ro and published today by HotNews, Armand Goșu talks about a phenomenon in Russia that he says “must be carefully monitored because it announces the next stage of the evolution of the authoritarian regime, which involves entering the phase of harsh repression”.
“Political processes are increasingly controlled by the FSB, not by politicians”
Contributors: Last week, the Supreme Court of Russia excluded the Yabloko party from the parliamentary elections in Russia, which will take place on September 20. How did it come to this, what are the political consequences? Were you expecting this?
Armand Goșu: I did not expect it. I do not remember any party being removed from the lists in the last 35 years, by a decision of the Supreme Court. The rule was as follows: not to allow the registration of “undesirable” (nejelatelnîe) parties or candidates in the race. From the very first procedures, from the collection of signatures. For this, an entire legal and administrative system was created. The battle was pushed by the Putinist system to the lowest level, electoral commissions, courts with administrative proceedings regarding the authenticity of signatures, for the control of the identity of those who signed on the lists. This is how they were removed from the race, Alexei Navalny, in 2018, or Boris Nadejin, in 2024.
Contributors: Nadejdin fled to France a few days ago, where he gave a few interviews, but he didn’t say much. Nor is there anything particularly threatening in the discourse of the Yabloko leaders.
Armand Goșu: Only at first glance. Because Russia has a great potential for protest. I believe that even the Kremlin administration, which controls the political processes in the country, did not expect this. And in the final phase, Sergei Kirienko’s team (ed. note – the first deputy of Vladimir Putin’s chief of staff) lost control and the security forces made the decision to remove Yabloko from the race.
– When you say “securiști”, are you referring to the siloviki, the people from the various Russian secret services?
– In this specific case, I am referring to the FSB, the equivalent of our SRI. More precisely, to the Second Directorate of the FSB, the Protection of Constitutional Order and Counterterrorism. That’s its title and it is commanded by General Sedov, one of the few who have direct access to President Putin. The FSB is primarily responsible for political processes, including elections.
I will reveal to you a scenario built by me, in recent days, it’s not entirely original – there are fragments from what I’ve heard from others, don’t forget that I listen daily to 7-8 hours of news and comments about Russia. From people who know what’s happening there, have inside information and understand the intimate mechanism by which the wheels turn at the Kremlin. There are many shards that I try to piece together, and the image that is revealed may reflect reality better or worse.
– The party had already appeared on the ballots and then it was removed from the electoral race by the Supreme Court. How did this happen?
– Because of the lack of synchronization between institutions. The competition between that part of the presidential administration that manages political processes and the FSB. What happened recently seems to confirm what we had noticed after 2022. We also discussed this here, on several occasions. Political processes are increasingly controlled by security forces, by the FSB, not by politicians.
Read the full interview HERE