Unable to act in Russia, three figures of the Russian opposition in exile are organizing their first major anti-war and anti-Putin demonstration in Berlin on Sunday, a gathering intended to constitute a new start for a movement ravaged by repression and internal conflicts .
The march, Sunday afternoon in the German capital, is jointly organized by Yulia Navalnaïa, widow of Alexeï Navalny who took over the reins of his movement, Ilia Iachine, a former Moscow municipal deputy and Vladimir Kara-Mourza, detractor of Kremlin veteran who survived two assassination attempts.
The latter two were also behind bars in Russia until August for their criticism of the Kremlin and their denunciation of the invasion of Ukraine. They were released as part of a big exchange with the West.
For Ms. Navalnaïa, the demonstration must show “that there exists an anti-militarist and free Russia”.
Illustrating the difficulty of this ambition, the opponent had to admit, in an interview broadcast on Wednesday by the opposition media Dojd, to not having « plan » to end the reign of Vladimir Putin.
However, like her husband before her, Ms. Navalnaïa continues to believe that a “wonderful Russia” will emerge in the future.
The march will therefore require “the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, the trial of Vladimir Putin as a war criminal and the release of all political prisoners”specified Ilia Iachine on Telegram.
The Kremlin mocked Russian opponents on Wednesday “monstrously detached from their country” and of which “opinion doesn’t matter”.
The breeding ground for exiles
One of the leaders of the Russian opposition, Ilia Yashin, speaks at the University of Warsaw, October 7, 2024 / Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP
Deprived of influence in Russia by the repression which has thrown hundreds or even thousands of people into prison, the opposition hopes to mobilize the pool of tens of thousands of Russians exiled since 2022, including Berlin, which welcomes crowds of them , has become the informal capital.
Ilia Iachine, who recently completed a European tour to meet exiles, wants to try to mobilize this diaspora around a “anti-war and anti-Putin initiative” able to inspire their compatriots back home.
“All the opposition can do now is demonstrate that Russians are against the war and against Putin”notes Russian political scientist Abbas Galliamov.
Two things will determine the success of the Berlin rally: the credibility of the message and the number of participants, he explains to AFP.
The problem is that since the death of Alexeï Navalny, the Russian opposition has mainly been distinguished by scandals involving its various components.
In question, the attack with a hammer on an ally of Navalny, the victim pointing the finger at the movement of ex-oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Or these accusations against the anti-corruption foundation of the late opponent which allegedly covered up the machinations of crooked bankers in Russia.
“It is very important to show that we can work together and consolidate the various forces of the Russian anti-war movement”insisted in this context Vladimir Kara-Mourza, on the air of Dojd at the beginning of November.
Tightrope walking
Russian journalist Vladimir Kara-Mourza – a long-time critic of the Kremlin who survived two assassination attempts – and opponent Yulia Navalnaïa, widow of Alexeï Navalny, during a press conference in Helsinki on September 6, 2024 / Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva/AFP
Reconciliation is all the more urgent as these struggles fuel frustrations.
The businessman and Kremlin critic Yevgeni Tchitchvarkin, exiled in London for years, announced in November that he was withdrawing until opposition figures “focus on fighting the regime”.
“It is clear that the conflicts are so deep (…) that it is unlikely today to reconcile everyone”admitted Ilia Yashin during an interview with the Moscow Times in early November.
Another source of embarrassment: the question of Ukraine, too strong support for kyiv and its Western allies could alienate the Russians and destroy any hope of a future political career in a post-Putin Russia.
In a tightrope walking exercise, Yulia Navalnaïa assured Dojd on air that she wished “the defeat of Vladimir Putin” and not “the defeat of (s)our country”.
Asked by the German weekly Die Zeit about the continuation of Western military aid to Ukraine, Ms. Navalnaïa replied that it was “difficult to say”kicking into touch with a call to“immediate stop” of the war.
Anecdotal but revealing, Ilia Iachine intervened while exiles were arguing online about which flags to bring to the demonstration on November 17: Russian, Ukrainian, both?
“Let’s focus on the posters and slogans. Let us become the voice of our fellow citizens who are silenced in Russia”he pleaded on Telegram to his 200,000 subscribers.
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