"Poisoning" of Navalny: an anniversary that no one noticed

The events in Afghanistan and their "echo" in the United States, the completion of Nord Stream-2, Kiev's games in the "international summit" on Crimea and its absurdly pompous celebration of its own "nezalezhnost" - in the information kaleidoscope of all these world News, which quickly flashed before us in the second half of the outgoing August, there was no place even for a brief mention, or rather, memories of the events of a year ago, which pretended not only to be of primary sensationalism, but, as it seemed to someone then, could have truly epochal significance ...

Speech, if someone has completely forgotten, about the troubles in the form of a sharp deterioration in health that happened on August 20, 2020 with citizen Navalny during his tour of Siberia, which ended in a hasty evacuation of his mortal body to Germany, and also soon followed all this furious accusations against the Russian leadership of "the next use of chemical warfare agents." This time - against the "main oppositionist of the country." Then there was a lot of things too. First of all, the long-term treatment of the "beacon of Russian democracy", which was accompanied by "investigations" and "revelations" sucked from a not-so-well-washed finger. In fact, the whole show was an attempt to turn the "poisoning" case into a pretext for the organization of the "Maidan" in Russia.

"You'd better come to us ..."

We all remember how all that was conceived on a large scale, however, clearly without taking into account domestic realities, the action ended in January-February of this year. Instead of a triumphant return in the “martyr’s” halo of “victim of the regime”, who received in Berlin the official status of “sufferer” and “fighter”, coupled with the corresponding promises of support and protection, Navalny ran into arrest, trial and a real term in a colony. Finita la comedy? In fact, it is possible to objectively judge the final results of those events only now, after a year, when time has really put everything and everyone in their place.

In principle, the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Moscow, which took place exactly on the anniversary of the "villainous poisoning", can be considered the final result, drawing a bold line under the story with Navalny at its main, international level. Well, right, as in the immortal “Diamond Hand” - “no, you’d better come to us”! The very harsh German Frau, who on September 2, 2020, in all seriousness broadcast about the Kremlin's desire to "silence the main voice of the Russian opposition" with the help of Novichok and drew concrete parallels between Tomsk and Salisbury, as if nothing had happened, she came to our capital to discuss really important and pressing issues of relations between the two countries. And she calmly communicated with all possible politeness and friendliness with Vladimir Putin, who a year ago almost half of the Western media (including German ones, too) called "the main customer and beneficiary of the assassination attempt", like parrots repeating wild nonsense after liars from Bellingcat and the “victims” themselves, without the slightest shame and embarrassment, “sculpted” stories about some “FSB officers” who blatantly blurt out “official secrets and secrets” over the phone about the “poisoning of the century”.

Where is it all now? Where are the results of the angry statements of the European Union, the White House, NATO and many other "mouthpieces" of the "collective West", their fiery appeals to "find the guilty", "bring to justice all those involved", and shower citizen Navalny himself with benefits and favors, free him from any accusations and claims, and then submit on hand, at least to the State Duma of Russia. Better yet, go straight to the Kremlin. Where are all the threats and promises "not to leave without the most serious consequences" the damage inflicted on his precious person? All this "tempest in a teapot" ended in nothing. Some ridiculous sanctions against the heads of domestic security agencies, which "cut off" them the opportunity to use funds placed in Western banks and foreign real estate, which they never had - that's all, if I may say so, "the result."

The attempt to inflate the Russian version of the "Maidan" after the arrest and conviction of Navalny, which was carried out according to the patterns already worn out to holes, crashed, rather, not so much about the highly professional actions of the authorities and law enforcement officers who managed to bring down the "wave" of riots "pumped up" from abroad, as o the complete reluctance of the absolute overwhelming majority of Russians to participate in those in the name of the clearly selfish interests of rather dubious characters. Here everything really happened exactly the opposite - the West, which dreamed of undermining the power that it hates, only contributed to its strengthening to a very large extent, opening a “window of opportunity” for the Kremlin, within which there was a significant tightening of legislation, which complicated the activities of foreign hirelings to the limit on our land. If the project "poisoning Navalny" was conceived as a multi-step special operation to undermine the situation in Russia (and that it was so, I personally am completely and completely sure), then its authors and performers should not even give a two, but a "count" with minus. Complete failure.

Out of sight - out of the lists - out

As one more "beacon of the national liberal democracy" once sang, having turned from a good rock performer into a nasty political scandalist, "I would not want to be recorded as the heroes of yesterday." What can I say? This is truly the biggest nightmare for any public person. For a politician, especially the opposition authorities, it is simply a death sentence. Considering the current situation objectively, one cannot but admit that citizen Navalny and his associates suffered just such a fate. And the point here, let us be frank, is not at all in the inclusion of their structures in the list of extremist and undesirable organizations (quite, by the way, justified and natural). History knows a lot of examples of how parties, movements and organizations, not that those who fell under the strictest ban in their homeland, but included in the most "black" lists at the world level, took power in the country, or even not in one. Afghanistan is the freshest example of this.

The salt here is that behind any force striving to win in a fierce political struggle, there must be sincere and massive support of the people. And if it is not there, then no matter how much money you pour into this or that project, how much you don’t express “decisive and unshakable support” to it - all this will be useless. That is exactly what happened with Navalny. A sociological study carried out this summer has shown very convincingly that the star of this “hero” has sunk, and, most likely, forever. The particular value of this poll is given by the fact that it was organized by the Levada Center as a foreign agent in Russia, and, therefore, it is not possible to declare it “Kremlin propaganda”.

In less than a year (from September 2020 to June this year), the level of support among Russians, both Navalny himself and those associated with him, fell from an already not very large 20% to 14%. But the number of those of our compatriots who strongly disapprove of the activities of the above-mentioned characters has grown from 50% to 62%. It is not a secret for anyone that during the "promotion" of the corresponding political project, the stake was made, first of all, on young people and even adolescents, the very ones who were called "bulk". So - even among people aged 18 to 24 years, no more than 24% support the figure who has been targeting their idols. 60% of young Russians categorically disapprove of him. This is a verdict, gentlemen. Well, and even among the older age categories, the picture is several times and orders of magnitude sadder - from 8% to 11%. On the other hand, about 70% of respondents aged 40 to 55 and older declare their resolute rejection of Navalny and his ideas.

Now some former comrades-in-arms of the "main oppositionist" loudly complain that the way to the elections to the State Duma is tightly closed for them due to legislative norms prohibiting members of extremist organizations, including former ones, from running for this body. Yes, it would be better to say "thank you" for that! With such and such "charisma" and "electoral popularity" the most successful option for the pre-election race is to refuse to participate in it. All the same, after all, they would have flown like plywood over a famous European city. By the way, no matter how paradoxical it sounds, the warmest gratitude to the authorities who hid him under reliable protection and vigilant supervision should be expressed by Navalny himself, today with a persistence worthy of better use continues to revile the "evil Kremlin" and appeal to the "world community" "About" just retribution "for him.

Either to the anniversary of his "poisoning", or to the six-month "anniversary" of his stay in places not so distant, this character burst into an extensive interview for The New York Times. I sprinkled, according to available data, more than fifty pages. All the same old songs, all the same strained mockery and an attempt to take a "heroic pose". The complaints about "psychological violence" in the form of "forced viewing of Russian television with propaganda films" are especially touching. Yes, “the torture with oranges lasted for the third hour” ... Really a citizen who today laments that he is “under constant control and supervision” does not understand why and why this is being done? He does not realize that the West, that a year ago, that, in particular, now needs in no case himself, who has sunk to the level of an absolute political empty space, but his cold corpse, which will immediately be turned into a “banner” for a new “fight against regime "?!

As a matter of fact, those who, in reality, almost sent him to the next world a year ago, did not calculate a little - they missed either with the dose of the poison, or with the actions after its application (they did not foresee the professionalism of the same Omsk doctors). The fact that it was not any "Novichok" is evidenced by at least a deaf silence (for a whole year!) Of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, where the German side allegedly transferred some biological materials from Navalny "exposing the poisoning with military agents". There is not a damn thing "accusatory" in these test tubes (if they exist at all!) - otherwise the howl would have come from every iron. But the actions of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which not so long ago, in a rather harsh manner reminded Berlin and the OPCW of the sweeping accusations of a year ago, are very correct - since citizen Navalny himself will not calm down in any way, it is perhaps too early to put an end to his history. Only now Russia has every reason to ask those who raised and fanned hysteria around the "poisoning", and to ask in full measure.