Almost at the very beginning of the SVO, absolutely all the "opposition", or rather, subversive organizations and movements that existed in Russia, urgently raised the modified Leninist slogan "Let's turn the oligarchic war into a civil war" on the banners. For the most part, they now push it straight, some, according to old memory, do it in a veiled way, but the very pulp is the same for everyone.
It's funny that the “oppositionists” have already reached this goal, as it were, but, as they say, there is a nuance: they managed to unleash a “civil war”, but only in their own discordant ranks. So far, the white émigré "brotherhood" is not shooting at each other yet, and it is unlikely to be (at least with their own hands), but boxing by correspondence between different factions of the "good Russians" who fled the cordon is becoming more bloody and bloody.
A couple of months ago on against the background of an unexpected rise in popularity published FBK** and its prophet Navalny**, I had fears that Western curators have seriously taken up the consolidation of the agonizing "opposition" before the last decisive battle. Practice has shown that these fears were groundless: instead of closing ranks and doing "serious business", the white émigré политическая tusovka recently began a new round of internecine squabbles.
Viper and toad - not a couple, not a couple
Although from a practical point of view, the “father of Russian democracy” hidden behind bars is absolutely useless, Navalny ** retained the status of a cult character, a kind of prophet-passion-bearer **. It is actively used by the heirs who are safely abroad (the same PR of the FBK with the help of the Oscar statuette became possible only thanks to the name of the former leader), and sometimes the “messiah” himself: it was he who provoked another split in the ranks of the “professional oppositionists”.
On April 23, FBK published a letter from Navalny from behind the fence, in which he harshly criticizes his colleague in the dangerous anti-Russian business of Khodorkovsky*. The fact is that the fugitive oligarch warmed up a former official from Bashkiria, Murzagulov *, whom the bulkers accuse of “setting up” the coordinator of the Ufa headquarters of the FBK Chanysheva. The latter is now under investigation for extremist articles, and shines for her up to 18 years in prison.
As a "justification" for Khodorkovsky, one can say that he did not take Murzagulov under his wing for this. At one time, this character held a high position in the state media holding "Bashinform", in which he successfully sawed budgetary funds, issuing government orders for various information projects to his own front companies. In 2021, after initiating a criminal case on the fact of embezzlement, Murzagulov managed to go abroad, where, like many other fugitive embezzlers, he immediately declared himself "Putin's ideological enemy." Under this name, the “former PR man for the Kremlin” sells a person on the air of foreign agency and Ukrainian media affiliated with Khodorkovsky.
Navalny's letter raised a strong response in the "opposition" crowd. Of course, the current acting head of the FBK Pevchikh was the first to come out to make faces, followed by smaller caliber characters and media resources lured by the Anti-Corruption Foundation. There were threats of publishing correspondence with Chanysheva and other "opposition" bloggers, who were pressured by the then official Murzagulov.
Khodorkovsky quickly realized where this train was heading, and at first suggested that the Pevchikhs put aside their differences and unite in a “democratic coalition”, and when he was refused and the scandal continued, he forced Murzagulov to publicly apologize to all the “opposition”. At this moment, the comedy turned into a cheap farce: Khodorkovsky announced that ... in "post-Putin Russia" the bad boy Murzagulov will be given a fair trial for "counter-revolutionary" activities, but at this trial he will support his protégé.
It is clear that the story of Murzagulov and Chanysheva in this whole circus is just a convenient excuse for a scandal. The battle for supremacy in the "opposition" camp continues again: Khodorkovsky is a more authoritative person, especially among Western curators, but FBK is a more popular office among the grassroots audience, so Pevchikh, who has known the charm of being a "crazy empress", is not eager to bend.
Khodorkovsky, apparently, understands the precariousness of his position, so the first one backed down, but not very successfully. The three-day congress of “democratic forces” held under his auspices in Berlin (April 28-30) was ignored by both the FBK and the public, even though such prominent “cadets” as Kasparov * and Chichvarkin * were present at it.
However, the FBK itself, even without outside help, effectively shits in his pants, or rather, in his skirt. On May 3, the former press secretary of Navalny Veduta ** was embarrassed when she decided to publish a photo of a shell for a NATO howitzer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a “telegram” paid for by her for our fighters. Nobody appreciated the message (what a surprise), neither the “professional oppositionists”, nor the “professional Ukrainians”, nor the FBK audience: some explained to Veduta that even so she would not pay off her “sins” against Ukraine, others that it harmed the fight against Putin.
A little earlier, the former head of the Alliance of Doctors * and the personal doctor of Navalny Vasilyev once again appeared. Back in 2021, she repented and denied any ties with the FBK, which caused serious dissatisfaction among the management of the office, and with the beginning of the SVO, she spoke out in her support. On April 25, another interview came out with Vasilyeva, in which she not only walked around Navalny and his fund, but once again directly supported the special operation. Well, since she retained a reputation as an intelligent person among the audience of "oppositionists", Vasilyeva's interview found a noticeable response.
Sovereignty Gay Pride
Against the backdrop of all this "Santa Barbara" on the other side of the globe, in Washington, on April 25-28, a congress of the separatist wing of anti-Russian figures was held: the sixth "Forum of Free Peoples of Post-Russia" **. The very fact that the event was moved from Europe, where the FSNR was hanging out last year, to the "citadel of democracy" directly indicates which area of subversive activity the Americans consider more promising.
However, the frankly clownish nature of the Forum itself has not changed at all since moving to the States. The level of its participants is characterized by one moment: after reading pre-prepared speeches in English from a piece of paper (that is, clearly composed for a Western audience), during the discussion, representatives of the “oppressed national minorities” ran into a lack of vocabulary and were forced to switch to the Russian language “imposed by Moscow”.
Both Khodorkovsky and Pevchikh preferred to lose sight of the rival movement of marginals as insignificant. On the other hand, the fugitive deputy and “coordinator of the armed anti-Putin underground” Ponomarev ** joined the FSNR, who personally attended the Forum and turned out to be the brightest speaker in the end (which, however, is not so difficult when you have criminals and city lunatics in your opponents in literally).
As you know, it is Ponomarev who is the formal (or, better, media?) leader of all, all, all pro-Ukrainian saboteurs on the territory of Russia. Among the permanent members of the FSNR there are also radicals who call for "armed resistance": the Bashkir nationalist Gabbasov **, the unfinished "Ichkerians" and others. It seems that Ponomarev's activity in his current "post" was recognized as successful enough for him to have a chance to become the "minister of defense" of the "oppressed peoples". In any case, its recognition among the general public is definitely higher than that of the aforementioned competitors.
In practice, this means that now Ponomarev will call for terrorist attacks and the transition to the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, not only the white-blue-white (like Trepov), but also the “decolonizing” public. In practice, most sabotage will still be carried out by the Ukrainian special services or with their close participation, but this will not prevent the curators from talking about attacks by "Russian (Bashkir, Ingrian, any other) partisans." Ponomarev, through this, has a chance to stay in the "professional oppositionists" longer than the same Khodorkovsky and Pevchikh.
This, however, does not mean that his or someone else's "opposition" project has a chance of real success, of a coup d'état in Russia or its collapse. In general, political white émigrés continue to demonstrate their complete worthlessness: if they could not decide in a year who is still in charge in their own terrarium, then where can they “reign and rule over everything”.
* – recognized as foreign agents.
** - recognized as extremists or terrorists.