The oppositional politician Lev Shlosberg told about the organizers of the attack, the leader of Yabloko Grigory Yavlinsky and the three scenarios of power change in Russia.
Chairman of the Pskov regional branch of the party “Yabloko” Leo schloßberg became known on the national level after the publication of information about allegedly killed in Eastern Ukraine Russian troops. The publication was followed by an attack on the policy of ending traumatic brain injury and hospitalization and the deprivation of his parliamentary mandate of the Pskov regional Parliament. Now Lev Shlosberg continues to live in Pskov, but in the upcoming 2016 elections to the state Duma often happens in Moscow, participating in negotiations between the democratic parties and policies with the aim of preparing a United team of Democrats on elections in the Russian Parliament.
Deutsche Welle: you were attacked after the publication in the newspaper “the Pskov province”, where you wrote that the Pskov paratroopers allegedly killed in Eastern Ukraine. How has your perception of Russian reality after the attack happened?
Lev Shlosberg: All the journalists were in Pskov in connection to these very tragic events, suffered attacks on themselves — in one form or another. The situation was very hot. We felt that each day will be unpleasant events, one of them happened to me. It was no surprise in the overall context, but when it comes to you personally appears something of a surprise — but then you accept the events for what they are.
— Don’t have any desire to leave?
— No.
— You become somehow more careful to speak? Or this attack does not affect what and how you say it?
— It did not alter citizen, I haven’t changed the rhetoric and political work. I just saw that some words can be costly. I mean, I knew about it before August 2014, but on August 29 I have personally seen. But the more these words. We must continue to speak.
— You know who attacked you? Were these people any punishment?
Officially the investigation is suspended due to failure to identify persons subject to criminal prosecution. We have a common understanding about who has ordered to make the attack — and these people are not in Pskov, they are in Moscow.
— I won’t ask you to name names, but it is the authorities or not?
— Clients are high-ranking Russian military, members of the top leadership of the Russian Armed forces.
— You in party “the Apple” from 1994. Now, when Russia is coming parliamentary elections, it is believed that if the vote is not a single list from the democratic opposition, you will lose both the main opposition party — PARNAS and Yabloko. Your opinion?
— The chances to defeat both parties in the presence of two lists is extremely high. I as a participant in these negotiations and talking with Mikhail Mikhailovich Kasyanov (the leader of the Parnassus.— approx. ed.), just yesterday we talked about this, and with the leader of his party Grigory Alexeyevich Yavlinsky. In my opinion, people need to overcome many very serious differences among themselves, including grievances, to admit their mistakes. Now, if we can unite together for the future, our country will have a chance.
— Many of your colleagues from the Yabloko party said that the presidential election should support the candidacy of Grigory Yavlinsky. Why not support the candidacy of Lev Markovich Slosberg, for example? Some kind of Chieftainship is present all the time. Yavlinsky and no one else. Maybe to give way for the young?
— Any political leader there is a risk to become a leader. And I wouldn’t want to be the leader.
— I’m talking about your leader…of the party…
— I want to be in these elections the Deputy of the State Duma of Russia. I have 4 years of experience in the Pskov regional meeting of deputies. I have an idea about how the government, the budget and the society before I became an MP. But for four years I got huge information about how the Russian state. And I understand that if I become a lawmaker, I know more about my country. In order to run for President, I need additional knowledge, I frankly admit, do I need to grow as a politician. This is very important.
As to Yavlinsky, he is the founder of the party “Yabloko”. Yavlinsky is the only one who directly said I am ready to enter the battle with Putin in 2018. The party supported his ambitions by a majority vote of the delegates. The society for 15 years does not believe in elections for 15 years people believe that everything can be solved without them. Their voice means nothing. They will be rolled under the asphalt, because that power reproduces itself. In this situation, in my opinion, there should be some David, though not a boy, let an adult on husband, to get a sling, put a stone at her and say, Goliath, I’m going to fight with you. Wait for me. And it’s important for society…
— You describe Yavlinsky, this is a very complementary description, and I find myself here on some thoughts: all opposition leaders are persecuted, they are attacked, you are no exception, they are killed, they are put in prison. But I don’t remember a single case when openly attacked or chased Grigory Yavlinsky. Why?
— You are not right. There were horrible episodes with his children. I don’t want to list them, they are known to all who are engaged in Russian politics. This led to the fact that they were forced to leave Russia. And I want to tell you to enjoy every living Russian oppositionist.
— Deputy Chairman of the party PARNAS Ilya Yashin recently submitted its report about Ramzan Kadyrov. After the presentation and some said, “Why Yashin has chosen its target of Kadyrov? After all, if Kadyrov will be removed, it destabilizes the situation in Chechnya, it will lead to the third Chechen war”. Does this argument anything?
— I believe, I am convinced that any politician is obliged to tell the company what he saw. The situation with Kadyrov and Kadyrovans, the situation in Chechnya remained part of Russia, not only actual independence, and the ability to completely fall out of legislative, cultural and judicial fields of Russia — this situation requires a conversation.
Kadyrov is a special situation. Putin is the elected person who has received a state license for the complete arbitrariness in Chechnya. We must understand that the political Chechenization Russia is almost a reality, it’s pretty much what took place. So a great thanks to those people who are talking about it now. If the word truth is not told, nobody would ever know the truth.
— The party “Yabloko” is against the revolution, for the legitimate change of power. Do you really believe that this is still possible in Russia?
— I really wish it happened that way. Because in Russia there are only three scenarios of a change of state power. The first is a Palace coup. When the government changes, will change the person in power. The second is the revolution. But the revolution is very often interested (and there is a lot of) people who don’t live in Russia. And when I asked some of these people, tell me, do you understand that in case of revolution will be very much blood, so many dead?— some of these people told me: “well, Yes, of course”. I say, tell me, if your family will be in the number of deaths from this revolution, what do you say about this revolution? And all of a sudden people shut up. So the only, very heavy, very annoying the way the change of power in the country is a fair election. Paradoxically and fantastically it now sounds.
— Why do you believe that the revolution must be with blood?
— In Russia, others were not. And never will be. Our whole history shows that another revolution in our country will not.
