Zakhar Prilepin

7-12-11

Zakhar Prilepin is a writer, journalist and member of the party Drugaja Rossija “The Other Russia”

Why The Other Russia was not accepted among the parties that participated at the election?

I don’t know exactly all the bureaucratic methods were used. The basic problem is that The Other Russia cannot be registered either as a party. It’s just impossible, due to the famous law about “extremism”.

As it seems, the protests are raising like to be civil rights ones, rather than political ones. Do you think it’s actually so? If yes, do you think is something positive?

Yes, I think these protest are raising without a manly political character, and I think it’s quite positive for the following reasons: opposition at the end could in this occasion pass on the inner contrasts and could organize something all together. The result that gave more satisfaction is the fact that a lot of people answered our call, not only our supporters, but also people who are not active in any particular political group.

Opposition created an union because of this protest, but what would happen if demonstrators will obtain what they are asking for, new election?

To repeat the election and give all the parties the possibility to take part in it would solve all the problems we have because of this old politicians (the parliamentary opposition ones, too) who never change in 15 years. There’s not change, if Russian would have the possibility to choose and the elections would be fair, I think, they would vote for the parties that until now could not participate. When a party can legally take part in the political life of the nation, it can have access to the mass-media. If we could have the possibilities of a legal party, the Russian parliament would appear very different.

Did you go to protest action in these days? What were you protesting for? What other people were protesting for?

Yes, I took part in protests too. People demonstrate simply because the want their basic rights to be respected. I protest also against what the Putin government did or did not in these years.

Is this kind of protest something new in Russia? If yes, what is new?

Yes, it’s something new especially in respect to the high participation we could see. The situation is new: people reached the point they understood they want this politic situation to end. Nobody now supports the government, especially intellectuals.

Until now demonstrators were quite pacific. What do you think about violence? Could it be used in the future? “should” it be used in some situation?

Violent demonstrators would be nothing new. In 2003 there were some riots against the police and it’s not sure it won’t happen again. I think Putin will always avoid violence, because he doesn’t want violent riots. He is not so aggressive as it could seem, his declarations are made only to show muscles, but he knows that disorders would not help his position.

I think it’s not useful to have violent demonstration: it’s better to make protests day by day, pacific, so people will not be scared and they will come in masses.

Somebody speaks about civil war, but it’s something absurdal, nobody would support so far Edinaja Rossija (United Russia), either the police.

What in these days surprised you more? In a positive as in a negative way.

It’s 15 years I’m negatively surprised every day, I already can’t be surprised worse. What surprised me positively is that, despite of the exclusion of the opposition from any mass-media, people found a way to take information and organize themselves in the internet and it’s working quite well.