A GUIDE TO RUSSIAN POLITICAL YOUTH GROUPS: PART 1

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MOSCOW 012709

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL RS
SUBJECT: A GUIDE TO RUSSIAN POLITICAL YOUTH GROUPS: PART 1
OF 2

REF: MOSCOW 12311

Classified By: Acting PolMin Counselor Colin Cleary: Reason 1.4(b/d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. This is part one of a two-part message
describing Russian political youth groups. This cable
contains a summary of the major political youth movements in
Russia. Russian political youth groups can be broadly
divided into two categories: grassroots organizations driven
by idealism, and Kremlin-sponsored organizations aimed at
marginalizing those groups and avoiding an "Orange
Revolution" in Russia. The groups most likely to have an
effect on Russian politics are the Movement Against Illegal
Immigration (DPNI) and the Kremlin-sponsored Molodaya
Gvardiya. More radical groups like the Young Bolsheviks,
while small in number, get attention because of their
penchant for direct action, such as storming government
buildings. Russia's youth is overwhelmingly apolitical; most
youth groups are, and will likely remain, a sideshow in
Russian politics. END SUMMARY.

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Ideological Groups
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2. (U) The nationalists/skinheads, democrats, and communists
are very different in their beliefs, but all possess
characteristics of authentic grassroots movements. They vary
widely in their organization, level of activism, and
political goals. In general, the democrats strive for a
place in the political firmament, the nationalists strive to
influence policy, and the communists appear to be lost in the
past.

Nationalists and Skinheads
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3. (U) Nationalist groups are xenophobic and rally around the
slogan "Russia for Russians." The most popular and active
nationalist groups are the Movement Against Illegal
Immigration (DPNI) with 2,000 members, the Russian All-People
Union (RONS),the Russian National Unity (1,500 members),
People's National Party, Slavic Union, and the National
Socialist Society. DPNI, led by 30 year-old Aleksandr Belov,
has been growing in popularity and recognition. He figured
most recently in the November 4 Russia March (reftel).
Although both the federal and Moscow city governments
prohibited the march, Belov assembled more than 1,000 people
in Moscow. While this was only a fraction of his stated goal
of 10,000, it is large in comparison with the meager crowds
that other grassroots youth groups have been able to produce.


4. (U) Skinheads in Russia lack any formal national
organization. Russian law prohibits them from distributing
extremist literature, and prohibits Russian internet
providers from hosting their webpages. Estimates of the
number of skinheads vary. The Moscow Human Rights Bureau
projects 50,000 skinheads in 85 cities in Russia. Skinheads
are especially active in the Moscow suburbs (estimated
10,000),St. Petersburg (estimated 1,000),Nizhniy Novgorod,
Yaroslavl, and Voronezh. Vladimir Pribylovskiy of the
Panorama Information Center told us that the St. Petersburg
skinheads are fewer in number but more violent than their
Moscow brethren. "In Moscow, they beat up immigrants, in St.
Petersburg, they murder them."

Democratic Groups
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5. (C) Youth Yabloko (300-1000 members) was created in 1995
by the Yabloko party. It works closely with the party, which
provides a majority of its funding. It is led by the 23
year-old Ilya Yashin, who claims 1,000 active members in 10
different regions. Youth Yabloko holds protests, campaigns
for Yabloko candidates, plans to hold a summer camp for
activists with the like-minded DA!, and plans to publish a
small newspaper called "Freedom Street." While upbeat and
animated, Yashin is not optimistic about the future of either
the Yabloko party or himself. He will campaign in the March
2007 elections in St. Petersburg, but "if Yabloko does not
win seats there, it will no longer be a political party, but
just a movement." He said that for himself, "the best-case
scenario is that I'm not in jail four years from now."


6. (U) Oborona (300 members) was an effort to combine the
strengths of the liberal, pro-Western groups Yabloko and the
Union of Rightist Forces (SPS). Oborona has been plagued by
infighting and almost theological disagreements about
democracy. Soon after they united, Yashin withdrew Yabloko
from Oborona's Moscow branch. SPS soon after pulled out of
the St. Petersburg branch. Yashin told us that "Oborona is

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funded by oligarchs, and I don't agree with (SPS youth
leader) Koslovskiy on that." According to Pribylovskiy, "In
some places, Oborona is SPS, and in some places it is
Yabloko, but it doesn't really matter because Oborona is
dying."


7. (C) DA!: Mariya Gaydar, daughter of former Prime Minister
Yegor Gaydar, leads DA! (Democratic Alternative). She is
ardent in her promotion of democracy, but realistic about the
obstacles she faces. Gaydar said that DA! is focused on
non-partisan activities designed to raise political
awareness. She has received funding from the National
Endowment for Democracy, a fact she does not publicize for
fear of appearing compromised by an American connection. She
told us that DA! was a complement to Oborona, not a
competitor, and is an effort to widen the democratic base.
"People who would want to join Oborona would not want to join
DA! and vice versa, but we work together for a common goal."
Gaydar told us that DA! was more a forum for open discussion
than a political movement. She has organized a series of
debates among people with controversial viewpoints. She is
also planning to hold a summer camp in 2007 to train up to
2000 students in the ways of democratic activism.

Communists
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8. (U) The communists are also divided. The Union of
Communist Youth (SKM) (700 members),is the official youth
movement of the KPRF. They claim over 500,000 members, but
Pribylovskiy told us that number is misleading since every
member of the KPRF under the age of 28 is automatically
registered in SKM. Vasily Koltashov of SKM told us that very
few SKM members are active, and those who are active often
disagree with the KPRF and are attracted to other communist
movements. SKM has held joint actions with other communist
groups, but they have no formal association.


9. (U) Other communist groups are more radical than SKM. The
Vanguard of the Red Youth (AKM) (500 members),the National
Bolshevik Party (NBP) (1,000 members in Moscow),and the
National Bolshevik Front (NBF) are the most significant. The
NBP, led by Eduard Limonov, is known for direct action, such
as storming government ministries. Both NBP and AKM are
becoming less confrontational. In the past, AKM activists
sprayed water at Gorbachev, handcuffed themselves to form
human chains and blocked traffic. Lately, they have
cooperated with liberal groups against common opponents, as
they did when they protested against the Russia March. The
NBF, founded by Aleksandr Dugin, is an offshoot of the NBP.
Dugin's goal is to thwart an overthrow of the government by
"fugitive oligarchs together with liberal remnants and
ultra-nationalists and Chekhists in the presidential
entourage."

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Kremlin-Sponsored Groups
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10. (U) Some youth movements are linked to the Kremlin, and
the United Russia party boasts three: Nashi ("Ours"),
Molodaya Gvardiya ("Young Guards"),and Mestnye ("Locals").
According to Vladimir Pribylovskiy, Director of the Panorama
Research Institute, the groups reflect divisions within
United Russia, and the leaders of Nashi and Molodaya Gvardiya
strongly dislike each other.

Molodaya Gvardiya
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11. (U) Molodaya Gvardiya is the most polished of any Russian
youth group, which is a testament to its budget, marketing,
and Kremlin backing. It appeals to Russian youth by
emphasizing fun activities and sanctioned protests, often
with an anti-American or pro-Putin flavor. In the last year,
for example, it organized a July 4th "Independence from
America" demonstration across the street from the Embassy, an
anti-Yushchenko protest in front of the Ukrainian embassy,
and an anti-Saakashvili protest following the arrest of four
Russian army officers in Georgia. Although TV personality
Ivan Demidov is the face of Molodaya Gvardiya, the
organization is led by the up-and-coming Andrey Turchak, the
son of Anatoliy Turchak, a friend of Putin's from St.
Petersburg, former Chairman of St. Petersburg's Nash Dom
Rossiya party, and now Director General of Leninets, a
defense avionics company. According to Pribylovskiy, other
Molodaya Gvardiya leaders are similarly connected -- they are
the sons and daughters of the elite.


12. (U) Molodaya Gvardiya has also been successful in
actually helping young people become active in politics.

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During the last year, Molodaya Gvardiya has held a series of
contests called Politzavod ("Political Factory") to find and
develop candidates. In this successful combination of
entertainment and politics, contestants participate in a
"Survivor"-type contest where they organize public events and
compete in speech contests before a voting audience. United
Russia offers winners a position on their legislative party
lists. In the October regional elections, United Russia
fulfilled its pledge to fill 20 percent of its regional party
lists with candidates under age 28 by using the winners of
Politzavod. Thirty-one United Russia candidates between 21
and 28 years of age were elected.

Nashi (3,000 members)
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13. (C) United Russia, which created Nashi, describes it as
"a counterbalance to radical youth movements from the left
and the right like those in Kiev and Tbilisi." According to
Pribylovskiy, Nashi is the client organization of Vladislav
Surkov, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration.
Surkov funds Nashi, whose leader Yakimenko is a relative of
Surkov's wife. Nashi generally opposes Moscow Mayor Yuriy
Luzhkov, but "they will support Luzhkov if directed to do
so." The members of Nashi are generally younger and less
wealthy than their Molodaya Gvardiya cousins. "Nashi members
are not connected, but they want to become connected, and
they are trying to work their way into the system,"
Pribylovskiy told us. According to several of our contacts,
most Nashi protesters are paid (reportedly 100-300 rubles) to
participate in protests.

Mestnye (1,000 members)
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14. (U) Mestnye is lead by army veteran Sergey Fateyev and
advertises itself as the "movement for young political
ecologists of the Moscow suburbs." The name, along with its
symbol of three trees on a green shield, is misleading since
the group rarely addresses ecological issues. Instead, it
focuses on opposing grassroots youth movements, often by
imitating successful protests. For example, following a
Youth Yabloko protest against the military draft, Mestnye
staged a counter-protest. They claimed that they also
favored some military reforms, but in general, they supported
Putin. Mestnye has also been used to support Russian foreign
policy by conducting protests at the U.S. and Georgian
embassies.
BURNS