CRIME(FIGHTING) DOESN'T PAY FOR BLOGGING POLICEMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 002778

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/11/2018
TAGS: KCOG KDEM KJUS PGOV PHUM PINR PREL RS
SUBJECT: CRIME(FIGHTING) DOESN'T PAY FOR BLOGGING POLICEMAN

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Susan Elliott for reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d).



1. (C) Summary: Novorossisk police Major Aleksey Dymovskiy's
November 5 and 10 online video postings, where he accused
local police chiefs of illegal and immoral actions, has
touched a raw nerve in Russia, where trust in police is
already low. Police officials, human rights activists, and
journalists have commented, for and against, Dymovskiy's
actions and motives. More broadly, the event has shed light
on the ability of President Medvedev, Prime Minister Putin,
and others within the Ministry of Internal Affairs to
implement anticorruption reforms. We are not in a position
to comment on the authenticity of Dymovskiy's claims, but in
either case, public trust in police in the short-term is
likely to diminish further. End Summary.

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People Listen to the Blogosphere
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2. (SBU) On November 5 Major Dymovskiy posted two videos on
his blog addressed to Putin in which he described a number of
corrupt police practices in the southern Russian city of
Novorossisk. Dymovskiy discussed the pressure to improve
crime fighting statistics through illegal and immoral means,
such as arresting those known to be innocent, falsifying
evidence, and claiming that an officer is working when he was
sick. He also noted inadequate compensation and difficult
working conditions. Dymovskiy asked to meet with Putin to
discuss these violations in more detail. Dymovskiy's
postings were quickly picked up by mainstream media and his
world crashed down around him. Oddly enough, Dymovskiy's
blog was posted the same day as an interview by Moscow's
recently hired Police Chief Vladimir Kolokoltsev, in which he
discussed the need to increase public trust in and respect
for police officers.


3. (SBU) On November 9 Dymovskiy held a press conference in
Krasnodar region and said that his life had been threatened
and that he feared for his pregnant wife. He attempted to
fly to Moscow that day but was briefly detained at the local
airport, and when released, discovered that his debit card
had been blocked and he could not buy an airline ticket.
Dymovskiy decided to drive to Moscow instead. He held a
press conference November 10 in Moscow, which happens to be
"Police Day," in which he repeated the allegations and asked
for a meeting with Putin.

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Blame Game Strikes Everyone, Including USAID
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4. (SBU) Two days after Dymovskiy's accusations surfaced,
Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev ordered an investigation
into Dymovskiy's claims. At the same time, Novorossisk
Interior Department Head Valeriy Medvedev called for an
investigation into Dymovskiy's statements as a crime for
slandering his police colleagues. Krasnodar region
authorities soon thereafter determined that Dymovskiy's
accusations were false and began formally investigating him
for libel. On November 9, Interior Ministry Spokesman Oleg
Yelnikov said that Krasnodar region Interior Department Chief
Sergey Kucheruk had fired Dymovskiy for falsely accusing
fellow officers.


5. (C) Interfax quoted a source within the Interior Ministry
who said that Dymovskiy's actions were a public relations
stunt by the U.S. to discredit Russia. The source implied
that Dymovskiy was working on behalf of the U.S. since he was
somehow connected to a Novorossisk human rights organization
that had allegedly received money from the Southern Regional
Resource Center (SRRC) in nearby Krasnodar, which in turn had
received funding from USAID. Director of Grant Programs for
the SRRC told us that SRRC had never given a grant or any
other financial support to the Novorossisk human rights
organization in question.


6. (C) Novaya Gazeta journalist for the Southern Federal
District Yevgeniy Titov said that Dymovskiy's story was
difficult to confirm, but Dymovskiy probably had either a
mental breakdown due to fatigue, was the tip of the iceberg
within an unhappy police force, or was being used as a pawn
to force a shakeup within the elite of Novorossisk or
Krasnodar region. Krasnodar region human rights ombudsman
Aleksandr Kozitskiy told us that Dymovskiy had not appealed
to them for assistance, but doubted that he was a "fighter
for justice." Kozitskiy added that Dymovskiy's actions were
more likely for personal gain or a result of mental problems.

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Russian media also reported that one of the doctors
Dymovskiy accused of collaborating with Novorossisk
authorities had denied Dymovskiy's allegations and suggested
that he showed psychopathic tendencies.


7. (SBU) Many, but not all, human rights activists supported
Dymovskiy's right to discuss his claims. Head of the NGO For
Human Rights Lev Ponomaryov stated that Dymovskiy called him
to ask for help, and that Ponomaryov replied that he would
bring a level of protection to the ten-year veteran of the
police force by helping to publicize his claims. Other
anti-regime figures such as Yuliya Latynina, however, have
written that Dymovskiy should not have spoken publicly, and
that he should have quit long ago if he had problems with the
way the police department was run.

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Comment
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8. (C) Medvedev and Putin have yet to comment on the case,
and some observers have suggested that Dymovskiy had created
an awkward situation that the tandem would need to discuss
jointly before speaking publicly, if either one of them spoke
at all. Putin, as the de facto leader of the security
services, was the go-to person on these types of matters.
Medvedev, however, had pushed anticorruption strongly as one
of his key priorities for Russia, including most recently in
his November 12 speech to the nation. Dymovskiy's direct
blog address to Putin is seen by many here that the police
officer, like most other observers, viewed Putin as the
tandem member who can resolve problems. Officials' knee-jerk
reaction in firing Dymovskiy before knowing and fully
investigating his accusations has only compounded the public
relations problem the country's police force has suffered
from for years. Whatever happens on the elite level, public
confidence in police officers could decrease whether the
accusations are confirmed, found to be false, or like most
criminal investigations, linger on unresolved.
Beyrle