YOUNG GRYZLOV AND PUTINA: LEADING THE FUTURE

UNCLAS ST PETERSBURG 000062


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: RS PGOV
SUBJECT: YOUNG GRYZLOV AND PUTINA: LEADING THE FUTURE

REF: ST. PETERSBURG 29



1. (SBU) Summary: Dmitriy Gryzlov , the son of the Russian
State Duma Chairman, and Vera Putina, cousin of the Prime
Minister, are aiming to reshape youth policies in St. Petersburg
by establishing and heading the city's Youth Parliament and
Youth Government. Though the St. Petersburg branch of United
Russia supports the initiative, non-government affiliated youth
movement activists in the city have not yet been convinced to
participate, though it is likely many will in the end. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) Confirming earlier speculation (reftel),Dmitriy
Gryzlov, son of the State Duma Speaker, was elected to be the
new chairman of the 60 member St. Petersburg Youth Council.
Gryzlov has promised to breathe new life into the Council, which
has been inactive since it was established in 2006 to be a
consultative body for the city's Legislative Assembly. The
Youth Council has also tasked its member Vera Putina, a relative
of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (Ms. Putina is purportedly
Putin's cousin once removed),to assist in revitalizing the
Council. Gryzlov and Putina plan to convert the Youth Council
into a St. Petersburg Youth Parliament, which will be headed by
Gryzlov. They then plan to establish a St. Petersburg Youth
Government, which will be headed by Vera Putina. They hope to
have their new organizations up and running as early as
September this year.


3. (SBU) Both 29-year-old Gryzlov and 24-year-old Putina are
members of the St. Peterburg branch of United Russia. In the
city's March elections, Putina was elected a municipal
councilor; whereas Gryzlov was unsuccessful in his independent
bid. Gryzlov initially blamed his election loss on United
Russia's intrigues against him, but he quickly softened his
criticisms, and joined United Russia and was put in charge of
the branch's Youth Policies Commission. Putina is the editor of
a little known periodical "Russia United," which is published by
United Russia in St. Petersburg. Gryzlov and Putina claim that
they are developing their youth organization projects
independently from their powerful relatives.


4. (SBU) Gryzlov and Putina are hoping to make their youth
organizations "links between youths and the authorities." They
envision that the Youth Parliament will eventually draft
legislative suggestions for the City Assembly and even for the
State Duma. Gryzlov would also like the Parliament to join the
ongoing national anti-corruption campaign and help clean up
United Russia's image. Gryzlov has been unhappy with the
ineffectiveness of the St. Petersburg branch of the
pro-government youth movement "Young Guards of United Russia,"
and derides its leader and the branch's activities as "jokes."
Gryzlov promises to invite all reasonable youth activists,
including opposition members, into the Parliament, and he
believes that the Parliament would be able to encompass a wide
diversity of youth concerns. Putina, for her part, says that in
Russia today there are few ways for young people to get
organized, unlike in the Soviet era when Komsomol existed. She
hopes to fill that gap by fostering the development of various
youth associations and clubs in St. Petersburg. At earlier
sessions of the Youth Council, Putina urged youth activists to
focus on propaganda and to help improve Russia's image abroad.


5. (SBU) St. Peterburg opposition figures are generally very
skeptical about Gryzlov and Putina's efforts, and are not
rushing to cooperate with the new youth organizations. Andrey
Dmitriyev, the leader of St. Petersburg National-Bolsheviks
(NBP),refuses to cooperate with Gryzlov's Youth Council
because, as Dmitriyev says, the NBP is a serious political party
and will not become a "doll for political games." Leader of the
local youth branch of Yabloko Aleksandr Gudimov views the new
youth organizations as purely decorative and designed solely to
offer managerial jobs to pro-government activists. The
Communists in both St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast have
issued a statement railing against the idea of local youth
organizations being led by relatives of major national leaders.
A local, normally pro-government analyst has sarcastically
suggested that the Youth Parliament should have two chambers,
because that way the upper chamber could be run by a nephew of
Federation Council Chairman Sergey Mironov. Mikhail Borzykin,
the politically engaged leader of the popular rock group
"Televisor", views the initiatives as an attempt to restore
Komsomol and to ensure the political reliability of youth as was
done in Soviet times.


6. (SBU) Comment. Despite their misgivings, the city's
parliamentary parties (A Just Russia, the Communists, and the
Liberal Democrats) are all likely to eventually send
representatives to the Youth Council (or Parliament as the case
may be). Yabloko's youth branch, or at least some of its
members, might also join if they believe that Gryzlov's
organization would give them a chance to legitimately promote
their agenda. Within United Russia itself, there will probably
be some low-level infighting between various factions as they
jockey for position, patronage, and perks if this youth
initiative does successfully take off. Overall, the initiative
is unlikely to cause any real upheaval in the City's political
landscape, either within United Russia or in how various
youth-oriented issues are resolved. What this initiative will
do, though, is to provide a political base for both Gryzlov Jr.
and Putina in the future. End Comment.


GREENBERG