the eXile - The Limonov X-Files

Issue #06/87, March 30 - April 13, 2000

By Edward Limonov

On March 18, early in the morning, group of people have attacked Kazakhstan's Embassy building on Chistoprudny Bulvar. Malefactors have throwed some bottles with unidentified liquid at embassy windows and spilled façade with a black paint. Few windows were smashed, then group have fled. On the wall of hotel next to the embassy, investigators have found later a sign "Nazarbai, you are condemned. NBP." (National-Bolsheviks' Party). At about 5.50 a.m. three youngsters were stopped and detained inside of metro station: Mikhail Belenki, 18, Alexander Averin, 19, and Stanlislav Diakonov, 20. According to militiamen the hands and clothes of boys were spotted with paint.

The usual militia investigation followed: of course some beatings (militiamen have put boys face to the wall, so one cannot see who is exactly hitting you) occurred, some threats were made. After militia beatings, boys were interrogated by polite FSB men in next room. FSB men demanded "to work" for Federal Services of State Security, demanded boys to supply FSB with inside information about National-Bolsheviks' Party. They also asked (at least one of boys was asked) to sign a document, not with a blood at least, but real old-fashion declaration agreeing to become an informer. Exactly as a Devil asked Dr. Faustus to sign that he is selling his soul to the Devil. Militiamen, on their part, have put to work article 213, point 2 of Criminal Code, accusation of so-called "aggravated hooliganism." Punishment for that crime can go up to five years imprisonment.

Of course nor I, nor Party didn't know about assault on Kazakhstan's Embassy building. We planned to hold a meeting on March 21, exactly in front of Kazakhstan's Embassy, to protest against coming trial of Russian citizens (group of Kazimirchuk, all arrested in November 1999) in town Ust-Kamengorsk, to protest against brutal violations of human rights in Kazakhstan, to protest against tyrannical grip of Nazarbaev's family over Russians and Kazakh's population of Kazakhstan. Having not ordering a hit against embassy, Party have acknowledged that Averin, Belinki and Diakonov are party members, so we proceeded to defend them. Famous lawyer Sergei Beliak (he defended Zhirinovsky, also he was NBP's lawyer against Mikhalkov) successfully fighted on March 21 an attempt of prosecution to transfer our three comrades to Butirka prison. [By Russian law, charges should be brought against an accused and they should be transferred to remand prison of "temporary holding' within 72 hours. In Moscow, "temporary holding" is Butirka Prison. In 1999 two of our boys, Dmitri Bakhur and Yegor Gorshkov have been prisoners of Butirka. As consequence Bakhur was contaminated with tuberculosis. From last November he is tied to hospital bed in his native town of Zaporozhye.]

So Sergei Beliak fought practically for a life of our comrades, that they will not be transferred to horrible Butirka. Militia investigators, prosecutor of Basmanny District of Moscow, and FSB men from their side, fought to get our people to Butirka. Militiamen were angry, because 46th precinct is the very same precinct what is guarding also a Latvian Embassy, attacked by some unknown men in the morning on March 3. Nobody was apprehended but Latvian Embassy was also heavily painted in black and some windows were smashed. And signs "NBP" were left on its wall. Latvian government have expressed protest against that. So 46th Precinct militiamen were very angry with National-Bolsheviks activities.

As to the Putin's government, they probably were satisfied. At least they should be satisfied with an assault on Latvian Embassy. Just a week before Mr. Putin himself have sended a letter to Latvian government, asking them to liberate Vassili Kononov, 78 years old partisan, imprisoned in Latvia for a "crime" of killing pro-Nazi band of Latvian policemen in 1944. Latvian government responded with a slap in Mr. Putin's face: they started another trial of Russian ex-NKVD officer, 84-year-old Yevgeny Savenko. Putin and his government swallowed offense. National-Bolsheviks Party have avenged both Putin and Savenko when our activists have hitted Latvian Embassy. Of course, militiamen usually not thinking in political terms, but they took those motives in consideration, no doubt. As a result: Averin, Diakonov and Belenki went home. However their passports were detained by 46th precinct people. Investigation will continue. Police and FSB pressure will continue.

Why our party members do attack embassy buildings? When year ago, our activists have attacked Nikita Mikhalkov, we were also asked: "Why?" We have explained that Mikhalkov have supported and participated in election campaign of Nursultan Nazarbaev in Kazakhstan. That Nazarbaev's regime is tyrannical one and anti-Russian. We have pursued Mikhalkov across all Russia, throwing eggs, fruits, stones, hounding him at his public appearances because we have no political freedom in Russia. No television channel will give a National-Bolshevik Party a possibility to accuse Mikhalkov, no national newspaper will give us a place to express our views on its pages. If we will stage a meeting on whatever political subject, no television channel, no newspaper will report on such event. So, we are forced to act in such a way that medias will be forced to report on our activities. But even such dangerous our tactics are often failing, because of political engagement of media, because of politics of suppression of any information about extra-parliamentary radical parties, pursued by media. For example: seizure of Marine's Club building in Sebastopol on Ukrainian Independence Day, August 24, 1999, and the subsequent 6-month imprisonment of 15 National-Bolsheviks Party members were poorly reported in Russia, despite total approval of population. On March 13, National-Bolshevik Nadia Voronova have twice slapped Mikhail Gorbachev in the face with a bouquet of flowers. It happened in State Concert Hall in Hotel Rossiya in presence of thousands, in front of dozens of television cameras. But NOT ONE TELEVISION CHANNEL HAVE SHOWN THAT INCIDENT. Few newspapers reports, one nasty article in "Komsomolskaya Pravda," that is all. However Nadia Voronova made an important political statement with her flowers. That people of Russia have not forgotten treachery of Gorbachev, that some punishment should be attributed to a man who ruined our country. [What American people will do to a president who put America to her knees? Imagine...]

Outlawed, dangerous, the very existence of National-Bolsheviks Party is a proof that political dialogue is impossible in Russia, that no matter who is in charge, Yeltsin or Putin, they don't want to talk, they don't want to share. It is easier for them to manipulate an election, and to send National-Bolsheviks to prisons, accusing of aggravated hooliganism. In certain sense they are right. 1917 Revolution in Russia was caused by very aggravated hooliganism. We will perfect our skills, we will follow an example.

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