the eXile - The Limonov X-Files

Issue #09/90, May 11 - 25, 2000

By Edward Limonov

At Yaroslavsky railway station at Moscow I was met by two of my party members. They took my luggage. As we walked to metro entrance I demanded about news. Good or bad news first? – bearded Anatoli have asked. I said: Make it mixed. So, he mixed it up.

Ten of party-members were detained on May 7, as they have stoped traffic at Bolshaya Nikitskaya Ulitsa. Action was organized in protest against inauguration of Mr. Putin as President. Crowd of about one hundred youths have cut traffic on Bolshaya Nikitskaya for only about half-hour, as OMON have arrived, have beaten them up. Three of ten detained were girls. Anatoli said they are incarcerated in 11th, 43rd, and 88th militia precincts of Moscow.

Did you supplied them with food? – I asked. Anatoli said yes, as usually we send a food to our comrades. Anatoli is experienced man, himself he spend six months in Ukrainian prisons, when arrested in Sevastopol. Then he said that our people will be on trial only on May 10, as all judges are celebrating 55th anniversary of Our Great Victory. Then he added that he thinks everything will be all right with those ten. I cautiously have expressed the same wish, that judge will fine them, and it will be over.

How it is going in Nizhni Novgorod? – I asked. Not bad, – Anatoli said. Criminal charges are brought against six party-members, but for a three weeks only one person was interrogated. It seems as police have received instruction to put out their cause. Was it really hard "pogrom"? I asked. Yes, Anatoli said, they turned tables, cheers, smashed equipment, and fought with guards.

We are silent for some time. On April 13, six National-Bolsheviks assailed headquarters of Union of Right Forces, in Nizhni Novgorod. Young revolutionaries overdid their job. Assault was too hard, especially after moment when one of two guards have used gas against our people. So it was battle, when OMON arrived. OMON arrived too fast, but comrades suspect that they were betrayed. Just few monthes ago I have changed regional party leader in Nizhni Novgorod. Cautious middle-aged Vladislav was replaced by youngster, as it was a collective demand of organization.

Predominantly teenagers group wanted to use more radical style, so they have now their radical style. Not long ago they smashed MacDonalds windows in Nizhni. Searches, detentions, – they are undergone. Assault on Headquarters of Kiriyenko’s Union of Right Forces may cost them an imprisonment. But for some reason police state reaction is mild. Why? Anatoli, when I asked, didn’t know, either. It’s probable, that they don’t want to make a martyrs of us.

Trial of Andrei Grebnev will take place on May 23, said Anatoli. What his chances? – I asked. Anatoli said that Andrei Grebnev has all the chances to be sentenced to a couple of years in prison. St. Petersburg’s National-Bolsheviks organization’s leader, Andrei, 25, was a pain in the ass for St. Petersburg’s authorities. He was raised working class hoodlum to a leader of political organization. National-Bolsheviks party have gave him a chance to fulltfill his ambitions. National-Bolsheviks few hundred strong column was a best looking political group at St. Petersburg. And they were wild, his stormtroopers. Andrei liked to call them stormtroopers. Seizure of battleship "Avrora," assaults on Latvian and US-consulates in their cities, fights with OMON only a few of their exploits. Finally last year on October 27, Andrei was arrested with a few skinheads on charges of beating up some Korean man. Only two days later Andrei was placed in horrible St. Petersburg’ prison–Kresti, where 40 square centimeters of space is available per one prisoner.

A good news? Anatoli said that new issue of our newspaper Limonka came out. That our headquarters, although under heavy surveillance, is not closed down. He smiled. Then he said that Ministry of Justice officials again have refused to accept our party papers for All-Russia registration. They just refused to take our papers. No reasons are given for that. Silent violence of State is unbelievable.

I told Anatoli about our comrades from South Siberia’s organizations. About boys and girls from Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk from Barnaul. Because I just arrived from inspection party visit to those cities. My news were also mixed. The same fables about militia-men, prosecuters, judges, FSB-men.

If ten years ago somebody would tell me that I will be living like that, I would not believe somebody or anybody.

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