Gleb Pavlovsky: Russian Empire’s Advocate in Warsaw
The conference in Warsaw was attended by Gleb Pavlovsky, the chair of the Moscow-based Efficient Politics think tank and an unofficial adviser to Vladimir Putin, and by Vladimir Bukovsky, presented as a “legendary man”, a dissident, a writer who is forced to live in exile abroad.
Everybody was waiting for an intellectual boxing, but it did not take place. The organizers decided not to take risks and create conditions for emotional discussions. Therefore, they invited the guests to the floor in turns. But it was still hot, with many filling in the room, the stairs and the corridors.
Gleb Pavlovsky was welcomed by people carrying the Chechen flags and shouting: “Now you are going to listen to a criminal and a murderer!” The audience responded with applause. But Pavlovsky kept his head.
“I used to begin with demonstrations like this man has just demonstrated in front of us. It was quite a natural genre for me,” he said.
All of the present were interested what Pavlovsky had to say about Russia and its renewed imperial ambitions. And Pavlovsky did say.
“We do not have any ideas for Poland. We have no ideas how to rule Georgia. Frankly speaking, we do not give a damn about how Georgia is governed. We do not give a damn about its economy and the economy of the U.S.
I also have a terrible secret, but I will reveal it to you. We do not give a damn about the Polish politics apart from those who get paid for the analysis of the Polish politics. It seems they get paid well; otherwise it would not be profitable,” he said.
While he was speaking, the audience was unreservedly shouting: “Lies!”
The audience, mostly journalists and students, attempted to debate with Pavlovsky about Chechnya, the Cold War and the Polish-Russian relations. But the Russian spin doctor wrapped up the discussion himself as a brilliant demagogue.
“It would make no sense to carry on polemics. An argument between atheists and Catholics is one of the most annoying things. It takes us to nothing. I have appreciated the atmosphere in here and your attitude to Russia,” Pavlovsky said.
The discussions also touched on Belarus. While speaking, Pavlovsky noted that a process of denationalization was taking place in Russia. This leads to a light manipulation of the uninformed masses.
Gleb Pavlovsky is a big supporter of a union between Russia and Belarus. But he would not elaborate why denationalization was bad for Russia, while it was good for Belarus.
Pavlovsky noted only that it is Lukashenka who takes every effort so that the Belarusians remain as a nation. He even quoted Lukashenka, thus causing again indignation from the audience, full of Poles, the hosts and organizers of the meeting.
“Do you remember how the Belarusians behaved during the World War Two? They did not behave like the Poles. They would not give up their Jews; they would protect them,” Pavlovsky continued.
The public started whistling, banging on the benches and shouting: “Scandal!”
Vladimir Bukovsky, being a true dissident, started out with a laconic anecdote, which he used in order to explain his stance.
“A crow is sitting on a tree with cheese in her beak. A fox has run up to her and asked: “Crow, are you going to vote for Putin? The crow keeps silent. “Hey, Crow, just tell me yes or no”. The Crow says: “Y-e-e-s”. The cheese has fallen out, and the fox has run away. The Crow is thinking: “What could have happened if I said no?”
The Russians already had such a choice between the Communists and a former KGB spy. Can you call this an election?! By analogy, it is the same as if the residents of the Federal Republic of Germany were offered two candidates: an SS officer and a Gestapo officer,” Bukovsky said.
Photo by http://magazines.russ.ru
