It’s not really clear what we’re getting in return.” The Communist Party expects a major reassessment of its “overly soft position” ...

“It’s not really clear what we’re getting in return.” The Communist Party expects a major reassessment of its “overly soft position” and fears “more people will be jailed”

After former State Duma deputy Oleg Mikhailov, known for defending Shiyes, was arrested and added to the list of extremists and terrorists, members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) no longer feel safe and fear further repression. Several Communists acknowledged this in conversations with Verstka.

“They’re cracking down without consequences, and people see no reason why they couldn’t come for each and every one of us. The CPRF is also in many people’s way in the regions. The Mikhailov case is high-profile. But it could be followed by a series of local crackdowns,” a Communist from Siberia explained.

Amid the new arrests, CPRF members who spoke to Verstka are asking: if arrests and pressure are only increasing, what benefits does cooperation with the Kremlin actually bring? At least in terms of safety.

“It’s not really clear what we’re getting in return. Mikhailov wasn’t just jailed; they broke him completely. So what was the point of holding back from going for United Russia’s throat?” a CPRF functionary from a Siberian region complains to Verstka.

Human rights advocate Dmitry Zair-Bek, head of the First Department, sees the campaign as directed specifically “against opposition-minded Communists”: “You can’t say the entire party is being persecuted. But those people in the CPRF who try to speak out are clearly being brought to heel.” Based on the information available, Zair-Bek suggested that the wave of pressure on opposition-minded party members may have been initiated from within the FSB.

Several Communists and a political strategist who works with the Kremlin also tell Verstka of similar “persistent rumors.” At the same time, sources in the federal government believe this is not a campaign “specifically targeting the CPRF,” but a “general hardening” of state policy toward protest-minded citizens.

Read about what is happening in the CPRF after the Duma elections and arrests in Verstka’s article (VPN required):

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Verstka

“You can’t turn everyone in!” How the jailing of Communists became a new phase of repression in Russia

Amid new arrests, the CPRF expects a reassessment of the party’s “overly soft position”