Police-state is not the same state that is fascist state. Russia before April 14, 2007 was a police state, but it became a fascist state after brutal suppression of “March of Dissenters” on April 14 in Moscow, and April 15 in St. Petersburg. I went through both of them.
On the morning of April 14 center of Moscow was looking like a military camp. Army vehicles, columns of special forces. Passersby were severely scrutinized by soldiers and police officers. Suspected to be dissenters were dragged out almost immediately. I met Garry Kasparov at about 11:30 am near Zubovsky Bulvar. Mikhail Kasyanov was blocked somewhere, so we have decided to go at Pushkinskaya Ploschad, where we have announced dissenters should meet. On telephone we have received an information that biggest group of dissenters have concentrated itself near Museum of Revolution on Tverskaya Ulitsa. We decided to go there. Kasparov’s car have passed across the street on yellow light, so a car with me and my security people have arrived to the place of destination near Museum of Revolution with few minutes delay. I saw Kasparov surrounded by police special forces soldiers. Other soldiers were running towards Kasparov. One of Kasparov’s security people saw my car and me in it, ready to get out, so he signaled me with his hands, “No, don’t go out!”
I didn’t get out of my car, to be taken prisoner at 11:50 am.
Following two hours were filled with an attempts to get through police forces in order to get to metro station Turgenevskaya, where authorities have permitted to have a protest. At one moment, waiting to meet Kasyanov and his security people on Trubnaya Ploschad, I saw a column of dissenters marching from Pushkinskaya. It was a crowd about 800 people, and it was headed by… my wife, Katya Volkova. I didn’t expected to see her, I was sure she is staying home with our baby. But she wanted to look at fascist state in its brutal face.
I have joined the column, walking rapidly to meet Katya. But huge column of police forces cars have arrived at crossroad of Rozhdestvensky Bulvar and Rozhdestvenka Street. Gorilla-looking soldiers were jumping out of their vehicles. They are furiously attacked dissenters. Women, children, elderly people were severely beaten up. Behind us on Trubnaya Ploschad other brutes, wearing uniforms, were running as a poison-green wave in order to surround us. We have run to only one not-yet closed street — to Neglinnaya. We were pursued by the group of uniformed brutes, as well as plain-clothes police, as my face is known well to every police officer of Russia.
To be short, my security people have been fighting for my liberty these times. But we couldn’t reach metro Turgenevskaya. Last time I was identified inside of taxi cab, so again we were forced to run for our liberty. It was real hunt on me.
After 2pm we decided to drive to St. Petersburg. We have driven a car during 15 hours, choosing lost roads of Pskovskaya and Novgorodskaya oblasti. Finally at 5 in the morning we have reached St. Petersburg. We slept in the car, five of us. When we have awakened, we realized that we have parked our car in the epicenter of police force concentration, in hundred meters of Pionerskaya Ploschad, where St. Petersburg march of dissenters should took place. So policemen were walking around our car, probably believing that we are group of plain-clothes police also.
Twenty minutes after twelve we have moved towards Pionerskaya Ploschad. Attitude of police officers towards me here in St. Petersburg was totally different from attitude of Moscow police. They let me in through their police lines. When we were about to cross last line, one of policemen said loudly, “Let in Edward Limonov, he’s one of organizers of protest!” So, they let me in. It was about four thousand dissenters, tightly packed inside of enormous police circle. Those dissenters who were not admitted on ploschad were pushed to metro station, through corridor made of soldiers of special police forces. Maxim Resnik, Sergei Guliaev, deputy of St. Petersburg Duma Amosov of “Yabloko” were there, as well as Marina Litvinovich and Alexander Riklin of United Civic Front. I pronounced my speech, I said that March of Dissenters took place in Moscow, yesterday despite the brutal police beatings. I also named four political demands of dissenters: resignation of President Putin and his government; free elections of December 2007 with participation of all political parties including NBP; creation of coalition government; and finally free presidential elections in March 2008, with participation of candidate from “Drugaya Rossiya.”
When meeting was over I went through police lines surrounded by my security people. We went to residence of a friend of mine, Oleg Ushkov, he lives nearby in tiny room at “kommunalka” (typical St. Petersburg huge apartment where half-a dozen of families live). We were rather happy, despite the fact that through the window we could hear police helicopters noise, as well as screams and rush of crowds. Radio “Ekho St. Petersburg” have reported that after protest was over police started beatings and arrests. Then we were told by Oleg’s wife, that special police forces started search in building. That they are looking for me. Some half hour later police knocked on the door. We didn’t responded. So police started to break the door. They shouted, “Edik, you are wise man, so open the door!” After consulting my friends and my security people I opened the door. I said, “I will open, please be cool.”
They were. They didn’t beat me, but kicked and punched my security people. It was not OMON but SOBR, special counter-terrorism forces, masked men armed with military assault weapons. They were reinforced by dozen of plain-clothes officers from 18th division of St. Petersburg’s regional directorate in anti-organized crime. They took me first. They put me in police car, where I was seated waiting for something. I didn’t asked for what. Then in due time I understood for whom I was obliged to wait. Man wearing black suit and black glasses arrived driving “Mercedes.” He opened drivers’ seat door in car where I was held. He said, “I am happy to meet you, Eduard Veniaminovich, I was awaiting this moment with impatience.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Andrei Nikolayevich,” said he. He added, “You have heard my family name, I am sure. I am Colonel Chernopyatov.” He sounded theatrical.
“They call you the ‘Torturer of St. Petersburg,’” said I.
“Yes, my enemies call me that,” he said. He was terribly theatrical, as some high-ranking police officers often are.
That huge police operation was done only for small purpose of accusing me of administrative law-breaking (misdemeanor). I was accused of organizing unlawful demonstration, as well as resistance to police officers. Both law breakings were supposed to be punished by penalty or arrest up to 15 days. The very same evening judge decided to move my hearing to April 26, because hundreds of dissenters were filling all the court rooms. Policemen report didn’t even mentioned that I was taken prisoner during police assault on Ushkov’s apartment. Those reports totally false.
On April 18 and April 19 Moscow’s City Court have banned National-Bolsheviks Party, as well as pronounced the party to be extremist organization. My wife Katya and my five month old son Bogdan were present in courtroom. I was told that I might be arrested after court verdict, but it didn’t happen.
On April 23, one of State Duma deputies said to a friend of mine, “Tell Limonov that the state is deciding to liquidate him. He is going to be killed one of two ways: he will be arrested, sentenced and then killed in prison. Second way: he will be killed when free, his murder will be made to look like a vulgar crime.”
State Duma deputy was happy with this sentence upon me. He wasn’t sending me a message to save my life, he sended his message to scare me, to make me suffer before they kill me.
But I will continue my political work. It is my destiny.
Edward Limonov, The Exile
Tags: Drugaia Rossia, Kasparov, kill, March of Dissenters, Moscow, National-Bolsheviks, OMON, police, revolution, SOBR, St. Petersburg