NO. 13 (1805) САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГ-ТАЙМС WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014 WWW.SPTIMES.RU ESME VIE / ALTAROMA Aurora Fashion Week kicks off its program of runway shows today including a late-night presentation of Italian-based designer Julia Voitenko’s collection for Esme Vie, RAVISHING pictured above. Over a dozen major shows will take place at various locations around town through Friday alongside numerous ancillary events. See story, page 3. LOCAL BUSINESS Nationalism Fears Trading In FEATURE Success Iceland And Stories Russia Build Bridges Cooperation flourishes Natalya Podgoretskaya between the northern Expert questions City Hall’s helps companies break nations. Page 12. numbers. Page 2. into new markets. Page 8. LocalNews www.sptimes.ru | Wednesday, April 9, 2014 ❖ 2 Researcher Says Nationalists in Cahoots with Authority By Sergey Chernov quite recently, now walk alongside Mi- THE ST PETERSBURG TIMES lonov and focus on ‘the perversions of More than 20 nationalist and extremist sodomites’,” Dubrovsky said. organizations are active in the city and “What’s interesting is that they are comprise around 1,300 active “sol- not only encouraged by people repre- diers,” St. Petersburg police chief Ser- senting the establishment now, but gei Umnov told the Legislative Assem- openly cooperate with them. This was bly when he presented his report for not the case in the past. That’s why it 2013 on Apr. 2. gives them a high degree of, if not total Dmitry Dubrovsky, a researcher at impunity, at least the feeling that they the Russian Museum of Ethnography belong to the mainstream. The powers and an expert on nationalist groups, said that be have offered them an amazing the numbers sounded as if they had been new agreement, and this agreement is minimized. He added that the terms conservative and xenophobic to a high used by Umnov were too vague. degree. All these slogans that we hear “It’s not clear how they count these now like “Russians, forward!’ are abso- individuals because it became evident in lutely nationalist.” 2011 and 2012 that this bunch could eas- According to Dubrovsky, the annex- ily mobilize 5,000 to 6,000 people at any ation of Crimea and pro-Russian pro- given time,” Dubrovsky told the St, Pe- tests in south-eastern Ukraine elevated tersburg Times via Skype from Amster- nationalism to an official stance. dam this week. “[Nationalists] are facing a problem “It looks like [the police] seriously now,” Dubrovsky said. think that [these types of people] carry “Earlier, they fought against the au- membership cards and pay dues. [Um- thorities. Why did Putin’s rating soar? nov] does not know what ‘identity’ Because nationalists saw that their means. Apart from that, it’s not clear dreams were being fulfilled. ‘Donetsk, what Umnov’s definition of ‘extremist / SPT CHERNOV SERGEY and Kharkiv [both cities in eastern groups’ is either because there’s an inter- Deputy Vitaly Milonov with anti-gay protesters at the Rainbow Flashmob LGBT rights rally on the Field of Mars on May 17, 2013. Ukraine] will be ours, too.’ That’s why esting difference [in his report]. He’s it’s very interesting that the field of na- talking about around 1,000 nationalists by immigrants. “In such situations, any ures from. Either they have some means doned, so they quit, too. Before that, to tional socialism, nationalist fundamen- and around 1,300 extremists. Who are spark, any conflict can provoke large- of registration of questionable legality my surprise, it was the nationalists that talism, is reformatting now,” he said. the remaining 300? Are they football scale clashes,” Umnov was quoted by or they are pure fiction. My gut feeling is were a more active and quickly mobi- “They are going through a compli- fans or anti-fascists whom they also see the BaltInfo news agency as saying. [different]. The word ‘feeling’ is impor- lized group in St. Petersburg during the cated period; they see that the authori- as ‘extremist’?” “What it may lead to was shown by the tant here, because it’s not clear how and protests; unlike in Moscow, where ev- ties support them, so it’s time to be Russian President Vladimir Putin in- events of the past autumn.” whom to count. Whom do we take for erything was different. Then the protests friends with them. There’s no sense in troduced anti-extremism legislation in On National Unity Day on Nov. 4, one unit? A man who is prepared to use ended and the political transformation fighting against them, because Putin is 2008. Since then, it has been criticized as 2013 — a national holiday introduced by violence in the street? No less than a of discontent became effectively un- accomplishing the nationalist scenario being a means to fight political opposi- the Kremlin in 2005 as a replacement for thousand people took part in ‘Russian thinkable, due to current Russian legis- — the reunification of ‘Russian’ lands.” tion, while counter-extremism police the main Soviet holiday, October Revo- cleanups’ [nationalist raids against Cen- lation, and the only thing left for them to “The further development of the na- units launched the same year that are lution Day marked on Nov. 7 — an out- tral Asian street vendors in St. Peters- do was to return to past activities.” tionalist movement strongly depends on known as “Center E” were dubbed “Pu- break of ethnically-motivated violence burg in summer 2013], for example, According to Dubrovsky, national- the Kremlin’s next move in Ukraine and, tin’s political police” by the opposition. took place. where no direct violence was involved; ism in Russia is taking on new forms by as such, are almost impossible to pre- “Just about anything can be classified Following a rally called “The Patri- did they count them?” merging with the authorities. In St. Pe- dict,” Dubrovsky said. as extremism in Russia,” Dubrovsky otic March,” organized by the reformed The level of nationalist violence tersburg, Anatoly Artyukh, the local “Take, for example, the events in said. pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina soared in Russia in 2013, according to a leader of the nationalist organization eastern Ukraine. Will Russia take the “As [film director and human rights (Motherland), a number of “non-Rus- recent report by Sova, the Moscow People’s Assembly, is an aide to deputy next step? Will it send troops into activist] Alexei Simonov put it, ‘Extrem- sian-looking” foreigners were attacked based Center for Information and Anal- Vitaly Milonov, best-known for his law Ukraine, as it seems anxious to do? The ism is disagreement with superiors, ex- and beaten across the city by groups of ysis that conducts research and raises prohibiting the “promotion” of homo- level of radicalism within the country is pressed bluntly.’ That’s why they are nationalist radicals and at least one vic- awareness of nationalism and racism. sexuality to minors as well as anti-gay strongly dependent on the actions Putin earnestly following anti-fascists and tim, an Uzbek national, was killed. “If you look at their report, you see and anti-Western rhetoric. Milonov was takes outside [of Russia]. young liberals that don’t belong to offi- Dubrovsky dismissed Umnov’s ex- that there was a decrease in neo-Nazi seen among nationalists as they demon- “If Putin backs down and says, ‘OK, cially recognized organizations. So I planations concerning the increase in violence in 2011 and 2012, while 2013 strated against several recent LGBT Crimea is ours, now let’s negotiate,’ it would treat these numbers [with cau- immigration and crimes committed by was a renaissance year for them as they rights and anti-war events. will be one situation. But if troops are tion], I truly don’t understand how they migrants as “the usual fairy-tale” offered returned to the streets,” Dubrovsky “Of course, nationalists seek new sent into eastern Ukraine and a referen- arrive at them.” by the authorities, saying that national- said. “Sova called its report ‘The Right- ways to do things. Tesak, [a Moscow dum is held there, if it is taken from Police chief Umnov explained that ism was instead inspired to a large extent Wing Radical Straightened His Shoul- neo-Nazi], came up with the Occupy Pe- Ukraine, it will be a totally different situ- the increase in nationalist sentiment by a hardening in anti-immigrant rheto- ders.’ dophilia movement [to allegedly fight ation, a situation which is close to war. stemmed from a rise in immigration lev- ric used by officials. “This occurred because the protest against pedophilia], and many of those That’s when nationalists play a very im- els and an increase in crimes committed “I wonder where they take these fig- movement [of 2011 and 2012] was aban- who attacked the racially different until portant role.” РЕКЛАМА ALL ABOUT TOWN Wednesday, Apr. 9 Friday, Apr. 11 23rd International Motor Show AmCham’s Joint Customs, Transpor- HR is the theme of the day at SPI- Auto World St. Petersburg, which tation and Taxation Committees BA’s Future of HR: Trends, Fore- started Apr. 9. Not only is it a po- meeting is scheduled for this morning casts and Research Results round- tential chance to recruit both do- in their office in the New St. Isaac Of- table discussion in the PwC office at mestic and foreign investors but it fice Center. Suggestions and com- Pereulok Grivtsova 4 this afternoon also highlights various product and ments on a draft law on amending the starting at 2 p.m. Ways that senior services as well as alternative-fuel Federal Law “On Special Economic executives can better manage per- vehicles, automobile designs and Zones in the Russian Federation.” sonnel as well as regional differ- accessories.