NO. 9 (1801) САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГ-ТАЙМС WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014 WWW.SPTIMES.RU SERGEY CHERNOV / SPT CHERNOV SERGEY Hundreds of anti-war demonstrators gathered on the Field of Mars in central St. Petersburg on Sunday in a rally authorized by City Hall. Unlike last week’s unsanctioned RESISTANCE protest near St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the event attracted little in the way of pushback from supporters of Russian intervention in Crimea. See story, page 2. ADVERTISING LocalNews www.sptimes.ru | Wednesday, March 12, 2014 ❖ 2 Left-Wing Groups Protest on Field of Mars ists, that fascism in any form is intoler- Putin’s tanks and nothing else,” said able but the level of understanding Plotnikov. leaves much to be desired.” “When I talk with my neighbors or According to Plotnikov, some people in shops or on the street, or speakers at the rally had a distorted meet people I went to school or uni- view of what had happened in south- versity with, very few understand the western Ukraine, where pro-Kremlin monstrous threat that will emerge if protests have been held in the past Russia invades. Everyone is sincere in few weeks. their belief that Putin fights for the in- “The things that were said about terests of the Russian-speaking popu- the role of southwest Ukraine did not lation [of Ukraine],” he said. correspond to reality,” he said. The man who attacked Komolova “One can hardly talk of a popular at the rally was identified as Mikhail democratic movement in eastern Kuzmin, whom Plotnikov believes to Ukraine. At best, these are small and have acted on his own. Kuzmin be- isolated protests by Ukrainian stan- came known for attacking LGBT ral- dards. In many ways, they were con- lies and for reporting teachers for the nected to the presence of the Russian alleged promotion of homosexuality military and inspired by a number of in 2013. oligarchs who were unhappy with the “He looks unwell, like a lone psy- post-revolutionary state of things. To cho who goes to every LGBT rally a large extent, [these speeches] echoed and posts images of himself next to a Putin’s propaganda coming from tele- portrait of Hitler on social networks,” vision every day. That’s what can be Plotnikov said. said about the level of discourse over When accessed this week, Kuzmin’s what is happening.” page on the VKontakte social net- According to Plotnikov, left-wing work featured a series of photographs and trade-union activists are aware of of him posing in a Nazi uniform next the complexity of the situation in to a portrait of Hitler and the Nazi SERGEY CHERNOV / SPT CHERNOV SERGEY Ukraine. They support the people’s flag. A few of the protesters at a city-sanctioned, pro-Ukraine rally held Mar. 8 on the Field of Mars. revolt yet are wary of signs of nation- In addition to the attack by alism and the possible arrival of new Kuzmin, a middle-aged couple ap- By Sergey Chernov tacker and the three people who re- trade union at the local Ford assembly oligarchs — but believe that Russian proached the protesters near the end THE ST PETERSBURG TIMES strained him were all held in a police plant, spoke at the rally. military involvement will cause the of the rally and hurled anti-Semitic in- More than 800 people took part in vehicle on site for an hour before be- According to Vladimir Plotnikov, situation to deteriorate exponentially, sults at them. Despite a number of Peace Without Annexations, an anti- ing released. an activist with the Russian Socialist he said. threats against the organizers from war rally organized by left-wing City Hall authorized the left-wing Movement, the number of protesters At the same time, Plotnikov was pro-Kremlin and nationalist groups groups on the Field of Mars Mar. 8. anti-war rally scheduled for noon, but who showed up was a good turnout critical of what he called the “liberal” ahead of the rally, no other incidents Although the spontaneous, unauthor- declined to grant permission for a lib- for a standard opposition rally in St. position; the view that the revolution were reported. ized rally held on Mar. 2 — the day eral rally that deputy Maxim Reznik Petersburg, but “catastrophically low” in Ukraine had been a complete suc- “One should understand the way after Russia’s Federation Council ap- — who founded the St. Petersburg for such an important issue as Russia’s cess, which, he said, is not shared by these people think; all these Cossacks proved the use of military force in Anti-War Committee with RPR-Par- military intervention in Ukraine. Ukrainians at the Maidan protest and Milonov supporters are largely Ukraine — was marred by attacks and nas local co-chairman Andrei Pivo- “Russia effectively stands on the camp in Kiev. The current govern- paid thugs – ‘Titushki’ is what they invective from groups supporting the varov — had previously announced verge of war against a major neigh- ment is seen by them, he says, as the have been dubbed in Ukraine,” Plot- measure as well as approximately 40 would be held on 2 p.m. the same day. boring state and it will affect the inter- “lesser of two evils,” while the nation- nikov said. arrests, the number of provocations As a result, the organizers of the ests of the Russians and Ukrainians, alism of the Right Sector group and “They are paid a small amount of were few on Saturday. authorised rally invited the Anti-War and will probably change the map of Svoboda party is underestimated by money for attacking people at LGBT Only a single incident occurred on Committee to join their protest. Eastern Europe if it happens,” Plot- Russian liberals. Pride events. If there are several fe- Saturday, when an assailant tried to Reznik did not show up at the rally nikov told The St. Petersburg Times However, many St Petersburg resi- male students who stand with a plac- snatch the microphone from the hands but deputy Olga Galkina, who is also a this week. dents appear to share the sanctioned ard, they are very easy to assault. of Legislative Assembly deputy Irina member of the committee, spoke at “Of course what is happening is point of view, Plotnikov said. When there are many strong, able- Komolova as she was speaking. This is the event. Like Reznik, Galkina was very serious, and there are few people “This is a position that is shared by bodied men at the rally, it isn’t worth in contrast to a number of attacks on expelled from Yabloko democratic [protesting],” said Plotnikov. “I wish many residents because the propa- their trouble. They met with physical Mar. 2 by men dressed in Cossak-style party in 2012 and belongs to a group St. Petersburg showed more concern ganda is more heated than it has been rebuff on St. Isaac’s Square a week clothing and the right-wing Legislative of ex-Yabloko members who identify about this. Secondly, the understand- for a long time,” he said. ago and at one-man protests against Assembly member Vitaly Milonov themselves as supporters of the Civil ing expressed at the rally was correct; “If you switch on the television, military intervention on Palace Square and his supporters. Platform party. people said that brotherly nations there is endless talk about raving fas- last week, and they seem to have real- During the assault, the attacker re- Deputy Alexei Etmanov of the don’t visit each other on tanks, that we cists [in Ukraine], that the Russian ized that it has stopped being so easy portedly pushed Komolova from be- Leningrad Oblast Legislative Assem- showed solidarity with the people of language has been banned and that or safe. As a result, only the craziest hind while hurling insults. The at- bly, best known as the leader of the Ukraine but not with radical national- ethnic Russians can only be saved by of them showed up.” РЕКЛАМА ALL ABOUT TOWN Wednesday, Mar. 12 Friday, Mar. 14 Sunday, Mar. 16 Nika Strizhak, a prominent Russian Starting on Mar. 13 and continuing Want to ensure a bliss-filled wedding television presenter, will be the fea- through Mar. 16, the St. Petersburg day? Then check out the St. Peters- tured guest at AmCham’s Public Re- Sports and Concert Complex will burg Wedding Expo today at the Pet- lations Committee meeting at 4 p.m. host the International Fashion In- roCongress center. All your questions this afternoon in their new St. Isaac dustry Fair. A leading trade show, about what products will make your Office Center location. the exhibition offers a wide range of special day all the more special can The St. Petersburg Technical Fair products from clothes to accessories be answered by industry representa- begins today at LenExpo and will be as well as offers a platform for entre- tives on hand. open until Mar. 14. Expositions on preneurs and other prospective busi- topics such as metallurgy and casting, nessmen to meet clothing and textile Monday, Mar. 17 metalworking, engineering and other manufacturers. Today is the first day of the 5th Inter- topics related to industrial enterprises national Cultural Capital Festival in will be on display for all interested. Saturday, Mar. 15 St. Petersburg. Running until Mar. The fair coincides with the St. Peters- The British Book Center’s Piano 23, the event illuminates modern as- burg Industrial Congress and the In- Club convenes this afternoon at 18 pects of the urban experience through novations Projects contest. Izmailovsky Prospekt starting at 4 performances, master classes, an in- p.m.