Estonia crushed Nascism

Picture by a Russian blogger.

From today's Russian news it seems that pro-Kremlin movement "Nashi", which gained notoriety mainly for the siege of the Estonian Embassy and participated in the organization of April 2007 mass riots in Tallinn, faces disbandment. Newsru.com and Novye Izvestia report about the imminent decline of the organization, served as “restructuring” by its leadership.

According to Newsru.com, which cites well informed business daily Kommersant, the conference of Nashi leadership announced disbandment of 45 out of 50 regional offices, with some activists, now jobless, being re-directed to “special projects”. According to the press the Krelmin decided to put an end on Nashi's political role.

Famous political scientists with connections to the Kremlin is quoted as saying that Vladimir Putin himself is discontent with the results of unleashing Nashi against Western countries. When Nashi were refused Schengen entry, according to Stanislav Belkovsky, Russia was put into difficult position because she had to put up “a symmetrical response”. Here Mr Belkovsky obviously refers to a well known Russian foreign policy doctrine. However, responding with contre-measures in case like that would not be beneficial to Russia, the expert explains. Refusal of Schengen visas turned the games of the Nashist into dangerous ones for the interests of the Kremlin.

It goes without saying that the country in question, which added select Nashi activists into the Schengen black list (1, 2) was Estonia. Thus, in just several weeks of effect Estonian reaction turned the organization, hailed as “the forge of new Russian elite” by the Kremlin PR people, into political corpse.

Novye Izvestia journalists reporting on the development cannot restrain themselves reminding about the incentives the Kremlin promised to its poodle organizations. There were speeches by high ranking functionaries about the Nashi activists forming new or rejuvenating old political and economic elites of the country. Speeches about government's holdings like giant Gazprom needing young, modern thinking people to fill in managerial positions. Speeches about the importance of organizational skills and skills in political competition gained as member of youth movement for opening the doors of the Kremlin's political parties.

This all turned a lie.

Instead of the doors opened, there are doors closed, for all but few select organizers. For some of the fooled activists the closed doors not only include those of the the Kremlin, but, for a number of years, of most of the European countries.

Just 7 representatives of the four pro-Kremlin youth organizations such as "Molodaya Gvardya", "Mestnye", "Rossiya Molodaya" and of course 100.000 strong "Nashi" received positions in the offices near or inside state apparatus, the paper reveals. Initial promises turned a PR trick, according to an opposition politician commenting on the fate of the movement. The whole proclaimed “revolution of the cadres” ended up with just a handful of leaders receiving government positions, the rest to be disbanded and sent back to the countryside. In a manner reminiscent of the fall of the Chinese “cultural revolution”.