Nikita Mikhalkov – a new political mouthpiece of the Kremlin?
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Last week, one of Russian opposition leaders Ilya Yashin urged the West to look closely at the behavior of film Director Nikita Mikhalkov, in particular, to his attack on the Yeltsin center.
Fears Yashin have shared some representatives of the Western political elite: the media are increasingly and more closely examines the figure of the Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov, who heads the Union of cinematographers of the Russian Federation.
In the sight of democratic media
Recently, Western media have published a series of articles about the political position of Nikita Mikhalkov, a vivid embodiment of which were the attacks of the filmmaker on the Yeltsin center in Yekaterinburg.
Western journalists believe that the criticism Mikhalkov actually reflects the real attitude of the Kremlin to the figure of Boris Yeltsin and the period of democratic changes in Russia. Journalist Douglas Smith in the article “the Exorcist of Russia” in The New York Times concludes that “the attacks Mikhalkov – it’s actually just part of a massive campaign of the Russian authorities”. Gary Cartwright in an article on the website www.eutoday.net writes that “the attacks on the Yeltsin center are echoes of the political line Putin: Russia is attacked, the Russian way of life under threat, Orthodoxy itself is in danger.” And James Wilson in the material on www.eureporter.co concludes that “the prosecution Mikhalkov is that the Yeltsin centre is a tool for the spread of Western influence on Russia.”
The opinion of Western journalists agree, and Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin, one of those who, together with Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Mikhail Kasyanov defends liberal values in Russia. Yashin was published in The Huffington Post on the anniversary of the murder of Boris Nemtsov an article entitled Nemtsov”s Death Reminds Us Of The Malleability Of The Truth In Modern Russia (“the Death of Nemtsov reminds us of the adaptability of truth to the political situation in modern Russia”). The subtitle of the article Yashin says that “modern Russia forms a threat action programme – and the West must act”.
Yashin, and Ksenia Sobchak, is one of the leaders of the youth wing of the Russian opposition. The opposition has come a long way in the struggle against Putin regime he began as the leader of the movement “Oborona”, were involved in organising rallies and pickets against the government, from 2006 to 2008, headed the youth wing of the right-liberal party “Yabloko” Grigory Yavlinsky. 2012-2016 Ilya Yashin was one of the Deputy leadership of the Party of people’s freedom – PARNASSUS, which co-chairs until 2015 was Mikhail Kasyanov, Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Ryzhkov.
One of the authorities of the Russian opposition in his article says: “These puppets and puppet as the same, Nikita Mikhalkov is used to cultivate differences, to divide the allies to broadcast propaganda.” “And at the same time, helping to stimulate a return to the Soviet past of Russia, they also attack the post-Soviet history” – Ilya Yashin describes the role and tasks of supporters of the current Russian regime.
In the circle of “associates mode” special attention Yashin is paid to the figure of film Director Nikita Mikhalkov. According to one of the leaders of the Russian opposition, Mikhalkov is a vivid example of Russian intellectual and social activist who seeks to Express the real political aspirations of the Kremlin, which Kremlin officials for a number of reasons can’t speak directly. Yashin recalls how immediately after the death of Boris Yeltsin filmmaker was named the first President of Russia, “the man who changed the course of history.” “But that was then. And today? As a vivid illustration of the unpredictable history (of Russia – Author), Mikhalkov now show aversion to Yeltsin.”
Mikhalkov’s attack on Yeltsin as the embodiment of democratic path of post-Soviet Russia is growing in intensity – such conclusion follows from article Ilya Yashin in The Huffington Post. In confirmation of his words, Yashin makes war against Mikhalkov Yeltsin center in Yekaterinburg. Speaking in the Federation Council in December last year, Nikita Mikhalkov called the Yeltsin centre “disgusting, semi-Asiatic, barbaric, treacherous and low, and also demanded that the Museum has changed its policy. Yashin recalls the attacks Nikita Mikhalkov, announced in interview to IA “Interfax”, when he accused Yeltsin and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in the collapse of the Soviet Union. “Their “achievements” had led to the collapse of our country,” Yashin gives a direct quote of the Director of the political leaders who stood at the origins of change.
Cultural mouthpiece of the authorities
Yashin emphasizes that today Mikhalkov takes the same ideological and political position that the President Vladimir Putin. And their findings confirm, citing the words of Mikhalkov, who in 2005, after the President called the collapse of the Soviet Union “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe that occurred in the 20th century”.
Russian opposition illustrates how the words of Mikhalkov in respect of the Yeltsin centre is correlated with the position of senior officials. In particular, he recalled that the Minister of culture Vladimir Medinsky is also involved in a controversy and actually supported by the Director, who called the Yeltsin centre “representing the ill-fated film history as a series of meaninglessness and hopelessness”.
Finally, Ilya Yashin leads to the main conclusion. In his opinion, the attacks of Nikita Mikhalkov’s not dictated by personal ambitions of the Director and the head of the Union of cinematographers of the Russian Federation – in fact, they are the “voice of the nationalist revival”. “With the appearance in the media, including his own television program on one of the Federal TV channels (video blog “Besogon TV”, nikitabesogon livejournal and Besogon TV on youtube – the Author), it strengthens and aggravates their own ultra-conservatism of the Kremlin – with its roots in the triumphs of the Soviet past and, of course, he maliciously against the West,” concludes one of the ideologists of the Russian opposition.
According to Ilya Yashin, the behavior Mikhalkov should be considered in relation to the political course of the Kremlin. That is, words Mikhalkov is evidence that the Kremlin does today, and most importantly – what it plans to do tomorrow. “Whether Mikhalkov angry tirades against Yeltsin ego’s own opinion, or actually they reflect the personal attitude of Putin?” – Ilya Yashin believes that we should look for the answer to this question today. “If these individuals act in the name and on behalf of Putin, it is safe to say that the Yeltsin center and the lessons of history of Russia are under serious threat,” warns Ilya Yashin of the Western political elite.
Mykola Vasylkiv