Jafe Arnoldski — Yabloko vs. Navalny: Russian Liberals Plot for 2018 Elections

Backgrounder on liberalism in Russia. Liberalism is chiefly confined to Moscow and St. Petersburg, but its greatest strength is the "fifth column" within the Russian government.

Part of the Russian establishment is sympathetic to the liberals, and this is no secret. More precisely, one could say that liberals even make up part of the ruling elite. The liberals have the financial and economic wing of government in their hands, and wield partial influence over the spheres of ideology, cultural policy, national policy, and international relations.

This is the cohort that the US is courting.

The West is hoping for precisely such a timely “cleansing” of the Russian ruling elite ahead of new fierce showdowns. The sanctions against Russia recently adopted by the US Congress and approved by President Trump signal a new upswing in American interference in the political and electoral process in Russia. The US’ main agent of influence in Russia is the liberal party in the broad sense of the word, its most radical wing being Navalny and more conformist wing being the Yabloko leadership. The liberal camp is being offered power and potential by the numerous and influential liberal party in power and its situational ally - the oligarch class.

Fort Russ
Yabloko vs. Navalny: Russian Liberals Plot for 2018 Elections
Eduard Popov, translated by Jafe Arnoldski