New cadre raises campfire song to Russia and Putin (Putin's SA?)

FT ^ | 07/19/07

[TigerLikesRooster]

New cadre raises campfire song to Russia and Putin

Published: July 19 2007 03:00 | Last updated: July 19 2007 03:00

In a sunlit glade fringed with pine forest and a deep-blue lake, thousands of hands clap in unison with the beat. It could be a rock festival, were it not for the song's refrain - "Go on, Russia." - and the clunky slogans splashed across the speaker stacks: "Let's modernise the country! Let's defend our sovereignty!"

This is morning aerobics at Lake Seliger, 200 miles north-west of Moscow. For two weeks, 10,000 student-age activists from Nashi, a youth group that supports Vladimir Putin, the president, are gathered at a summer camp to sing, dance, swim, and take part in an "educational megaproject", with lectures on everything from entrepreneurship to civil rights.

Nashi - Russian for "our own" - was formed with Kremlin blessing two years ago to channel youth political activism and oppose attempts at a Ukraine-style "orange" revolution. Today, thanks to its largely corporate sponsorship, it is the best funded of a handful of pro-Kremlin groups. Claiming 10,000 active members and 200,000 volunteers, it dwarfs any opposition movement.

Nashi calls itself a "youth democratic anti-fascist movement". Others say it is an example of what it claims to oppose, deserving its nickname - the Nashists.

Critics point to the group's high-profile, and controversial, activities. These include the month-long hounding of Sir Tony Brenton, British ambassador to Moscow, after he spoke at an opposition conference. It was Nashi members who organised thuggish demonstrations outside Estonia's embassy after Talinn dismantled a Soviet war memorial.

Nashi activists were surprisingly muted this week in assessing the current UK-Russian diplomatic showdown, saying it would blow over and they did notplan demonstrations outsidethe British embassy - at least while the camp continues.

At Seliger plenty of what Nashi calls patriotism, but others might term nationalism, is in evidence. There are ubiquitous calls to defend Russian sovereignty, with one poster illustrated with a nuclear missile. A board headed "Red Light District" shows posters with the faces of Mikhail Kasyanov, Garry Kasparov and Eduard Limonov - leaders of the opposition Other Russia coalition - digitally superimposed on lingerie-clad women.

"They're shown as prostitutes because they're -traitors to the country," says Alina Belyagina one of several members of Nashi's information section assigned to "escort" journalists around the camp.

Nearby there is a lecture on electoral law. The camp aims to train leaders to form a 60,000-strong force to monitor voting and conduct exit polls at parliamentary elections in December and next March's presidential election, to counter any opposition claims of vote-rigging.

"We will have exit poll data that will confirm the official results," says Dmitry Baranovsky, co-ordinator of Nashi's election programme.

Conversation is dominated by the idea that the west will work with domestic opposition to subvert the elections. Activists speak reverently of Vladislav Surkov, the Kremlin ideologist who coined the term "sovereign democracy" to describe the closely-controlled Putin political system, and who will address the camp's final day.

Asked against whom "sovereign democracy" must be defended, Yulia Kuliyeva, a 20-year-old member of Nashi's ideology department, echoes Kremlin officials twice her age: "We are defending our sovereignty not from someone else, but for ourselves, so that people listen to us, so that we can speak and our opinion will be taken into account," she says.

Nashi does attempt to counter the racist nationalism of far-right groups. An "ethno-village" at the camp displays cultures of Russia's many minorities. Invited foreign guests will lecture on their national cultures.

And, for many, politics seem secondary to a belief that attending Seliger is good for career prospects. In the "Gazprom tower", Nashi members can apply for internships with the state-run gas company and other energy groups.

Analysts suggest that just as today's pro-Putin United Russia party resembles the Soviet Communist party in that ambitious officials feel they need to join, so Nashi has echoes of the Komsomol, the communist youth league.

Vasily Yakemenko, the former Kremlin official who founded Nashi, admits some symbols are similar - senior members are "commissars", members carry little red books recording their achievements - but insists that the ideology differs fundamentally.

"For the Komsomol, what was important was the success of the [Communist] party; for us, what's important is the success of the person," he says.

Seliger also has social attractions, despite a stringent alcohol ban. Drinking tea round a camp fire, youths from Lipetsk, central Russia, grin that the camp is good for meeting girls - though sleeping four to a tent creates certain logistical difficulties.

In fact, the need for procreation to reverse Russia's 700,000-a-year population decline is a recurring theme. Twenty-five Nashi couples married in a mass wedding at the camp yesterday, in what Mr Yakemenko calls a positive example.

Mr Yakemenko plays down suggestions that Nashi is being groomed above all to mass in Moscow to counter opposition attempts to foment revolution after the coming elections.

The opposition, he says, will never muster enough people. Instead, Nashi will play a longer-lasting role in training future leaders.

"We are producing a huge network of people who believe in our country, -profess our ideology, and have a roughly identical view of what place Russia should have in the world," he says.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thank you for this post.

[Flavius]

Activists of the pro-Kremlin Nashi (Ours) youth movement aim their AK-47s as they simulate military drills at their summer camp near Lake Seliger, some 450 kilometres (281 miles) northwest of Moscow, Tuesday, July 17, 2007. The Nashi's Army branch is trying to attract Russia's young men to avoid dodging the compulsary conscription and trains them to counter abuse by senior soldiers, a wide spread violation criticized by Kremlin's opponents and human rights defenders.

Activists of the pro-Kremlin Nashi (Ours) youth movement work out at their summer camp near to Lake Seliger, some 450 kilometres (281 miles) northwest of Moscow, Tuesday, July 17, 2007. The movement claims to enlist tens of thousands of supporters throughout Russia and positions itself as a youth wing of the United Russia ruling party.

Activists of the pro-Kremlin Nashi (Ours) youth movement walk past the poster displaying comic images portraying leaders of the Other Russia opposition movement, former Prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, left, and former chess champion Garry Kasparov, center, in the summer camp near to Lake Seliger, some 450 kilometres (281 miles) northwest of Moscow, Tuesday, July 17, 2007. The movement claims to enlist tens of thousands of supporters throughout Russia and positions itself as a youth wing of the United Russia ruling party

[Tailgunner Joe]

bttt

[M. Espinola]

Putin "Nashi" has alarming characteristics of Hitler's HJ.

[lizol]

More pictures

http://media.ft.com/cms/f463e9fa-355a-11dc-bb16-0000779fd2ac.swf

[Shaun_MD]

Anyone else notice the red star in the middle of the hand in the picture?

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thanks for the link, good showing of brainwashing as it happens.

[LibertyRocks]

Thanks for posting this, Tiger... and thanks for the ping Lizol.
**************************
Eleni,

On the last thread you were telling me we had nothing to worry about from the PEOPLE in Russia, just the Muslim insurgents... I have to respectfully disagree with you. Indeed a resurgence in Communism is a threat to all people in the world who enjoy liberty and freedom.

And, it is not only Muslim insurgents that we are fighting in the war on terror — it is also Iranian and Syrian funded terrorists like Hamas and Hezbollah. And, we all know that Putin sticks up for Iran and Ahmadinejad (as well as other Communist dictators across the world).

I don’t wish for the U.S. to be isolated, but I also do not see how encouraging the strengthening of nations that are openly Communist is a good idea if we wish to stop the spread of oppression throughout the world.

When we are witnessing things like the brainwashing of these children under the eye and encouragement of Putin and his cohorts how can you possibly say that the people are not supportive of Putin (I am aware that there are those who do not want a return to the old Communist state, but what power do they have to stop it when democracy in Russia is such a farce)?

If we don’t learn from history we are doomed to repeat it — and these Putin Youth Camps are astoundingly reminiscent of Hitler’s youth camps, are they not? (See the pictures here; http://media.ft.com/cms/f463e9fa-355a-11dc-bb16-0000779fd2ac.swf )

Putin may not plan genocide like Hitler did, but the ultimate stated goal of communism was always world domination, and I really don’t think an ex-KGB agent who advanced to high rank (like Putin did) can ever change his spots, do you? Look at the recent interactions and taunting going on between Russia and the UK... Who’s side is Russia really on here?

[eleni121]

Well it seems that you and some paranoid others agree with the BOLSHEVIKS who HATE the Nashis.

Personally I think it sounds like a positive experience for young people: promoting patriotism, Russian Christian Orthodoxy, and healthy living sounds good, kind of like our Scouts.

[JosephW]

“We are defending our sovereignty not from someone else, but for ourselves, so that people listen to us, so that we can speak and our opinion will be taken into account,”

While the Nashi may have many aspects similar to the Nazis and the old Soviets, they seem to have a different ideology. I clipped the above quote from the article as I believe it is the center-piece.

Let’s look at Europe for a moment. It is slowly falling apart as the people begin to look at themselves as Europeans instead of Brits, Germans, Spaniards, and even French. The loss of a national identity destroys countries and in the long run allows an ideology in that is contrary to the interests of a free people.

I read all the time that we have to be concerned about keeping America a strong nation, a nation with a distinct border, a distinct American culture, a distinct American (variant of British English) language. These items keep us strong, and allow us to seek others with similar views as allies. When we work with those that don’t have a love for their country, we are generally sending aid to buy an ally.

Russia can be a great ally of ours or a tremendous enemy. We lost the ‘peace dividend’ twice. Once with Jimmy Carter as we allowed our people to be held for 444 days which has led to our current war on terror and the other time with BJ Clinton as we bombed the Serbs (traditional ally to the Russians) in order to turn part of their country over to invading illegal aliens (the Albanians) - this would be akin to China bombing Washington, D.C. if we didn’t turn California over to Mexico as they pretty much own it anyway. This caused Russia not to trust us and a rise in Nationalist Pride (much of it not positive - as it became directed against us).

I know who I pick as friends - people who share similar beliefs, people who are self-reliant, people who can help me as much as I help them.

Russia for the most part is a major world power and Christian nation (sounds similar to us). They are beginning to relearn self-reliance, and a strong national identity is part of that. Of all the countries on Earth that could provide assistance to us in a near equal fashion, they are at the top of the list. Perhaps China could provide assistance at the same level that we give, but they are a very different culture with different values, and a type of government that is antithical to freedom.

I don’t always agree with my friends on everything, but in working with them, we tend to become closer and have less disagreement. We need to work closer with Russia and have them work closer with us. In cooperation with those who are our natural ally we can truly defeat our common enemy, instead of trying to spite each other to our own detriment.

[spanalot]

Wow - never saw this coming ;-)

[spanalot]

“promoting patriotism, Russian Christian Orthodoxy”

This does not promote Orthodoxy - unless you mean the KGBesque ROC of Moscow.

[JosephW]

As Christian Orthodox is often a national religion I would expect any Russian group that is concerned about national identity to include it.

And although the Russian Church has had problems with the KGB in the past, it is tempered with the other Orthodox Churches that exist worldwide since it carries the same faith. This would include the Greek Church, Antiochian Church and many others.

[spanalot]

“it is tempered with the other Orthodox Churches that exist worldwide “

Does this include the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - where the ROC, Moscow went to campaign against Yushchenko and for the Russophile Yanukovych?

BWAHAHAHAHA.

[eleni121]

well hello...it seems that we travel in the same circles...

You don’t know much about Russian Orthodoxy today do you?

When you do we can discuss...

[spanalot]

“You don’t know much about Russian Orthodoxy today do you?”

I know lots about Russian Orthodox - especially the fact that most in the US churches are Ukrainian - having emmigrated from the Carpathian region before WWII and being hoodwinked into thinking they were “Russian.”

These Lemkos, Rusyns, and CarpathoRussians have nothing to do with Moscow.

[Wallace T.]

Nashi looks like the old Soviet Komsomol, sprinkled with a bit of holy water. The prominence of the red color of the old USSR and the Red Star symbol should serve as a warning. Given the restoration of the Soviet era national anthem and of Communist symbols to the military, as well as the suppression of free speech and the assassinations of prominent opponents of the Putin regime, it looks like Russia is headed back to its authoritarian past. The main differences with the Soviet regime are a degree of leeway permitted to free enterprise and absence of hostility to religion, especially Russian Orthodoxy.

Russia and China have been silent partners to anti-American regimes, whether Muslim like Iran or Marxist like Venezuela. The Iranian nuclear program has the clear stamp of "Made in Russia" on it. The Russians are providing Hugo Chavez with the means to build firearms factories and establishing a modernized air force. It would not surprise me if some of the funding of the American Left is coming from Moscow, just as in the days of the Vietnam War.

The Great Power game is back, with nations like Iran and North Korea being proxies for China, a superpower wannabe, and Russia, which seeks restoration to its former status. As such, both nations must be considered hostile to America and the Western democracies.

[eleni121]

For some bakground read post 12...and stop swallowing whole the MSM lies and exagerrations.