Mobilized for the campaign – Newspaper Kommersant No. 66 (7511) dated 04/15/2023

On Friday, a special seminar was held on the basis of the Young Guard of United Russia (MGER) for participants in a special military operation (SVO). High-ranking United Russia members promised the military and volunteers full support in the elections, and also talked about how the party would benefit from them. Thus, Alexander Sidyakin, deputy secretary of the General Council of United Russia (ER), said that the members of the SVO will be among the leaders of party lists in the upcoming regional elections. And the chairman of the Young Guard of United Russia, Anton Demidov, who spoke next, announced that those gathered would become the main speakers of the party not so much in this campaign as in the presidential one, which will be held next year.

The event was held at the headquarters of the Young Guard of United Russia, which is located in a loft not far from the World Trade Center. It was filled with men of all ages, half of whom were wearing military uniforms. In addition to the direct participants of the NWO, the seminar was attended by representatives of the humanitarian mission in the new territories. All of them sat on small plastic chairs and, with short breaks, listened to the speakers that United Russia had chosen for them that day.

Alexander Sidyakin, head of the executive committee of the ruling party and at the same time deputy secretary of its general council, was the first to speak. He repeatedly repeated the idea that the United Russia would provide all-round support to those involved in the NWO. “This is both legal assistance and methodological assistance. And campaigning and informational: help make a video, help print materials, promote them somewhere simply on social networks,” United Russia listed. CBO participants are also provided with a simplified registration for the primaries. Mr. Sidyakin even revealed a little secret, saying that, according to preliminary estimates, the members of the SVO will enter at least a number of leading troikas and quintuples of the party lists in the elections in September. There was also a short political information course: “The start of a special military operation consolidated our society. There were several angles of attack from the enemy, the State Department is not the State Department, you can call it differently.” The party member said that the opponents tried to bring down the banking system of Russia, hit on the consumer habits of its population, and also create the impression that only workers and peasants would go to the NWO zone. According to Alexander Sidyakin, all this was not successful: there were no protests, the society was not alarmed. United Russia used the term “rallying around the flag”, which is fashionable among experts. “As a rule, sociologists say that it lasts no more than six months. But look. We have Vladimir Vladimirovich now – 81-82%, the United Russia party – 43-45%, ”the party member exclaimed triumphantly. The Q&A session was fairly brief. So, one of the participants of the NWO once again clarified with Alexander Sidyakin what exactly the party support of the participants in the NWO would be. “You have already submitted documents (followed by an affirmative answer.— “b”). Do you have any difficulties now? (A negative answer followed.— “b”). All right, let’s get to work, we’ll help you. We will give leaflets, newspapers, we will promote you in social networks,” answered Alexander Sidyakin. In two cases, participants in the special operation complained about the actions of regional executive committees. So, in Kalmykia, at the regional level, the party members first promised a simplified submission of documents, and then they said to carry the full set. “Now I will find the head of the executive committee,” Mr. Sidyakin promised to sort it out. Another SVO participant said that he was criticized in the party for not coordinating his nomination with them. Alexander Sidyakin acknowledged that the locals do not always want to see combatants in the ranks of deputies. Alexander Sidyakin promised that there would be no harassment of the NWO members. “I am following this. I won’t allow it,” United Russia assured.

The aforementioned support for the members of the SVO should be carried out through the project of the Young Guard of United Russia “Time of Heroes Z”. After Alexander Sidyakin’s speech, MGER Chairman Anton Demidov focused on what the party members themselves want from the members of the SVO. His speech was accompanied by a short presentation. One of the slides said that society can be divided into three groups according to their psychological mood: those who do not accept the actions being taken (they were illustrated with photographs from which comedian Semyon Slepakov (recognized as a foreign agent), actor Maxim Vitorgan) looked at the seminar participants), doubters (in the image cheerful people flaunted with glasses), patriots (accompanied by a photograph of Anton Demidov himself, surrounded by Young Guards and members of the NWO). Despite the fact that the speaker described the same Semyon Slepakov as a representative of “ill-wishers” who left the country en masse, in his speech he urged the participants of the SVO not to split society, not to show aggression, to explain party positions to all groups (especially those who doubt), to become a unifying factor . “You probably feel that many people, especially the socially unprotected (pensioners, representatives of the weaker sex), have such alertness for both men and themselves. Here we would like you to broadcast the image of a defender at meetings, ”the politician told his plan. According to him, the participants of the SVO become key speakers for the party, because they have personal experience of the events taking place: “Man believes only in personal participation most of all.” According to Anton Demidov, the audience will have to bear the information and propaganda burden not only, and not even so much at the upcoming regional elections: “Next year, presidential elections. After the elections, if you succeed in being elected, you, as people who have received mandates, will be able to do this work even more intensively. The election of the President, the election of our commander-in-chief is our main task!”

Andrey Vinokurov