“Zhirinovsky’s Falcon” sent to Khabarovsk did not reach the protesters
In Khabarovsk, protests in support of Sergei Furgal, who was arrested and removed from office by presidential decree, have not subsided for the eleventh day, while fellow party member Mikhail Degtyarev, who arrived to replace him, refrained from meeting with the demonstrators.
Degtyarev explained his reluctance to communicate with participants in street actions by being busy and the danger of contracting the coronavirus.
On the day of Mikhail Degtyarev’s arrival in Khabarovsk, the city greeted the acting governor with new protests. This time, about a thousand people gathered in front of government buildings, chanting “I, we, he, she - the whole country is for Furgal!”, “As long as we are united, we are invincible!” “Freedom!”, “Freedom for Furgal, freedom for Russia!”, “Degtyarev, come out!”
However, Mikhail Degtyarev did not go out onto the street to meet the protesters, limiting himself to the format of a press conference for now.
“We will meet more than once. But there is a schedule, there are powers, there are priority tasks. So I thought it was not time. But we will communicate with the people both on social networks, and through video conferencing due to the pandemic, and in person... Let's take care of each other. I looked out the window, social distance, of course, is not maintained there. Well, there is a certain danger. Indeed, there is an infection,” the official said.
Degtyarev also promised that if Sergei Furgal is acquitted, he will leave his post: “If Furgal is acquitted, I will pack my things and leave. I will not compete in elections. We worked together for two convocations, I know him well, he is my comrade, colleague... I sincerely wish him good luck.”
Furgal himself, it seems, also cherishes hopes of his return to the region and hints at some betrayal (here one can recall the formidable promises of the party boss Vladimir Zhirinovsky to stage an uprising and resign the mandates of the entire Duma faction, forgotten after the appointment of Degtyarev).
“I still hope that I won’t stay here (in prison) for long,” the arrested person told members of the Public Commission who visited him in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center. – There is a joke about a hotel in a clearing in the fresh air. There is an inscription on the building: “If you can’t sleep here, then your conscience will definitely torment you.” I sleep great. My conscience doesn't bother me. Only someone else's betrayal torments you. But life must be taken as it is.”
Political scientist Ilya Grashchenkov believes that the situation in Khabarovsk will be used by Vladimir Zhirinovsky to bargain with the Kremlin.
“When the record rating of the LDPR in the Khabarovsk Territory falls, at least to 20%, and Degtyarev finally discredits his appointment and the Khabarovsk residents (as conceived by the authors of this scenario) ask for a local business executive..., the LDPR will again be able to withdraw its profit. Surrendering a region is also a game that will be played under different conditions in 2021, which means the stakes may rise. In any case, expecting the LDPR to run away from the region with its tail between its legs is stupid. Zhirinovsky at any moment can again threaten with revolution, demand the release of Furgal (by the way, we’ll see how his trial goes), thereby pushing his rating up,” predicts Grashchenkov.
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