A time for unity
Now is the time for Russia’s disparate political opposition to put their past differences aside and come together
There is a seemingly insurmountable rift within the Russian democratic opposition in exile. But bringing Russia’s democratic forces together is no abstract goal, it is an absolute necessity, without which Russia can have no effective mechanism to end the war or to resist the authoritarianism of the Kremlin regime.
Expecting the neutral, undecided elements of Russian society to see the opposition as a real moral and political alternative to Putin is unreasonable if it presents itself as a group beset by infighting and rivalries rather than a monolithic anti-Putin force with clear objectives and demands.
A unified opposition doesn’t mean creating a single “democratic Communist Party” or a rigid hierarchy under a single leader or organisation. That would be impossible, and nobody wants it anyway. It means coordinated action at critical moments and cooperation in the spheres that matter the most: politics and human rights.
Some sceptics will say that the disagreements between the various opposition groups are too deep and impossible to resolve. But in fact, they are either purely personal or the result of the rivalries that developed between different factions as they vied with one another for influence. It is these disputes between the leaders of the Russian opposition and between their respective teams which create an image of disarray. Grass-roots organisations and ordinary members of the anti-war movement manage to communicate and cooperate seamlessly.
Division among the ranks of the opposition pales into insignificance when compared to the everyday death and destruction in Ukraine, of course. If we really want to stop the war and reduce the number of casualties, we must look for ways to unite.
The release of political prisoners that resulted from the August exchange has provided the opposition with a unique opportunity to come together. The emergence of new faces from the opposition movement — Yulia Navalnaya, Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza, all acting together — was a very important moment. Despite having to be organised with very little time, their idea of holding a Russian opposition march in Berlin earlier this month was a total success.
A joint conference by anti-war forces on a strategy for change in Russia could be that next step, and all the important anti-war opposition groups focused on working within Russia would need to be there.
