Portside

— Many of those with whom you went to rallies before February 2022 left the country after the full-scale invasion began. Why did you stay?

— Firstly, I really love my country and the region in which I live. I can’t imagine that I will no longer see the starry sky over Baikal.

And secondly, I believe that real changes can only begin within the country. Changes are needed. Today, a person who has an opinion different from that imposed by the authorities is faced with a choice: to go abroad or to go to prison. This indicates that something is wrong with the country.

I believe that freedom of speech and diversity of opinion are the main path to prosperity. If you allow the authorities to do whatever they want, then even if they are the most honest and good, sooner or later they will start making mistakes that they will have no one to tell them about.

— What do you think about those opposition politicians and activists who left Russia after February 2022?

“To stay or leave is everyone’s choice, and this choice must be respected.” In addition, everyone has their own reasons: many were threatened with real sentences, some left mobilization, some simply did not want to stay in the country. A person has one life, and he is free to dispose of it as he wants.

— Are you from Baikal?

— I’m originally from Irkutsk, but I spent my childhood in Baikalsk: my father worked there as the director of a tourist center. During my school years I helped him at work; he sold strawberries collected from his garden - almost everyone who lived in Baikalsk did this. After school, I returned to Irkutsk and entered the history department of ISU - international relations.

Pavel's election banner for the State Duma elections in 2021

— What ideology is close to you?

— I believe that the optimal ideology or form of government has not yet been invented, we need to take the best of what we have and combine them. Democracy and liberalism are closest to me. I am generally in favor of having many parties of different persuasions in parliament, and they need to seek compromise and the best solutions for the country and its citizens.

— In the fall, you gave an interview to the Swiss TV channel SRF, where you told how Irkutsk residents live who do not agree with the modern policies of Russia, and stated that the regime in Russia can be called a dictatorship - after that you had to resign . What are you doing now?

— Now I am self-employed. Before that, he worked in an Irish pub, but quit so as not to expose his employer. We parted, so to speak, by mutual consent. This, by the way, also speaks of the illness and degradation of our country - when an employer is forced to part with an employee due to possible pressure from the authorities.

— Among your like-minded people today, not everyone believes that participation in elections influences anything. Why do you go to the elections?

- It was a difficult decision. We understand perfectly well that the institution of elections is almost destroyed, only loyal candidates are allowed at all levels. Many citizens have long been disillusioned with this procedure .

I believe that we must use every legal opportunity to influence the authorities. I am going to the polls to show that there are still people of democratic views who do not support today’s politics in our country, and that we are ready to defend our rights and interests. These people are patriots of their country. We worry about Russia and its future, we want a happy and decent life for all of us, a peaceful sky above our heads.

— Until you decide whether to run in the elections as a self-nominated candidate or from some party. But in 2021, you have already participated in the State Duma elections from Yabloko: you were nominated in the Irkutsk single-mandate constituency. How it was?

“I probably jumped into the last carriage of the departing train.” Yabloko had already selected candidates for all districts, but at the last moment something changed, and I ended up on the list of candidates.

It was a very important experience for me: working with volunteers, meeting with voters, debates on television and radio. During the Duma elections, Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov, a very smart and strong politician, a true democrat, came to Irkutsk. I'm very glad to meet him.

Meetings with voters showed that people are interested in politics. The campaign itself took place quite peacefully, but it did not happen without opposition from the authorities. For example, my banner [with the inscription] “We will achieve Putin’s resignation,” which was accredited by the election commission, was never placed. At first, we were refused by almost all the agencies that deal with outdoor advertising, and when we managed to come to an agreement with one of the companies, it suddenly refused - as I later found out, due to pressure from the authorities.

Ultimately, there was not enough support, including financial support, to win. Many are afraid to help the opposition, despite the fact that they share our views. Although there were people who were ready to take the risk - great respect to them.

Unfortunately, elections in our country are not a competition of politicians and ideologies, but a competition of capital and administrative resources. In my district, this resource worked for the candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. If you compare my spending on the election campaign with the spending of the winner, they will simply be incomparable.

— Who are your voters and why do you think that these people will vote for you?

— These are completely different people, but the backbone, of course, is people of democratic convictions and active youth who want changes in their country. I will agitate everyone: we all have the same problems at the city level, regardless of ideology and political preferences.

— Even if you become a deputy of the Irkutsk Duma, you will be able to influence little in the political sense: the municipal government is busy with improvements, not making political decisions. Do you have any other goals in this position besides publicly voicing the position of people who advocate for a peaceful and democratic future for the country?

— If I win, I will make every effort to return to a very simple formula: power for the people, not the people for power.

Our city has a lot of problems, and the authorities spend money on unnecessary events . People are remembered only during elections or when some humanitarian aid needs to be collected. We need to finally solve the problem with roads and spot development. It is surprising that our Duma is full of deputies connected with the construction business, but there are no roads. Residential complexes are being built, because of this there are queues at kindergartens and clinics. Instead of new clinics, we are building new parks with a patriotic slant. But is there patriotism in parks?

It seems to me that patriotism is love for the motherland and the people who live here. And what kind of love are we talking about when there is no normal medical care? When people breathe dust, ride old, dangerous public transport? When in every downpour we practically float on the roads?

But when a high-ranking official or a foreign guest arrives, the authorities immediately find money to decorate the streets. The latest example is the visit of Alexander Lukashenko. How much money was spent on all these stupid banners and stretchers? Was there really no place to spend it for the benefit of the city and its residents? I will fight for the Irkutsk budget to be used to improve the lives of Irkutsk residents, and not for showy events or to advertise the work of deputies.

Irkutsk is called the capital of mining — so why not make it its gimmick? This could bring money into the city and regional budgets, attract investment and bring miners into the legal field. But for this, infrastructure needs to be developed, and the current government does not know how to develop it. It can only prohibit or raise energy tariffs.

— At the beginning of 2021, you were arrested for 20 days on charges of organizing a rally in support of Alexei Navalny after his return to Russia. Can you tell us more about this arrest?

— I was sent to a special detention center allegedly for “organizing” an uncoordinated rally. In fact, those rallies were organized by Navalny’s team, but the security forces (apparently, to be on the safe side) decided to go after all the local activists. The trial was more like a circus. I did not admit guilt, but in the end the authorities “appointed” me the organizer of the only rally in Irkutsk, which was dispersed by force.

The detention center itself is not a prison, of course, but it is a pretty unpleasant place. People are there for all sorts of things: from drunk driving to "hooliganism." During walks [around the detention center yard], men from other cells and I discussed politics, and once there was almost a rally: everyone who was there watched my conversation with another detainee, sometimes interjecting their remarks and supporting me. As a result, all the detention center guards lined up along the exercise "yard," and we had to disperse. So, probably, the main thing I got out of there is that everyone is interested in politics. And it was also a great opportunity to read books for 20 days almost non-stop.

Rally in defense of the Constitution, organized by Pavel in 2020

— You were fined five times for banners in different areas of Irkutsk: "Putin — war, corruption, poverty", "Down with the power of thieves", "The Constitution is for the people, not for the Tsar", "The government should be replaced, not the Constitution". How did it all start?

— About ten years ago, I was in business, doing electrical installations. Everything was fine until my partner and I wanted to participate in government procurement. I called the person listed as a contact person in one of the lots — I wanted to clarify the details. It was a representative of the administration of one of the cities in our region. At the other end of the line, they explained to me quite bluntly that this was an order “for our own people,” and if we won the bidding, we would buy the materials not listed in the estimate at our own expense. Then the contract would become unprofitable for us. I was furious.

Then, when I was already working in a pub, I met a man there who said that many things were wrong in the country, but for now he was happy with it, because he made good money. Then I answered him: “We’ll talk about this in a couple of years.” Exactly two years later we met again. During this time, he saw with his own eyes how difficult it is to conduct an honest business if you do not have connections in power and if you do not want to pay bribes.

We hung the first banner with him - it was January 2019. Then there were several more banners, and only at the fourth action I was detained. At the very beginning, I was detained by SOBR - as if I were a dangerous criminal! But the rest was quite correct: they questioned me, took fingerprints, searched the car, confiscated the banners with witnesses.

— Aren’t you afraid of engaging in civil activism and, even more so, participating in the elections in Russia in 2024?

— Unfortunately, it is difficult to talk about politics today without fear, even in the kitchen. But fear is a natural feeling. It is necessary to ensure that this feeling does not cause numbness, but helps to avoid abrupt and unnecessary steps. Therefore, despite all the fears, you need to do what your heart tells you to do and what your sense of duty to yourself and your Motherland drives you to do. And it is now driving me to show people with similar views that there is an alternative. I am sure that there are many such people in Russia and in our native Irkutsk.

—  What does your family think about your desire to participate in the elections?

“People close to me, of course, are worried, but everyone knows that if I have made a decision, then it is useless to dissuade me. That's why they said they would support it.

— What are you going to do if the security forces become interested in you?

— And they have always been interested in me, ever since the first arrest. Now, perhaps less than in the times when street protests followed one another, but they always keep an eye on me. There has already been surveillance — both open and secret. All this will be part of my campaign.