Golunov Case Outcome Could Cost Putin Support among Siloviki

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 12 – The mass arrests in Moscow today show that the Kremlin still controls the siloviki sufficiently to defend itself, but some Russian analysts are suggesting that the way in which Vladimir Putin resolved the Ivan Golunov case, while it clearly worked to his benefit in terms of public relations may cost him support among some in the force structures.

            In response to widespread complaints about the way in which interior ministry officials created a fake case against Golunov, Vladimir Putin has sacked two senior MVD generals, Andrey Puchkov and Yury Levyatkin, an indication, Sergey Aksyonov says, that the Kremlin decided to save face by sacrificing two siloviki (svpressa.ru/society/article/235349/).

            While that may be the normal and even accepted tactic, the Svobodnaya pressa journalist continues, it can’t have pleased those in the organs who remain convinced that they were doing what those above them wanted and even ordered and that they are being thrown to the wolves because of complaints from people below whom they defend the powers that be against

            Such attitudes are likely to be intensified by the public comments about the case in which analysts, politicians and commentators have sought to blame the interior ministry for everything that has happened, ignoring the role of others above it. Aksyonov cites five examples of such attacks.

            They include those by Dmitry Muratov (thebell.io/po-nashej-prosbe-na-vstrechu-byl-priglashen-general-baranov-kak-prinimalos-reshenie-ob-osvobozhdenii-golunova/), Konstantin Kosachev (rg.ru/2019/06/11/kosachev-nazval-ishod-dela-golunova-pobedoj-grazhdanskogo-obshchestva.html), Valentina Matviyenko (rbc.ru/politics/11/06/2019/5cff8d519a7947e45735fbd6?utm_source=tw_rbc), and Ivan Urgant (russian.rt.com/russia/article/640193-delo-golunova-policiya).

            The siloviki are not happy about this turn of events, but so far, Aksyonov says, they have limited themselves to “snarling” back and complaining that they did not violate any laws or rules and are being blamed unfairly, as MVD Colonel  Andrey Shirov has after concluding that the Golunov case had been “politicized” (russian.rt.com/russia/article/640193-delo-golunova-policiya).

            “It’s possible,” the Svobodnaya pressa correspondent says, “that Shirov in this case is expressing not only his own opinion but that of part of the corporation of law enforcement officers who have run up against politicians who are ready to ‘sacrifice’ them” to save themselves.

            Apparently, he continues, “the Kremlin already has recognized the danger.”  Nikolay Patrushev, the head of the Russian Security Council, stated publicly that he “did not have any evidence that in the Golunov affair, officers of eth special services could be guilty” of any violation of the law (lenta.ru/news/2019/06/12/patrush/).

            Ilya Remeslo, a lawyer with whom Aksyonov spoke, doesn’t think that this will be a turning point in the attitude of the siloviki toward their bosses. The sacrifice of senior officers when their subordinates do something that has to be denied is unfortunately standard practice, especially in the narcotics area, and everyone knows what the rules of the big game are.

            Moreover, everyone knows that planting drugs to make a case stick is something that happens all the time. Many of the 130,000 people convicted on drug charges are victims of this, Remeslo continues. The siloviki count on not being exposed, but when they are, someone has to take the fall.

            In the lawyer’s view, “now all of the cases of those 130,000 citizens should be reviewed. If there is no DNA or fingerprints found, they must be released. And if the powers that be are based on the people, they will do so. But if they are anti-people, then they won’t.”