‘Zavtra’ Publishes Partial List of Intellectuals who Signed Amendments Protest, Says It Should ‘Be Saved for Later’ When Such People Can Be ‘Shot’

Paul Goble

            Staunton, March 18 – Two days ago, the opposition media published an appeal signed by hundreds of Russia’s leading intellectuals denouncing the proposed constitutional amendments as a threat to democracy (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2020/03/hundreds-of-russian-intellectuals.html).

            Now, the Russian nationalist newspaper, Zavtra, which is edited by Aleksandr Prokhanov has published a partial list of those signatories and suggested it should be “saved for the future” when their names could figure on “a list of those to be shot” (zavtra.ru/events/zhivopisnij_rasstrel_nij_spisok_(sohranim_na_budushee).

            Given the outre comments of Prokhanov and of many of the others who write for this publication, most people are likely going to be inclined to ignore this.  But it is a dangerous sign, an indication that some extreme Russian nationalists believe that things are moving in their direction so rapidly that they can openly threaten their opponents in this way.