Mikhail Khodorkovsky sat in Putin’s Russia a decade in prison. Now he invited in Kiev many Kremlin critics to a peace summit. His rivals attacked him sharply – the reason for which Ukraine’s policy was obvious.

At the entrance to Kiev’s Olympic Stadium greets a young Russian participants of Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s peace summit with gallows humor. “Welcome to the meeting of the National traitors,” cries Mascha Baronowa, a blond opposition activist from Moscow.

It is a reference to Vladimir Putin’s Crimean speech, the Kremlin chief had all that do not agree with the course of the Kremlin, referred to as “fifth column” and national traitors.

Baronowa is one of them until the end of 2013 she was under indictment for participating in a demonstration against Putin’s inauguration, or for “inciting riots”, as it had formulated the charge.

In Moscow, had been warned before participating in the forum, you could give the Kremlin propagandists a trump card in his hand and reinforce the impression that the opposition was directed and paid for by oligarchs from abroad.

Khodokovsky In Kiev:Some of Putin’s critics remain far from caution

Now sit but on the 300 participants in Kiev together, the cost for travel and accommodation has Khodorkovsky Foundation ” Open Russia ” adopted : The writer Lyudmila Ulizkaja is there, the opposition politician Boris Nemtsov , the 86 -year-old “Grande Dame ” of the Russian human rights activist Lyudmila Alekseeva , and Galina Timchenko , the recently dismissed for political reasons, chief editor of the leading Russian online newspaper ” Lenta ” .

Others have not been given the political sensitivity of the meeting to Kiev. The human rights of “Memorial” for example, are represented by a few members – but director Arseny Roginski remained in Moscow, so as not to draw the wrath of the Kremlin on his organization . Even Putin’s long-standing Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin , who is in moderate opposition to him since the winter protests in 2011 , declined to participate.

” Never a political forum ” constitute the meeting , Khodorkovsky had spokeswoman at the announcement of the conference emphasized , but ” a forum of Russian-Ukrainian intelligence to strengthen the connections. ” Political but it goes under the current conditions hardly .

Kodorkovsky In Kiev:”The dictator can not make us enemies”

Around the same time , when Mikhail Khodorkovsky , in jeans and a black costume similar jacket in the conference center at the Kiev football stadium grabs the microphone , in Moscow the house arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny is extended by half a year .

And a few hundred miles east of Kiev raise Russian combat aircraft in the direction of the Ukrainian border. In response to the attempt of Ukrainian special forces to retake the city Slowjansk by the insurgents , Russia has launched a military maneuver.

” We are gathered here because we want to show that we do not agree with his policies ,” Khodorkovsky announced right at the beginning . ” How powerful a dictator may be – he can not make enemies of us!”

Khodorkovsky occurs restrained, but his voice is sharp , as he attacks Putin open to his short-sighted Ukraine policy. “Putin does not trigger global strategic issues , he takes revenge for a personal insult ,” he explains . Offended , the laid-off after ten years in prison in December businessman , was the Russian President of the revolution and the expulsion of Yanukovych .

Khodorkovsky In Kiev:”battle between barbarism and Democracy”

Yuriy Lutsenko , Minister of the Interior under Tymoshenko in detention under Yanukovych and one of the leaders of the Maidan , uses the appearance of a clear political message. “What we see today in Ukraine , is a struggle between barbarism and democracy. And the Reconquista in Ukraine following the Reconquista in Russia,” he explains. And he flatters the Russian intelligentsia : ” We know about the great Russian culture We know the difference between Pushkin and Putin. . ”

The very first discussion , however, shows how difficult the understanding even among intellectuals falls in a moment in which the two ” brother nations” as close to a war as never since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis.

It hails mutual accusations between Ukrainians and Russians. The well-known media entrepreneur and opposition blogger Anton Nossik about complains that the Ukrainian border guards held him for several hours at the airport.

Others complain entry bans for Russian journalists and the fundamental refusal of Ukrainian politicians to speak for itself with opposition to Russian media .

Khodorkovsky In Kiev:”No journalism, government-planned special operation”

The Ukrainians justified by the fact that they are in a state of war. Two of the three Ukrainian panelists eventually leave annoyed the podium. There is agreement only in applause when the journalist Pavel Sheremet says: “The journalists of the Russian state media operate not journalism, but they are propagandists in a state-planned special operation.”

Towards evening the discussions calm down a bit, some going before the end of the discussion to the banquet on the second floor, soon heard the first toast to a future without Putin.

While Khodorkovsky withdraws into a corner for private talks, the participants ask about the meaning of dialogue, if it is fought at the same time in the east of the country. “We must ensure that the terrible events that we can not control, do not make us enemies,” says gallery owner Marat Gelman well-known Russian.

“The meeting makes sense,” says Masha Baronowa, “because the Russian opposition has the opportunity to meet. In Russia is no longer true.”

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