Something should happen… A disaster?

Dialogue between authority and capital in extreme on-line regime

Something is in the air. Something unpleasant. Either a fight should be expected, or a storm. One of St Petersburg paladins of the President, Dmitry Kozak frightened oligarchs with possible nationalization of bowels of the earth. Aluminium and motorcar king Oleg Deripaska scolded German Gref and suddenly started to teach the government the priorities in economy. Boris Berezovsky in his letter from abroad practically gave Russia up for lost. As if Putin who built vertical of power and subdued mass media now wants to make economy “vertical.”

Some strange crush could be seen now in corridors of Russian supreme power and headquarters of oligarchs. Something predicts changes. Deputy head of the President Administration, Dmitry Kozak made an unexpected step: he probed public opinion about possible nationalization of bowels. The reaction turned out to be morbid. Kozak played back. Though the authority did not refuse from these plans. It decided that it was the high time to realize these plans.

PR assistants of economical development and trade minister German Gref worked out for foreign partners a kind of unity of the government and oligarchs as for Russia’s joining WTO. Though suddenly Oleg Deripaska started to abuse German Gref and the whole government.

The main political outcast Boris Berezovsky also could not be indifferent. Though, the criminal cases in which Boris Berezovsky is implicated (Aeroflot case and Andava case) are still opened, so the former oligarch prefers to love his motherland and to give advise to it from London. His letters published in yesterday Vedomosti are really about fates of Russia. For example, according to Berezovsky, the process of reestablishment of authoritative state in Russia has been completed. The President has already built the vertical of power and mass media, and now there is only one way: to build vertical of economy. Berezovsky supposes, that the Kozak plans are only the first step. Now, when the press and the society keep silence, only bigness could embark on the path of strengthening tyranny. “President Putin has decided himself as for the future of Russia. Now, it is important for him and other citizens of Russia to understand and to estimate all possible consequences of this choice,” – Berezovsky writes.

It should be noticed that after that anarchy and chaos which reigned in Yeltsin’s Russia, every striving for order and power could excite only affection tears in people.

Russian self-made businessmen Oleg Deripaska is also concerned with intentions of the Russian authorities. Though, that are concerns of another kind. The government wrongly establishes economical priorities, Deripaska says, so he intends to publish his own economical programme.

According to Deripaska, one of the main economical priorities is carrying out a predictable, understandable and reasonable money and credit policy and creation of mechanisms to monitor and to control its realization. It is necessary to strictly control inflation processes, to develop capital market and to decrease the capital worth. Strategy of economical growth not limited with the framework of exclusively institutional reforms should be worked out and policy of relations between the state and corporation should be formed, to stimulate and to strengthen subjects of competitiveness of Russian economy.

It is strange, though almost the same could be heard every day in TV, pronounced by either functionary. However, Oleg Deripaska is not a functionary. So far. He is a businessman, so he is not responsible for what is happening. On the face of it, this seems not to make difference. Deripasko’s successful career probably turned his head, so he decided the state activity was not so complicated, as well as his business activity.

Deripaska is lucky in business. He started from being director of Sayany aluminium work and made a great career. He spent some time with Berezovsky, then ran over to Anatoly Chubais. Therefore, in several years, almost all Russian aluminium was in Deripaska’s pocket. Afterwards, the time of motorcar industry came (GAZ motorcar work). Now, the oligarch occupies himself with pulp and paper industry. Yes, he had no time to buy mass media. Though, what will owners of newspapers and works say, when the started process is finished. Deripaska will probably appoint his own press minister.

Deripaska is considered to belong to junior branch of oligarchs of so-called “family,” though there is an impression that he received the full pardon from Putin and from Russian power structures. Because what Deripaska wants, that the Public Prosecutor General’s Office also wants.

At first, Vedomosti newspaper supposed that Deripaska hastens to occupy the place of the main adviser of the authority because of the inevitable resignation of the government. The newspaper also writes (in Rumour rubric) that the oligarch very possible will occupy the post of prime minister. People living with their everyday concerns hardly could keep an eye on it. Though some obvious things cannot be missed. For example the fact, that Yeltsin’s oligarchs are being replaced by Putin’s ones. (For example, released Anatoly Bykov promised to sell his share of Krasnoyarsk Aluminium Work to that one who will pay the biggest sum for it. Who could it be? Of course, Oleg Deripaska).

A new model of relations appears. Oligarch Russian capital feels its power. The state is waiting. It is hiding in ambush. Though, there is not so much time to wait. Soon, oligarchs will be squeezed. Some of them will be imprisoned, some will be bribed. (However, according to Russian legislation, everybody could be imprisoned. Though, is it necessary?) The state and the capital will flow together. Anyway, the state will take its own. Though oligarchs also will not be sorry about it.

How heavy embrace of mother Russia is!

So, and what about Boris Berezovsky? He is not right while opposing the authority. He is certainly its main critic, though at the same time its best adviser. He comes to the authority and he enters it, while there, severe Putin’s chekists wait for them, with Mauser and writ on his arrest.

Dmitry Slobodyanyuk PRAVDA.Ru

Photograph: Boris Berezovsky

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/08/07/45346.html