Publications

Boris Nemtsov, who heads the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) faction in the State Duma, said yesterday that SPS and Yabloko might possibly put forward a single candidate in the 2004 presidential elections and suggested that candidate could be Yabloko's leader, Grigory Yavlinsky.

Russia Needs a Strong Party and a Right-Wing President

Novye Izvestia, April 27, 2001, pp. 1, 6
Yelena Serenko
Interview with Boris Nemtsov

One Half for You...

Does foreign media ownership constitute a threat to Russia's national security?
Izvestia, April 27, 2001, p. 2

Alexander Sadchikov

Yesterday the Duma passed in the first reading a bill which would limit the participation of foreign investors in Russian media. The deputies unexpectedly supported the bill - 332 of them voted in favour, only 22 against, with three abstentions.

Yegor Versus Boris
Obshchaya Gazeta, No. 17, April 2001, p. 7
Elena Dikun, Anatoly Kostyukov
Yegor Gaidar to challenge Boris Nemtsov for party leadership

With a month to go until the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) becomes a party, its leaders still can't decide who's boss.

The differences in the positions of the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) and Yabloko towards the situation around NTV will not lead to a split between the two right-wing parties
Rosbalt Information Agency, April 16, 2001

Grigory Yavlinsky on the situation at NTV
Radio Liberty, April 14, 2001

The leader of Yabloko Grigory Yavlinsky arrived early in the morning today at Ostankino (Ed. the TV centre) and said that the means chosen by Boris Jordan to resolve the dispute around NTV were "absolutely inadmissible". He also assessed the actions of the new heads of the NTV as a "takeover by force".

TV Station Taken Over. A state-controlled company stopped Russia's only major independent TV station's journalists mid-broadcast

By Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser

Washington Post Foreign Service, April 14, 2001

"This is an armed seizure," said reformist politician Grigory Yavlinsky, who rushed to Ostankino early this morning. Igor Malashenko, one of the ousted NTV board members, called it a "creeping coup," while human rights activist Sergei Kovalyov said Gazprom's action was nothing less than a revival of Soviet-era repressions.

La nouvelle direction investit NTV

Le Figaro, 14 avril 2001

Ils y ont re�u quelques soutiens, notamment de Grigori Iavlinski, le leader de la droite r�formatrice, qui a d�nonc� "un coup de force". Le d�fenseur des droits de l'homme et ex-dissident sovi�tique, Sergue� Kovalev, a estim� que l'action de la nouvelle direction avait montr� que "le KGB �tait au pouvoir", dans une allusion au pr�sident Vladimir Poutine, un ex-agent du KGB, qui est accus� de vouloir museler la presse ind�pendante. Vladimir Poutine a refus� d'intervenir dans cette affaire qu'il consid�re comme un conflit commercial. "Cette op�ration est du m�me ordre que la tentative de putsch d'ao�t 1991 et elle est effectu�e par les m�mes personnes, les membres des services secrets", a accus� Igor Malachenko, un responsable de Media-Most.

Media Takeover. Russia's Independent Network Taken Over by Government

ABCNEWS.com, April 14, 2001

Members of the morning shift at Russia's NTV was turned away from the studio's early this morning, signaling that the Russian government may now in control of the nation's only independent television network.

I Want My NTV. Battle Continues for Russia's Independent Network

ABCNEWS.com, April 13, 2001

The morning shift at Russia's NTV was turned away from the studio's early Saturday morning, signaling that the Russian government is now in control of the nation's only independent television network.

NTV a perdu son independance

TF1, 14 avril 2001

La nouvelle direction de NTV a investi durant la nuit les locaux de la chaine de television russe. Depuis 15 jours, les journalistes refusaient ce changement au nom de l'independance redactionnelle. Ils craignent d'etre museles par le Kremlin, principal actionnaire du geant gazier Gazprom, qui controle desormais la chaine.

New Managers Take Over Russia's NTV

Associated Press

By Angela Charlton, Associated Press Writer, April 14, 2001

The self-proclaimed new managers of Russia's only nationwide independent television network on Saturday took over NTV, changing the security guards, firing journalists who refused their authority and cutting off the morning news in the midst of the broadcast.

Battle for NTV reaches climax

CNN, April 14, 2001

Leading NTV journalists who refuse to recognize the new management took down large pictures of themselves that had hung in the halls and left the building after signing a statement they were leaving the station.

Realistic and fantastic projects
By Darya Guseva and Dmitry Chernov
Vremya MN, April 7, 2001, p. 3
The Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) and Yabloko do not want to force the delicate process of their merger. However, they sat down at the same table to account for their legislative activities. Boris Nemtsov and Grigory Yavlinsky last met at the same forum nine years ago. However, on April 6, at a conference on "Russian Law: Strategies and Development on the Path to a Civil Society", the leaders of the two right of centre Duma factions promised that the situation would be different in future. They were obviously not referring to the merger of the URF and Yabloko.

Yavlinsky takes NTV case to Parliament
Parlamentskaya Gazeta, April 5, 2001, p. 2
Grigory Yavlinsky: "This concerns all of us here. Otherwise we will soon lose theopportunity to express our own opinions on political issues and the state of the nation. Moreover, Yabloko has grave doubts about the procedures used toelect the new chief executive of the NTV network. We also doubt the legitimacy ofthe shareholders' meeting and the way it was organised."

TV Network Resisting Hostile Moves in Russia

By Michael Wines

The New York Times, April 5, 2001

The day after Gazprom said it had gathered the backing of 50.5 percent of NTV's shares and replaced its management, the network's journalists assembled in on-camera defiance. On television screens, the bright red word "protest" was superimposed over the white NTV logo.

State-backed group takes control of Russian TV independent

From Giles Whittell in Moscow

The Times, Wednesday, April 4, 2001

The future of NTV, the only station that regularly criticises Mr Putin, was in grave doubt after a boardroom coup. Yevgeni Kiselyov, the director-general, one of Russia�s best-known television faces, was replaced by Boris Jordan, 33, a millionaire US-born invest- ment banker who lacks any hands-on media experience. Throughout the 1990s NTV, a channel that was built from scratch by Vladimir Gusinsky and a team of journalists, provided Russia�s only television news that was not under close Kremlin scrutiny. Mr Gusinsky is under house arrest in Spain as Moscow attempts to have him extradited on fraud charges.

Putin Allies Seem to Gain in Battle Over Critical Press Empire

By Michael Wines

The New York Times, January 27, 2001

Mr. Gusinsky and his allies cast the fight as a clear issue of press freedom, saying the Kremlin is persecuting Media-Most to shut down NTV, the last national voice of dissent with its policies. Mr. Putin, it is true, has a decidedly non-Western view of press freedom: he has said that the real threat to the press comes not from the state but from the tycoon owners, who merely advance their own political cases.

Putin Critic Puts His Media Empire Under Thumb of the Kremlin

By Sabrina Tavernise

The New York Times, November 14, 2000

"This is a very shaky situation for NTV," said Liliya Shevtsova, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "It is the crown jewel and we have no guarantee that the current management will hold on to their jobs."

NTV Managers Ousted in Gazprom Coup

By Andrei Zolotov Jr., Staff Writer

Wednesday, Apr. 4, 2001. Page 1

Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky: "This is a kind of GKChP with the participation of foreign capital. Everything we have heard in the Kremlin today [Putin's address] has neither content nor sense. The real course [of the government] has been demonstrated here with NTV. The power is not interested in having independent mass media in Russia."

Kremlin Moves In on Independent TV

By Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser

Washington Post Foreign Service, Wednesday, April 4, 2001; Page A01

A state-controlled company took over the NTV network today and installed its own management, signaling an end to the independence of the only major television news outlet outside the Kremlin's orbit.

...Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the Yabloko party, compared it to the 1991 attempted Communist putsch against Gorbachev, calling the Gazprom action a "coup with the participation of foreign capital."

Democrats Prepare to Unite

Nezavisimaya Gazeta, March 31, 2001, p. 3

The idea of establishing a permanent democratic coordinating body has existed for a long time already. This idea has been expressed by social-democrat Alexander Yakovlev, republican Vladimir Lysenko and Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky. The goal of this coordinating body is to found a large-scale democratic coalition and formulate the principal positions on key issues of politics and economy. However, all the attempts of the democrats to unite have failed.

Speech of Chairman of the Yabloko Association Grigory Yavlinsky at the meeting to protect NTV and the freedom of speech

Moscow, Pushkin Square

March 31, 2001

Reformist politicians, soap-opera stars and even a world champion gymnast joined the rock-concert protest to pressure President Vladimir Putin's government to call off its 10-month financial and legal campaign against NTV, the only real source of television news in Russia not under the Kremlin's control.

"We defended freedom in 1991, and we will do the same thing in 2001," Vladimir Lukin, a member of the State Duma, told the crowd.

Sergei Ivanenko: the new law on parties will not affect Yabloko

Rosbalt Information Agency, March 28, 2001

St. Petersburg. The new law on parties will not affect Yabloko, but may affect the political system of Russia, said the First Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction in the State Duma of the RF Sergei Ivanenko. Ivanenko added that the faction had prepared a package of amendments to the draft law, amounting to over 100 pages of text. One of the amendments proposed by Yabloko concerns abolition of state financing for political parties and abolition of the control of the law enforcement agencies over the political parties.

Large Rally in Moscow Backs Independent TV

By Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser

Washington Post Foreign Service, Sunday, April 1, 2001

Crowd Gathers to Protect Russia's Freedom of Speech

By Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser

Washington Post Foreign Service, Saturday, March 31, 2001; 12:15 PM

Even so, Putin appears to have public support across Russia to do whatever he wishes with NTV. One recent public opinion survey found 57 percent support the return of censorship in Russia, while a poll last year said 52 percent thought NTV would be better if it were controlled by the government.

And even in the large crowd today, not all the bystanders were supporters. One woman, young son in tow, glared on the side of the square at the protesters. 'It doesn't matter if they shut NTV down,' said the woman, who gave her name only as Larisa. 'There will just be another channel.'

Putin Consolidates Power But Wields It Unsteadily

By Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser

Washington Post Foreign Service, Monday, March 26, 2001

"The answer is simple: He's in charge," said Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the reformist Yabloko party. "The people in the Duma are very eager at the moment to vote the way of Putin."

Yavlinsky, possibly the country's most prominent liberal, is an interesting case in point. He forcefully accuses Putin of re-creating a police state, yet he keeps ties with the administration in hopes of influencing decisions. "We have a dialogue with the president and at the same time we are in opposition to creating a cooperative police state," Yavlinsky said.

20,000 Turn Out in Support of NTV

Combined Reports

The Moscow Times, Monday, April 2, 2001, p.3

Liberals see the dispute and legal action against NTV, as a test of Putin's commitment to press freedom and fair reporting of issues like Russia's war against separatist Chechnya.

"We know why they want to destroy NTV. So that we will never know about millions of dollars being taken out of the country or about how a war is being conducted with slogans of fighting terrorism and corruption," Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the Yabloko party, told the gathering.

Big Rally Defends Russia's Independent NTV Channel

By Ron Popeski

Reuters, Saturday March 31 8:24 AM ET

"We know why they want to destroy NTV. So that we will never know about millions of dollars taken out of the country...about how a war is being conducted with slogans of fighting terrorism and corruption," Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the Yabloko party, told the gathering.

"We know that this is not about fighting terrorists and corruption but about the fight for press freedom."

Russians Protest for Press Freedom

The Associated Press

Saturday March 31 11:52 AM ET

Thousands of people gathered in a central Moscow square Saturday to voice support for freedom of the press in Russia, especially the embattled private NTV television.

Organizers and police said at least 20,000 people turned out for a combination rock concert and political rally to speak out in favor of press freedoms and to defend NTV, the only major Russian television station outside the control of the Kremlin.

Thousands Demonstrate in Moscow

The Associated Press

Saturday March 31 7:11 AM ET

Grigory Yavlinsky, head of the liberal Yabloko party, told the crowd: "We know why NTV is being destroyed."

He said without the free voice of NTV, the government can say what it wants, "so that they can tell us how they fight terrorism, so that they can lie about how they fight corruption."

Director and administrator: Vyacheslav Erohin e-mail: admin@yabloko.ru

Yabloko e-mail: english@yabloko.ru