Author: Ilona Bērziņa/Opinion piece
The focus of the Northern Europe Regional Security and Foreign Policy Forum “Riga Conference 2024”, which will be taking place in Riga between the 17th and 19th of October , this year, is the future of European security, which also includes the issue of the ability of the Russian opposition to influence public opinion. One of the leaders of the Russian opposition Mikhail Khodorkovsky was scheduled to make an appearance. However, he withdrew his participation at the least minute. Why?
The stability of Europe’s security is closely linked to the end of Ukraine’s current defence against a full-fledged invasion by Russia, so issues related to Russia will be discussed in a wide range of ways. Including the “Night Owl Session”,
which will be held in accordance with the Chatham House Rule, and so what is spoken in it will not be made public,
will discuss whether and why the reaction of the Russian society to the war in Ukraine is emotionally insensitive. The current state and possible future of Russian society will be discussed, taking into account the country’s political, economic and social trajectories, international isolation and the ongoing war in Ukraine as a vivid expression of imperialistic ambitions, as well as what the Russian political opposition should do to engage the Russian public.
Most likely, London-based Kremlin opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky was scheduled for this panel discussion, but at the last minute he withdrew his participation in the “Riga Conference”.
Perhaps this was due to the so-called Nevzlingate scandal, which echoed loudly throughout Europe.
Organisers: Personalities were interested and discussions – valuable
Even before the announcement that Khodorkovsky would skip the conference, Secretary General of Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO) Sigita Struberga, answering the question from BNN as to whether or not during the composition of list of speakers to attend Riga Conference organisers had taken into account the scandal involving M. Khodorkovsky’s partner Leonid Nevzlin and the attack on Leonid Volkov, one of the heads of the Alexei Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation (KAF), said: “We are trying to cooperate with all parties representing their free part of [Russia]. We called on all parties involved, indistinguishable by scandals, this is not our task”. She also emphasizes that the conference organizers have tried their best to attract Russian scientists “who have tried to stay free and get away from Russia.” Sigita Struberga adds that M. Khodorkovsky may be the loudest, but not the most interesting person invited. She mentioned Gulnaz Sharafutdinov, director of the Russian Institute of the Royal College of London; Ilya Kiria, researcher at Grenoble Alpes University, as well as artist, writer and publicist Katerina Margolis. “In the Russian panel, we will also have Dirk Schuebel, who represents the European External Action Service and works specifically on Russian issues. Those personalities who will talk about Russia are very interesting and the conversations will be valuable.”
Russian opposition – more and more fractured
The fact that Khodorkovsky will not be making an appearance at the conference became known shortly before the start. When asked about the possible reasons, S.Struberga said: “I don’t know why, but I assume he decided to cancel his attendance on his own”. She did say that it is normal for large-scale events like Riga Conference for multiple participants to “fall out”. “Today (16th of October) I received information that the Romanian minister of defence will not be making an appearance. One participant from Washington cannot make it due to health problems,” said LATO secretary general. Is it possible Khodorkovsky decided to skip such a major and influential event because of Nevzlingate scandal? There is no clear answer, but it is entirely possible. Mainly because the influence from the scandal has made the already poor relations between the two wings of the Russian opposition catastrophic.
After an investigation by the KAF and a documentary in which Khodorkovsky’s associate, former Russian oligarch Leonid Nevzlin, is accused of ordering a series of attacks against the heads of the organization, he drew an even bigger line between the two Russian opposition camps. As Ekaterina Kotrikadze wrote in a blog on Russia at the Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Research Centre: “Russia’s independent political and media community is facing the most serious crisis since Moscow launched a major invasion of Ukraine two and a half years ago. One opposition faction accuses the other of organising attacks.” The Guardian wrote at the beginning of October: “The accusations have provoked shock and struggle among members of the Russian opposition in exile, as people are aware of the consequences of these discoveries, if they are true.”
Nevzlingate threatens spreading further
The correspondence between Nevzlin and former Russian lawyer Anatolijs Bļinovs published by KAF is proof that Leonids Nevzlin may have been the one to order the attack on three exiled Russian opposition representatives – KAF manager Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov, as well as Russian opposition economist Maksim Mironov’s wife Aleksandra Petrachkova. Attacks took place in Lithuania, Switzerland and Argentina. In turn, Anatoly Blinov, who is believed to have been the one who hired attackers in Poland to attack Volkov, traveled around Europe with a fake Latvian non-citizen passport. The police have initiated criminal proceedings for this. On the other hand, according to Hristo Grozev, the leading Russian journalist at Bellingcat, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation is also involved in the investigation in Nevzlingate. In addition, Hristo Grozev has publicly stated that the scandal threatens to spread: “There is evidence of corruption in many European countries, including Central Europe and Latvia. There is evidence of corruption in the media when, according to correspondence data, the group agreed with media owners to publish false and discrediting information.”
“To explain to the audience who Nevzlin is, Maria Pevchikh, the current head of KAF, also mentioned Mikhail Khodorkovsky – the now politician in exile and former billionaire who was in charge of major oil company Yukos, which he acquired in the 90s using dubious dealings with the Kremlin. Khodorkovsky and Nevzlin were close partners since the 80s, even though Khodorkovsky’s involvement in this specific incident is unconfirmed.
So why mention him? “Nevzlin doesn’t exist without Khodorkovsky,” Pevchikh said, answering the question from Dozhd TV,” writes T.Kotrikadze.
Nevzlin and Khodorkovsky both deny the accusations from KAF.
However, the main problem is the aforementioned split in the Russian opposition and the Nevzlingate scandal, whatever its outcome, are compromised by both sides for the time being. Therefore, it may be good that Mikhail Khodorkovsky never came to the Riga Conference. Because the topic announced in the conference panel “The Future of Russian Society: Revival or Collapse?” – whether Russian society is passive only due to the repression of the regime or whether there are other factors – is more relevant than ever.