"1937 repeats itself"
Azerbaijan's friend falsely accused of "discrediting Russian Armed Forces"

ANALYTICS  02 June 2022 - 16:30

On June 14, hearings of the case under part 1 of article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (public actions aimed at discrediting the Russian Armed Forces) against famous Russian military expert, local historian Alexey Khlopotov will take place in Nizhny Tagil. According to Russian media reports, A. Khlopotov commented on one of his materials in his blog about armoured vehicles. 

"Back in the first half of March, before all these discrediting amendments came into effect, I posted a comment under one of my articles. It indicated my anti-war stance. A friend of mine took a screenshot of it, and snitched on it. In general, 1937 is back, our history repeats itself," said the military expert.

Taking into consideration the fact that Alexey Khlopotov is well known in Azerbaijan where the local media have often published interviews with him on military topics, including the course and consequences of the Second Karabakh War, as well as the fact that he is a friend of our country, Caliber.Az couldn't remain indifferent to his problems and contacted him to find out his position regarding the case launched against him.

"I have always been and remain a patriot of my homeland - Russia," Khlopotov said. - However, today, the concept of patriotism in our country is incredibly perverted. And not just "patriotism". All in all, life in modern Russia is like living in a "kingdom of crooked mirrors" or some kind of "looking-glass". We have a proper Constitution, but the problem is that there are certain issues with the implementation of its provisions. For example, the first paragraph of Article 29 reads as follows: "Everyone shall be guaranteed freedom of thought and speech," but in practice, we get fines for thoughts and speech, and soon, probably, we will even go to jail. For example, anti-war calls and slogans. What could be more unnatural to human nature than war? Remember, the totalitarian Soviet Union promoted anti-war sentiments in society. And today, in democratic Russia, it is considered good form to demand the destruction of a neighbour. Moreover, some have gone so far in their statements that they are ready to bring the whole world to the brink of nuclear catastrophe. 

Personally, I am disgusted by this. I think it is wrong and goes against the true interests of the country and the people. Therefore, I left a personal comment below one of my blog posts. At the same time, it should be noted that I no longer publish any serious opinion pieces and insides on the topic of Russian arms. I content myself with reposting official press releases and news. Why? Because in the current situation, it could easily lead to more serious accusations.

And then everything is simple: a certain citizen made a screenshot of this comment and sent it "where it should be sent". I know this person's name. I was tipped off about him. A protocol was drawn up under part 1 of article 20.3.3. "Discrediting the Russian Armed Forces...". This is an administrative offence. There is a fine for it. However, journalist friends in some very serious media immediately offered me their help and support. Beginning with informational coverage of the situation in their media, and ending with assistance with leaving the territory of the Russian Federation if necessary, and with settling down in a new place.

Another thing is that I'm not a fugitive and I'm not going to run away. I am Russian and I will share the fate of my country to the end. At the same time, I absolutely did not want any publicity. But thanks to the local media, which is hungry for "hot stories," this case made it onto the information agenda. I don't want to evaluate these actions, I don't think it's ethical - let it weigh heavy on the conscience of those who made the decision. The court session will take place on June 14. I will defend myself without the help of lawyers and attorneys. As I said above, the punishment is a fine of 30 to 50 thousand roubles. It hurts. But not catastrophic. I still hope for the judge's discretion, especially since in my commentary I never once mentioned the name of the state or the combination "Armed Forces of the Russian Federation" or "Army of Russia". And, by the way, for some reason there is no need for any statements by the "victim" or any expert linguistic or other expertise in relation to this article, moreover, "retroactive effect" is in effect - this is when the act, as in my case, committed even before the corresponding changes in the articles of the Contravention Code are made.

Although, on the other hand, I know that the courts have a policy of not making acquittals under this article - the verdicts are made almost automatically, without taking into account the arguments of the defendant's side. In addition, rumour has it that the punishment may soon be increased to administrative detention or correctional labour. It is possible that these "offences" will simply be subsumed under an article with heavier penalties. All in all, a campaign of total struggle against dissent is unfolding in Russia. The good news is that I am not alone. In my hometown, a young female artist was recently convicted under this article. For nothing more than standing in front of a former movie theatre, called "Mir" (Peace), with a white rose on which was tied a ribbon with an anti-war slogan. Now it costs 35 thousand roubles.

I'm happy to hear from the people who have been calling to express their support. Needless to say, even the police are expressing their respect for their principled position. I consider what happened a lesson or a kind of social experiment, important for a historian - I now understand very clearly how the mechanisms of repression work, how everything was organized, and how it all worked in the 1930s. History has taken such a bizarre turn with Russia. But its course cannot be stopped by anyone, I am sure that the wheel of history will soon turn again and everything will be fine. Yes, we have a lot of scumbags and stooges, but there are more honest, thinking people, people who are not dumbed down by propaganda - much more!  This inspires confidence in the well-being of tomorrow for both the people of Russia and Ukraine," Khlopotov said.

Caliber.Az