VZCZCXRO0790
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHMO #3995/01 2271043
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151043Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2934
INFO RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 2346
RUEHYG/AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG 2645
RUEHLN/AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 4394

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MOSCOW 003995 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF SOCI RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIA: POLITICS IN VORONEZH MIRRORS NATIONAL SITUATION 
 
MOSCOW 00003995  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) During an August 6-8 visit to Voronezh oblast, we found a 
political situation very similar to the national condition.  The 
United Russia and For a Just Russia parties dominate the political 
scene, opposition forces are ardent but weak, the Russian Orthodox 
Church plays an influential role, the NGO community is closed out of 
public spaces, and local officials claim that there are no human 
rights problems, despite several reports to the contrary.  The 
upcoming State Duma elections promise continued United Russia 
dominance, while support for the once regionally powerful Communist 
Party will continue to erode.  End Summary. 
 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶2. (U) Located to the south of Moscow in a region that is known for 
its rich soil, Voronezh is a city of one million people in a region 
of 2.5 million. Although the city appears to have a vibrant economy 
with a bustling downtown business district, the region has had 
difficulty recovering from the changes that took place during the 
1990s that resulted in the loss of its defense industry. In the 
1990s, Voronezh was part of the so-called Red Belt due to its 
consistent support of the Communist party. 
 
 
United Russia Dominates the Political Scene 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The political scene in Voronezh is dominated by United 
Russia.  Governor Vladimir Kulakov, a member of United Russia and 
Federal Security Service (FSB) veteran, was first elected in 
December 2000. He was re-elected to a five-year term in 2004. He is 
one of Russia's few remaining elected regional leaders.  United 
Russia is the largest faction in the regional Duma, holding 40 of 55 
seats.  The other parties holding seats in the Duma are For a Just 
Russia, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), a block from 
the party formerly known as Rodina, and the Communist Party of the 
Russian Federation (KPRF). 
 
¶4. (U) The For a Just Russia party is also popular in the region. 
We saw prominent local coverage of a recent visit to the region by 
party leader and Federation Council Chairman Sergey Mironov on the 
front pages of local newspapers a week after his visit.  Mironov's 
portrait also appears on many billboards throughout the city. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In a meeting between embassy officials and nine Duma 
members on August 7, Nikolay Gaponenko, the For a Just Russia 
faction leader described his party as being in competition with 
United Russia, and he promised a spirited campaign in the upcoming 
elections that would focus on their social program platform.  United 
Russia Duma Deputy Aleksandr Ponomarev, toed a more ecumenical line 
and noted that United Russia, Just Russia, Great Russia are all part 
of a political project created under instructions from the Kremlin 
that acts in support of the Kremlin.  Curiously, even though the 
KPRF has historically been a potent political force in this section 
of the "Red Belt," the deputies we met with neglected to mention the 
KPRF's participation in the Duma and KPRF members were not at the 
meeting. 
 
¶6. (SBU) A more interesting political dynamic exists at the 
municipal level. We heard universal dissatisfaction with the current 
mayor Boris Skrynnikov, of the For a Just Russia party. As a member 
of the local union of journalists told us, "people are counting the 
days until he leaves office." He is not viewed as a professional 
mayor nor has he put a competent team in place. As a result, city 
services such as roads, water and electricity have been neglected. 
In addition, the city and regional administration are at odds over 
use of tax money that is returned from the federal budget. Both 
sides see the amount as inadequate to cover expenses and they 
disagree as to how to divide resources. A number of candidates are 
expected to run for mayor in the next election either later this 
year or early next year.  The timing will be determined by the City 
Duma. 
 
Opposition is Ardent but Weak 
----------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Opposition parties and groups in Voronezh remain dedicated 
and active even though they have slim to no chance of electoral 
success. Sergey Naumov, the leader of Yabloko, told us that he 
expects United Russia and Just Russia to prevail in the December 
elections.  He said democratic parties are too weak to overcome the 
seven percent election barrier.  Despite this, his party has big 
ambitions.  He says it will field candidates in the December 
election and work hard to get out the vote.  Members of the 
democratic opposition noted to us that they did not consider Naumov 
 
MOSCOW 00003995  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
to be part of the opposition community given his strong political 
ties to Governor Kulakov. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Other Russia has been active in the area, and staged a 
March of the Dissenters in May which brought out 100 participants 
and 3,000 police.  In a meeting with members of their local 
coalition that included representatives of the Union of Right Forces 
(SPS), National Bolshevik Party, Russian People's Democratic Union 
and some NGOs, they told us they are subject to harassment which 
they attribute to the high number of elected or appointed officials 
in the region who were formerly with the FSB.  This harassment 
includes phone tapping, unauthorized entry into houses, and 
detainment.  Konstantin Makarov of the National Bolshevik Party said 
he has been harassed, detained, his parents have been questioned, 
and he has been warned that he could be charged with "social hatred" 
for continuing his political activities. 
 
¶9. (SBU) While Other Russia has fractured at the national level, in 
Voronezh the coalition is united.  They told us that "Our success in 
Voronezh is that we have demonstrated that all democratic forces can 
work together as a united movement."  Other members of the coalition 
in Voronezh include the Defense Youth Organization, Union of 
Soldiers' Mothers, and Democratic Russia Movement.  On August 11, 
they held a regional primary to determine Other Russia's 
presidential candidate. Former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, 
leader of the Russian People's Democratic Union won overwhelmingly 
with 70 percent of the vote despite having withdrawn from the Other 
Russia coalition in July. 
 
Russian Orthodox Church Plays Influential Role 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Russian Orthodox Church is a powerful force in this 
very Orthodox region. As representatives of the Pentecostal church 
told us, relations between the ROC and other religions appear 
friendly, but below the surface minority religions have had 
problems.  For example, other religions have had trouble acquiring 
land to build churches or mosques as gathering places.  For several 
years, the Pentecostal church has fought in court over a piece of 
land they bought at auction five years ago.  In this case, the city 
has used the legal system to prevent the church from gaining the 
land despite the fact that some courts have ruled in favor of the 
church.  The Muslim community has unsuccessfully attempted to get 
permission to build a mosque for 5-7 years.  These groups point out 
that the ROC has not had any trouble acquiring property or getting 
permission to build.  The ROC acquired a public park in the center 
of the city to build a church.  The church remains under 
construction and the space is completely cut off to the general 
public. 
 
¶11. (SBU) As in other parts of the country, a course on the 
fundamentals of Orthodox Christianity will be taught in Voronezh 
schools this year.  Archimandrite Andrey defended this class telling 
us that it is necessary in order to "fight for our national 
interests."  He described it as an "absurd situation" that other 
faiths that are not traditional to Russia are able to have religious 
schools, yet the ROC cannot offer a course on culture in Russian 
schools.  Pentecostal Bishop Boris Sinebabnov said the course has 
been billed as voluntary but that parents must actively seek to have 
their children removed. He said he will not let his children attend 
this class. 
 
Limiting Space for NGOs 
----------------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Representatives of NGOs in Voronezh complained that they 
were often denied space to conduct activities such as meetings, 
seminars, or press conferences.  Andrey Yurov, of Youth Human Rights 
Movement told us there is little infrastructure available, and what 
exists is often denied to them by the owners, both public and 
private.  This severely limits their ability to gather a large 
number of people and sustain their activities.  In addition, Yurov 
complained that the paperwork required by the 2006 NGO law requires 
even small NGOs to devote one or two staff members to accounting and 
report filing functions. 
 
The Human Rights Picture 
------------------------ 
 
¶13. (SBU) Alyona Obyezdchikova, Program Coordinator of the 
Inter-Regional Group for Human Rights told us that NGOs in Voronezh 
are focused on two issues: racially-motivated crimes, and the spotty 
implementation and enforcement of court decisions.  In recent years, 
Voronezh developed a reputation for xenophobia as a result of 
numerous attacks on foreign students, including the murder of a 
Peruvian student in 2005.  While there have been more recent violent 
attacks, the authorities have attributed them to hooliganism.  Human 
rights groups have attempted to work with law enforcement to get 
 
MOSCOW 00003995  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
them to respond to these crimes more quickly and to recognize them 
as racially motivated.  Some say the situation has improved although 
Andrey Yurov, of the Youth Human Rights Movement, noted that foreign 
students largely choose to stay in their dorms. 
 
¶14. (SBU) The government is not acting to improve the situation. 
Yelena Gudkova of the Oblast Administration's Human Rights 
Commission told us there are no human rights problems in Voronezh. 
Yurov criticized the government and said that an enlightenment 
campaign for the people is needed, but that so far the government 
has only done things for show.  The deputy editor of the local 
bureau of Novaya Gazeta, acknowledged that some problems existed, 
but that in general the situation has been exaggerated. 
RUSSELL