Russian media braced for a crackdown

The mood in Moscow is turning grim as the presidential elections approach. Recent mass protests against Vladimir Putin were spontaneous, relaxed, sometimes even cheerful. But now the apprehension is growing. Will there be a government crackdown on the media after the elections? It’s a real possibility, according to Derk Sauer, Dutch chairman of The Moscow Times.
The last big protest calling for fair elections took place last weekend. Tens of thousands of Muscovites formed a living circle around the city centre, symbolically encircling the hub of power. One of the driving forces behind the protest warned it was “perhaps the last time we’ll be together like this”.
Tough language
The Kremlin’s tone has hardened. Putin’s opponents are being portrayed as marionettes of the West, bent on unleashing a ‘revolution’ in Russia. And Putin himself is using tough language – certain as he is to be elected for the third time as Russian president. The opposition is planning fresh protests after the election, but for the first time is bracing itself for severe provocations and a harsh police crackdown.
The change of mood is also apparent in the media. At radio Ekho Moskvy – for many years a bastion of free speech in Russia – the authorities have muscled in on the board of directors to gain more control over the station. One of the owners of another figurehead of the Russian free press, the daily Novaya Gazeta, has been raided by the police. And the independent television channel Dozjd (Rain), which also attracts many internet viewers and provides a platform for members of the opposition, is facing calls for an investigation into its finances from Putin’s party United Russia.
Putin propaganda
It is now traditional for the big TV channels to be used as propaganda tools, hurling one baseless accusation after another at the opposition. And the most recent protests went virtually unreported. Only the pro-Putin demonstrations were shown, says Dutch businessman Derk Sauer, founder and chairman of English-language newspaper The Moscow Times.
The situation has worsened markedly since December, when even the state TV channels broadcast unprecedentedly objective reports about the mass protests. “In December, when the first demonstrations were held, the authorities were in confusion and journalists made use of this very cautiously to start reporting more objectively,” says Mr Sauer.
“At the time, the authorities didn’t know how to react. There was panic at the Kremlin for a week or two. We know as much from Russian journalists. But now everything has been streamlined again.”
Day of reckoning
As a consequence, the media are seriously concerned about what is likely to happen to them after the elections. The big discussion among the editors of all the newspapers is whether they should expect a serious post-election crackdown, Mr Sauer says.
“Because of course a lot of people stuck their necks out in the euphoria of the first big demonstrations. Papers like Kommersant were highly critical, for example, as were journalists at the TV stations. They now wonder whether a day of reckoning is on the way. And it’s a possibility I absolutely wouldn’t exclude.”
His own newspaper has no such concerns. The Moscow Times has been chiefly serving Moscow’s expat community for the past 20 years, and its reach is therefore relatively small. “Traditionally they leave us in peace,” says Mr Sauer. “They know where we stand. We’re a sort of odd man out, too small to have any real influence. We only influence the people who already know.”
(mb/ae)