People in Moscow and other cities went outside for street rallies. According to the organizers, it was to oppose corruption. The sight differed from city to city. In 24 of them the event was concerted and everything went on to be civil. In some cities, like Moscow and St. Petersburg, organizers refused to use alternative grounds and deliberately took people to the routes, not concerted with the authorities. Obviously, the police were doing their jobs. And, notably, they were delicate. At least definitely more delicate than how it's usually done in the US or the EU.

This is important, by the way. The authorities deserve a "thank you" in this case. But, returning to the central subject of corruption, never in the history of the world was it stopped with protests. Take Ukraine, for instance, and all its anti-corruption protests. During Kuchma times... Kuchma — I wish you lived off my pension! All to the street! ...during Yushchenko and Timoshenko times... ...to express our protest! ...during Yanukovych times... People are Sick of Thieves! ...and during Poroshenko times. The raging of unauthorized meetings brought this country to coup d'etat and a civil war. They still steal in Ukraine, more than ever. And the revolutionaries are now on the Forbes list. 2: Igor Kolomoysky 6: Pyotr Poroshenko There is no express method to get rid of corruption once and for all. This problem is solved via the society's moral evolution combined with a serial line of law enforcement. If the society has genuinely, it's possible to discuss the criteria of the ethically allowed. For instance, you can't enforce some laws, while breaking others.





Basically, Navalny makes people do this by lying to them and passing his dishonesty for honesty. He speculates on a sensitive issue for the people, putting them in illegal situations, opposed by the police. But if for him it's just life and business, for regular people a trip in a Z-car and a bump-in with the law is clearly not the most pleasant episode in life. Even worse, people who have no intentions to bump into others could be in some very dangerous situations. There's always someone crazy in the crowds, someone who will pick a fight with the police. In USA, they'd probably get shot. But not in Russia. While the police is arresting the guy, anything can happen. Someone turns around too fast, someone trips, someone gets misunderstood and just like this, word by word, the risk of fatalities increases instantly. But someone wanted this, thinking the worse the better. This has happened before in Russia and around the world, it's painfully familiar. Thank God it didn't get that far on Sunday. It's no less of a miracle.

Either way, the essence of these events was well described by Putin, who was in Arkhangelsk on Thursday. I personally think that all the corruption issues must always be the center of social attention. I'm always very positive towards the attention people pay to these issues. The only time I think it's wrong is when somebody, some political forces try to use this instrument in their own selfish ways, not to improve the political situation in the country, but to gain something for themselves on the political arena. For example on the threshold of some political event in the country, like the presidential election.

The police will handle unauthorised protests just as it must. Preserving order in the government as a condition of general development is an important priority. That's why Putin reminded of the sad political experience in those countries, where the police ignored unauthorized actions. Nothing good came out of it. Everything resulted in a big bloody mess. We all know this, and I want to pay extra attention to this, that this tool was used in the beginning of the Arab Spring. We're all very well aware of the bloody consequences of these actions in the region. We also know this was one of the motives and incentives to a turnover in Ukraine. We're also very well aware of the chaos it put our neighbor, Ukraine in. So "yes" to fighting corruption, "no" to using this tool to achieve mercenary political goals. Everyone must act in accordance to the law during the political process.

Anyone who violates the law must be prosecuted in accordance with the Russian law. When it comes to the fight against corruption, it's taking place in the country. And it's quite successful. Nobody's out of reach — from the Minister of the Federal Government to the Governor and the mayors. A list of active criminal cases is impressive. Putin treats the issue without compromise and always gives sincere answers to any questions. Sincerity is a very important category for Russia. That's what makes us strong. When sincerity started leaving the USSR and started to be replaced by hypocrisy, no missiles could help, the government fell apart. Again, sincerity assumes the right to demand from each other to follow the moral guidelines, as stated by law. I don't believe the sincerity of the corrupt official and, at the same time, a fighter against corruption Navalny.

As soon as he was one foot in with the authorities by becoming the advisor to the Kirov Oblast Governor Belykh, he immediately became a part of the corruption scheme. Using his position as an advisor of the Head of the Region, or an administrative resource, so to speak, he used criminal ways to make the CEO of the government-operated "Kirovles" to sell him the wood at a price, lower than the market price. He later sold it with a nice margin for himself. His lawyers called this simple plan "commercial intermediation". It's also more famous as rent-seeking behavior. "Kirovles" CEO is now in prison for a long time. Navalny is on probation. Later, the corruption fighter and his brother were involved in another criminal activity. The Yves-Rocher corruption story. Another probation and a second record on his rap-sheet.

Again, an active civil position is good, but violating the law is bad. The law allows to voice one's position and the Kremlin hears it. It also hears the EU's appeal to immediately free anyone involved in the protests on March 26th. These appeals are taking place in light of the Paris police's violent handling of demonstrators When one of the civilians got killed in his own home. He was French of Chinese descent. That's why appeals and addresses of such nature to Russia we consider to be purely political to put pressure on the political life within the country. This approach won't fly with Putin. And thank God. When speaking of police reprisals in Paris, Putin meant the following scenes from the life of the French gendarmerie. This is Paris last week.

By the way, the French television doesn't show this too much. It's just the routine of democracy. Just like American television didn't really show the Occupy Wall Street movement. They ignored it to the point where nobody in America could name even one leader from this movement. At least when I asked the head of the National Press Club of America to name anybody from Occupy Wall Street, he couldn't. We also decided not to show the actions from the 26th. Just like our western colleagues would do. We're talking about it now, because in a week this issue grew, or rather it was blown out to a fault. There are so many tales being told, that it's important to go back to the event.