Punishers are punished
The Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs repressed their employees, who, according to their supervisors, exceeded their official powers during the rallies in July-August 2019 in Moscow. At the same time, everyone pretends that breaking the law is an initiative of ordinary employees, and not an order of the Russian Guard leaders. This is the fate of ordinary employees of punitive bodies: at first they meekly carry out the illegal orders of the authorities, and then, if something goes wrong, the leaders puts all the blame on them.
According to Viktor Bondarev, Head of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, some employees were disciplined, while others were fired.
On July 27 and August 3, uncoordinated rallies were held in the center of Moscow because of the prohibition of independent candidates for the election of deputies of the Moscow City Duma. About 2 thousand people were detained and several criminal cases were instituted. Read more about these events with a commentary by the Secretary of the Central Committee of the ROT FRONT Party Alexander Batov.
In recent years, Rosgvardiya has taken over as the main gendarme of the current government. The dispersal of «unauthorized» rallies, the protection of capitalists from angry workers, the demonstrative aggression towards strikers. Our comrades also experienced the arbitrariness of Rosgvardiya employees. In 2017, a criminal case was opened against Valery Bolshakov under parts 1 and 2 of Art. 280 and under Part 1 of Art. 282. Valery Bolshakov was eventually sentenced to 2.5 years probation.
Even the prosecutor’s office does not hide the rampant crime inside Rosgvardiya, reporting a growth of more than 250% in 2018. Moreover, the disclosure of crimes is reduced by more than 40%.
However, Rosgvardiya cannot be considered the bulwark of horror, where ruthless guards enjoy their impunity. Rosgvardiya, like any other structure, has its own “inner kitchen” with a certain hierarchy and injustice. So the repression against a number of low-level employees occurred only with the goal of hushing up the scandal, paying off from the noisy liberal opposition. The authorities decided to show the appearance of loyalty and justice. As a result, Rosgvardiya’s employees found themselves in the role of “consumables”, which can be used for any purposes and, if necessary, thrown away.
At the same time, the behaviour of Rosgvardiya employees during street protests cannot be called adequate. Without doubt, the dismissed got what they deserved. In the end, only the power remained the winner. First, they successfully suppressed the protest created with their own participation, and then got rid of the performers. They will always find a replacement for the dismissed.
There are simple employees in Rosgvardiya and other law enforcement agencies. They, like the rest of hired workers, are faced with the arbitrariness of their superiors, which forces them to fulfill a political order instead of fighting crime. Therefore, it’s incorrect to say that each employee deserves punishment. Communists need to work with employees of Rosgvardiya and other law enforcement agencies — so that, in the end, the power fist of the bourgeoisie would side with the working people.