November 13, 2007 By Grigory Pasko

Grigory Pasko: Groveling Even Higher

put1113.jpgGroveling ever higher (if such a thing is possible) By Grigory Pasko, journalist Mikhalkov-Tsereteli’s letter has already been discussed by everyone and anyone with the least bit of desire to do so. They have assessed it almost unequivocally: it is a manifestation of groveling before the lord and master, who has appeared to them in Putin. It would seem that after such a letter you could hardly expect yet another, even more impressive kowtow before Putin. Well, to all those who thought so, I must tell you you were wrong. It turns out – you can. It turns out that in the nearest future, a civic movement «For Putin» is going to be formed in Russia (and perhaps even beyond its boundaries, since – as the Russian press assures us – over there, on the other side, Putin’s popularity rating is also soaring off the scale). The founding congress of this movement is set to take place in Tver Oblast [just north of Moscow Oblast on the road to St. Petersburg—Trans.] on 15 November. Gathering there will be representatives of initiative groups from all the regions. It is known that one of the organizers of the movement is a former officer of the KGB (or the FSB, it’s all the same thing), and currently a lawyer, Pavel Astakhov. Astakhov’s claim to fame is that he participated in the “spy” trial of the American Edmond Pope and the Russian scientist Anatoly Babkin and served as counsel to colonel Budanov, who had murdered the Chechen girl Elsa Kungayeva.