A View from The Duma (2022 Jan. 25th, 26th)

In less than five months, the war had been going on for three years. The general consensus was that it would end in a frozen conflict that was destined to last very long.

Benedict felt strange about it. He had left Maurice’s house almost three months ago after covering 14th to 20th January 2022 in the Russian State Duma in one single work day. They had drifted into the idea of reading transcripts of Ukraine’s Rada and Russia’s Duma alongside each other to turn off the videotape so to speak of the Western media which made it very hard to get a grasp on the state of affairs inside the two countries actually implicated in the war.

Even at that point before the outbreak of the war, they had to adapt to a very different reality than the one spoon served by the news. They had learned much more than they ever could from pundits and talk show hosts. Even serious journalism failed to depict the dynamics of the various groups.

Maurice and Benedict had both had their separate opinions when it came to justice and reasonability in the war. However, they had quickly realised how precious little that had meant. The problem is the simple fact that people in a room will take the necessary steps to protect themselves from perceived dangers if pressed. The biggest mistake, though, all had made was naively simplifying what constitutes dangers.

Even the thread of - not grand scale cultural extinction - but minuscule cultural reduction, can almost trigger a war. In a way this war demonstrates that you can kill a whole society by simply not talking to them in their own language. Ukraine as a political sovereign country can only be eradicated using hundreds of times the amount of explosives already deployed. But their real danger lies in being forced to abandon plans to join NATO. The amount of Russian speaking people is immense, and yet debates in the Duma on the very subject of promoting the Russian language - as in that or loose it - still prevails.

A society seems to suffer from the conviction that it exists by virtue of an extremely volatile cultural identity. Perhaps that was why the peasant class could exist unscathed for centuries in a country: It simply functioned through tradition, not identity. It just was, and only rose under very material conditions.

Such were Benedict’s lonely thoughts on the matter.

Benedict could see the importance of bypassing mainstream media, completely, but at this pace reality moved quicker than their summarising efforts.

He had returned home a bit earlier than usual, and not shown up the next day. Maurice was the shrugging kind. Probably he had just carried on on his own for some time

Two weeks later Benedict had stopped by him and said he was investigating some avenues to be able to survey the transcripts faster. It wasn’t a lie. He had stopped by all his few friends and asked for advice. The outcome was fruitless. He had gone to political meetings and evening lectures to no avail.

In the end, he had somewhat desperately put up an advertisement for someone to implement a computer tool for the job. The dry, matter-of-fact piece of paper had sat another two weeks on a board in a canteen for computer science students. No response.

In the end he removed it, went to a pub and dumped it in the litter box.

Another three week later an email lit up his lonely inbox. A strange one.

It looked fake, like a targeted scam. A photo of his crumbled advertisement printout in the bin was attached. The text simply read: “Here is a first draft. For your eyes only”, and then a link to a website.

He examined the url which pointed to an off-shore web service somewhere in the world. Probably just a relay with the actual server somewhere else.

Finally he mustered his courage and clicked the link.

A shadow copy of the Duma’s website appeared. Or rather, it didn’t try to imitate, it simply listed the convocations and sessions and meetings in an organised fashion.

He ventured to click on the next meeting, 25th January 2022. It was indeed the transcript, already translated. He noticed how it had been broken down into sections separated by the voting statistics which was a simple way to segment the many hours’ long transcript. Each segment could be folded to a thin line, and combined with some simple note-taking tools, it was enough to quickly establish an overview of a day.

No email or personal identification. He couldn’t ask for changes or anything else.

However, when he noted that he could click a button next to each paragraph and generate a summary, he realised he had struck gold.

Back to the shed… in autumn.

It was perceivably colder now, but Benedict felt this was too important to bury. After yet another week playing with the tool and taking it through the paces, he had worked through the next plenary session. The tools were still unfinished, but they sufficed.

He arrived, kicking the gravel as loud as possible to make a ruckus. Maurice stepped out after a little while.

“Are you here to apologise?”

“Well… yes. I didn’t mean to squander away precious time. What we were doing was important. I know. I want to continue.”

“It is late October! The summer is gone now. You did squander away many wonderful days. Was it worth it?”

Benedict looked serious, a lot more than usual.

“It just might have been.”

He let his friend in on the events, and Maurice just nodded all along. Unlike Benedict he didn’t have a flamboyant nature. He preferred factuality and clear lines. He was hard to impress.

“Well, it’s a start. You use your computer for that. I don’t want my computer anywhere near that unknown software.”

It was a deal.

“Okay, well, on to the next day. How do you propose we proceed.”

“I suggest we focus on the war mostly or only.”

“Here take a blanket. The shed has been closed down for the cold seasons. Let me get the key.”

To his delight Maurice had left most things where he last saw them in the summer. Maurice invested the necessary struggles with cords and whatnot, and even the coffee machine was soon prepared for work.

“Let me do the summarising, I have prepared 25 and 26. Just lean back this time.”

“Show me the miracle. I doubt it has been worth the waiting. Some whackadoo out there who exploits your simplemindedness.”

“I am aware of the risk, Maurice. I have taken safety measures.”

25.01.2022

http://transcript.duma.gov.ru/node/5780/

“There is only one major theme on the agenda: Local self government. I don’t think we should dwell too long on this issue, but note that the internal discussion is just as fraught with concerns about personal liberty as if it had taken place in a Western country.”

MIKHAIL NIKOLAEVICH MATVEEV (CPRF)

Obviously, one of the possible reasons for curtailing local government, replacing it with local state governance, for the authorities both then and now was the rather serious danger of local government opposition, because local government is the level of power closest to the people and is a natural resonator of popular discontent.

[…]

Now Zhirinovsky will speak and start throwing mud at the Soviet vertical of government and saying that under you, communists, there was also a vertical system of local government - the councils.

“And of course Zhirinovsky spouts verbal fire as always.”

I repeat to you once again, Russia has developed three slogans: “For the Faith!” - you destroyed Orthodoxy; “For the Tsar!” - you, the Bolsheviks, shot him; “For the Fatherland!” - you turned it into the Soviet state and then destroyed it.

“A lesser theme is military investment. It should not come as a surprise, given the general elevated level of concern for all. Putin - as well as most politicians - are adamant in demanding NATO folding back to earlier lines. This leads to a consensus to boost the ability of the industry to gain loans faster.”

Alexei Vladimirovich Moiseev (Deputy Minister of Finance)

A draft law aimed at providing the most preferential financing from banks for enterprises of the military-industrial complex in the execution of the state defense order is presented to your attention.

“That is interesting, Benedict. We always use the term Military Industrial Complex as a criticism. But we overlook the fact that inside our own political leadership there is a major reason to completely disregard this critique: The fact that our so-called enemy gladly wants to support the very same complex.”

“Exactly.”

ALEXANDER SPIRIDONOV (UNITED RUSSIA FACTION)

Colleagues, at a time when NATO continues to expand to the east and near our borders is turbulent, the role of the defense industry is growing very much,

Benedict folded up the sections for the 25th and looked at each note.

“Okay, Maurice, let’s move on to the next day I have prepared notes on. Lavrov is visiting.”

26.01.2022

http://transcript.duma.gov.ru/node/5775/

“There are two major themes that day: Lavrov’s visit and electronic voting. I urge you to notice how their concerns over electronic voting parallels those of the US. But I have no more to say on the matter.”

Benedict opened up the 2½ hour long segment with Lavrov taking questions. It contained many highlighted passages.

“I must say that seeing the meeting broken down into segments that are well prepared makes it a pleasure to navigate around. I can painfully remember manually reading through the entire transcript. It took ages. Does your friend take requests? I already have some wishes.”

“Dear Maurice, don’t forget our benefactor may even be an adversary.

Now, I won’t go through it linearly, but jump back and forth to try to assemble a clear perspective. Let’s start with the ultimatum”

SERGEY VIKTOROVICH LAVROV (MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS)

[…] last December we handed over to the Americans and NATO countries, and then published the draft treaty between Russia and the United States on security guarantees and the agreement on measures to ensure the security of Russia and NATO countries that we had prepared earlier on the instructions of the president.

“Again, we must at least be able to see the NATO issue from the their perspective:”

Promised - forgotten: “Oh, that didn’t happen, or that happened, but it was verbal.” - Okay, now let’s do it in writing. - “Let’s do it.” We don’t do it in writing. Why? - “But that’s a political commitment.” - Okay, let’s make it a political commitment at the level of presidents and prime ministers. - “Well, yes, but it’s still not legally binding.” Okay, 2009: let’s make everything that was declared politically legally binding. We scratched our heads, then they told us: “You know, legally binding security guarantees can only be provided to NATO members.”

“I think the primary consideration or myth that we must endeavour to relate to is whether Putin is a lying demagogue surrounded by a clique of henchmen prepared to lie at opportunity. It is a perception we always purport in our own media. So we need to be aware of it.”

“Hm.”

“I know what you think of this:”

It is enough to look at the increasingly provocative military maneuvers being conducted near our borders, the Kyiv regime being drawn into NATO’s orbit, the supply of lethal weapons to it, and its being pushed to carry out direct provocations against the Russian Federation. And against this background, of course, the demands addressed to us to stop conducting exercises on our own territory, to which we have every indisputable right […]

“I can speak for myself: You think that I think that HA!, that’s easy for Lavrov to say. Just point the finger back at the West as the real aggressor.”

“Well, aren’t you?”

“I am certainly aware of the possibility, yes. How do you propose we go about it, if we want to be a little bit more scientific?”

“It’s a good question. Demagoguery — is that when:

1. Someone deceptively changes the course of the discussion by highlighting one of two interpretations, after which everybody forgets the remaining possible understandings?
2. Or is it the fact that someone has the audacity to put words on everybody’s feelings? Lavrov isn’t met with anything but applauses. That makes him a good representative in government.”

“Sure, that would be one approach. The issue is lying about the coming war. So in essence we have two possibilities:

1. Lavrov informs the government that counter-pressure is being applied against the Western aggression, and where it ends is hard to say. They are already in a state of war with a country who is clearly pro-Western.
2. Lavrov is tasked with convincing the government about the necessity of the war which is about to unfold, but the real reason is Putin’s concern with being a warlord.”

Benedict nodded.

“Okay, let’s examine the state of affairs. They send a letter to Blinken. Blinken is expected to answer.”

[…] this week we will receive a written article-by-article response explaining the US position on our specific demands. Depending on the content of this response, which, I repeat, is expected this week, we will prepare proposals to the president on further steps together with our colleagues from other departments. We will not allow our projects to be bogged down in endless discussions, and such a line is clearly visible, especially in attempts to dump this entire topic in the OSCE

“Then he merely hints at the outcome if Blinken disappoints their hopes:”

If there is no constructive response and the West continues its aggressive course, then Moscow, as the president has repeatedly stated, will take the necessary retaliatory measures. In any case, everyone must proceed from the fact that the security of Russia and its citizens is an absolute priority, and it will be reliably ensured under all circumstances. (Applause.)

Maurice looked grave.

“It pretty much sounds like a declaration of war.”

“The problem is the open-ended-ness of the matter. Let me fast forward to when Zyuganov of the CPRF in his address to Lavrov speaks of the long-standing desire to recognise Donetsk and Luhansk breakaway regions. I also first saw that as a piece in the puzzle that leads to war. But look here:”

ZYUGANOV GENNADY ANDREEVICH (CPRF)

The golden dream of the Anglo-Saxons is to set Russians against each other on the borders of Russia and Ukraine. I believe that Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are one people, with the same victories, history, faith, and whoever suggests setting us against each other there is a criminal himself. We must do everything to avoid going down this path. The hysteria raised by the media must be stopped immediately, it has nothing to do with anything except an attempt to start a fight there. And when a war starts, it is extremely difficult to stop it.

[…]

We have made a proposal, I have spoken to you at least ten times, about recognizing the Donetsk and Lugansk republics. This does not provoke a war, it provokes the defense of our citizens […]

Maurice frowned. Benedict answered his doubts.

“I think he means it. We have many times seen the honesty in his empathy with the Donbas region. He doesn’t want war. He wants Minsk to be respected and the Russian peoples to stand united.”

“But he IS ready to take it to a war:”

[…] but Ukraine itself has fallen like a plucked chicken, under the heel of the CIA, Banderites, who have nothing in common with either Ukrainians or Russians. These people behave provocatively, impudently and aggressively, but we have never responded properly. We are obliged to do this, and we know how to do it - we have shown this everywhere, even in Syria: with minimal losses, we stopped such a wave of banditry and tyranny!

“That at least is armed conflict.”

“Yes. Which means we have arrived at the beginning of the play: The vain dream that Donbas could be solved through a small skirmish. A tiny Special Military Operation.”

“You could say that Russia made a trap for themselves in believing that Ukraine would be easy.”

“From where we are seeing things right now, yes. But imperialistic plans to conquer Europe? That is mad talk!”

Maurice was getting fiery about the project again.

“Many of the smaller parties are also interesting to listen to. Nikonov is both aware that NATO nuclear missiles in Ukraine can reach Russia fast but also that Cold War rhetoric is on the rise.”

NIKONOV VYACHESLAV ALEKSEEVICH (NEW PEOPLE)

This simple military mathematics - the approach time, how can we respond - does not leave any normal Russian government, nationally oriented, for which the Motherland is a priority, the opportunity to give in.

Unfortunately, the West is increasingly drawn into the methods, actions, rhetoric, and even the style of the Cold War, and, frankly speaking, we, Russia, are gradually being drawn into this rhetoric and style. I remember all these incantations from my youth in the late USSR. Of course, I remember how we, young people, did not like it then, and, frankly speaking, now, when we are again slowly starting to reproduce this rhetoric, it all looks like a relic of the past.

“Or how about Nikonov:”

Nikonov Vyacheslav Alekseevich (United Russia)

they say that they cannot take a step towards Russia without appeasing the aggressor, as was the case in the 1930s with regard to Hitler. We are the aggressors, and we are compared to Hitler. We are the aggressors? We have not lifted a finger yet.

[…]

It is clear that the aggressor and the forces of darkness must be opposed with an iron fist, albeit in a soft Lavrov glove, and a union of light - a union of free states, free from American dictate

Maurice was all fired up.

“You have convinced me. Let’s get back to the project. I can assure you, the shed will be a cold place to work this winter. But I want to do this.”

“Lavrov again. I think this passage is interesting too:”

The West really wants some kind of real provocation. And the goal of this slightly surreal behavior of the West: evacuation and at the same time take away the weapons, take away the ammunition, and threats to Russia that, supposedly, sanctions from hell (or whatever it is?), the mother of all sanctions, will soon be with us - well, for me it is obvious that all this is pursuing the goal of either making the Kiev regime break through to a military operation in Donbass, or in some other way finally burying the Minsk agreements, despite the incantations of Paris, Berlin, and Washington that this is the only way to resolve the conflict.

“Always the Minsk agreements. I too am starting to lean towards the notion that his was about Donbas for many people.”

A new approach

Maurice had by now completely taken over Benedict’s computer. There were so many illuminating passages that were easy to find and clearly highlighted that he didn’t bother to listen to Benedict anymore.

“I got to hand it to you. Whoever is helping you with this tool… it is quite remarkable. I wonder what interest the person has in doing it? We can do so much more if that unknown individual can keep it up.”

“The problem is that I have no idea how to communicate with whoever it is!”

“Of course you do.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“No? You just state your wishes on a piece of paper, fold it up and throw it in a certain litter bin in a certain pub. Easy peasy.”

/PARADOX