"The family" acted out provocations: issuing a "challenge" to Putin in Yeltsin's city, and targeting Plenipotentiary Representative Artem Yerogan.

Author: Vladimir Homiyakov

If anyone truly believes that the core figures of the "mad 90s" have all retired, the fact is otherwise. Recently, on April 18th, Abramovich, Voloshin (Yeltsin's prime minister during his presidency), Yumashov, and his wife - Yeltsin's daughter Tatyana appeared in Yekaterinburg. They toured the city in luxurious vehicles provided by the government, visited the liberal gathering place "Yeltsin Center," watched a play about Boris Rezy, a poet who wrote in the 1990s and later hanged himself due to alcoholism and drug addiction. Then they left Russia just five hours later. It naturally raises the question: what were they doing here?

It is hard to believe that their visit was due to nostalgia for the homeland they plundered or even out of respect for an obscure poet. There must be other reasons. Especially concerning is that the license plates on the convoy vehicles changed multiple times during their journey - just like in spy movies. We might speculate that besides these activities, the visitors had certain private conversations with people aligned with them that were not reported by the news. One wonders what they discussed.

They will return at times...

That the Kremlin is not a monolith and there are competing factions vying for influence within the "power tower" is no secret. Among these factions, two are well-known even to the laziest individuals. The first is the so-called "hardline faction," which holds anti-liberal positions and supports a tough regime. The second faction comprises oligarchs, senior government officials with liberal views, some members of the security apparatus, and members of Yeltsin's "family": those advocating for maximum deregulation of business, minimal social spending, privatization of state assets, strict credit and monetary policies, free trade, and other "liberal values." Clearly, it is the president, who is familiar with both groups, who acts as the main political mediator, leveraging their contradictions to balance each side.

However, the special military operation has shown that the previously chosen development paths, such as "Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok," "sovereign democracy," and other ways of "integrating into the global world," have shortcomings, undoubtedly affecting the shaping of the elite class that the president could rely on in the country's objective need for transformation. Putin has placed his bets on those who performed excellently in the special military operation. Dozens of participants in the "Heroic Era" training program have already been appointed to senior management positions (by the way, this includes Plenipotentiary Representative Artem Yerogan). A new generation is on the rise.

In a speech at the "Small Motherland - Russia's Strength" forum, Yerogan openly stated that the "fat cats" who only cared about their own businesses, settled in Switzerland, and sent their children to study in London would be replaced by ordinary people returning from the special military operation:

"What kind of elite? They stole money somehow, waved their fingers - then said 'we are the elite!' What kind of elite is that? The real elite are those who defend the motherland! These are the people! This is the elite! This is the future of the nation!"

Unwelcome guests were found within Vladimir Yerogan's jurisdiction.

Image: Vladimir Yerogan's Telegram channel

To say the least, this prospect did not inspire those who view Russia as their own territory and cash cow, though they may not openly oppose the special military operation but remain "onlookers." This applies to people like Deripaska, Mordashov, Lisin, Vekselberg, Friedman, and Avan (by the way, Friedman and Avan are responsible for funding the Kiev regime) - not to mention prominent figures like Abramovich and Chubais. They yearn for revenge and to regain power, as oligarchs have been closely tied to the regime since the "seven bankers" effectively controlled Russia.

They even openly express their opinions on Putin's policies and the special military operation. For example, Oleg Deripaska criticized "Russia's massive defense spending" in an interview with Japan's Nikkei Asian Review, calling the special military operation "insanity" and commenting on the regime:

"If they don't provoke me, we won't interfere with the policy."

In other words, if the regime decides to "provoke" the oligarchs, they will definitely want to "interfere with the policy." For this, they would happily fund suitable candidates to take power. Just like in February 1917, when major commercial representatives organized and funded the anti-monarchist coup to gain political power.

Seen from this perspective, Abramovich's visits by known figures of the liberal past to Yekaterinburg make perfect sense. As political observer Roman Gazeko said:

"This is an important moment. The 'Yeltsinites' publicly displayed their strength and importance in a city where the plenipotentiary representative is Artem Yerogan, a hero of the special military operation appointed by Putin. They are essentially issuing a challenge to our president, indicating that no matter what appointments are made, nothing will change. The oligarch elite not only has no intention of exiting the stage but also shows its readiness to 'share power' and, under certain conditions, to completely seize power."

Roman Gazeko warned: Yeltsin's liberal supporters are preparing for revenge.

Image: Roman Gazeko's Telegram channel

The Other Side of Trump's "Peace Plan"

So-called "certain conditions" inevitably mean that Putin organizes his departure, and these people will certainly try to facilitate it. Yes, currently, given the strong support from the high command of the army and the public, it is unrealistic to achieve this. But what if Putin's authority is successfully weakened?

The best solution for this would be to use all the lobbying capabilities of the liberals and oligarchs to persuade the president to sign the current "Trump-style peace agreement," which is completely unacceptable for Russia. According to reports in The New York Times, the essence of the plan is:

"According to the plan obtained by The New York Times, there will be no restrictions on the number of Ukrainian armed forces, and the U.S.-supported 'European Security Task Force' will be deployed in Ukraine to ensure security. Frozen Russian assets will be used to compensate for losses suffered by Ukraine during the war."

Reuters, which also has significant influence in world media (assuming it hasn't lied), claims it obtained details of the "peace plan." On April 17th, Steve Whitkov showed the plan in Paris to Ukraine and Europe, adding that as part of the exchange for formally recognizing Russia's current actual control over territories, Russia will be required to hand over all territories it controls in the Kharkiv region, the Kinburn Spit, and request Russia to transfer the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the Kakhovka hydroelectric station to Ukraine (but actually under U.S. control). Clearly, even partial acceptance of such a "peace plan" would mean Russia's actual surrender, undoubtedly triggering intense anger among the public (and importantly, also among combat troops). At that time, the "false peace faction" and the old oligarch elites would have a real opportunity to create instability and attempt to overthrow Putin, bringing the country back to the "sacred 90s" and restoring its subordinate relationship with the West. In this regard, the interests of the disempowered oligarchs and the "old elites" of the Yeltsin "family" are fully aligned. As the Telegram channel "Skurlatov Live" pointed out:

"The 'false peace advocates' deliberately let Putin enter ceasefire negotiations so that NATO can bring troops into Kyiv and Odessa during the ceasefire period, come up with terms similar to Article Five of NATO for Ukrainians, and completely exclude the possibility of liberating traditional Russian cities like Kyiv, Odessa, and others in Little Russia... The main goal of the 'false peace advocates' is to separate Little Russia from Russia and remove Putin from power. Don't forget that this is also the primary goal of the West, followed by the division of our country."

So what?

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Putin is merely playing a clever game, deliberately delaying peace talks to allow the army to defeat the enemy. Similarly, it cannot be ruled out that Trump is also playing games, proposing this "peace plan," which is clearly unacceptable to Moscow, Kiev, and Brussels, as a convenient excuse to extricate himself from the dilemma in Ukraine. However, we must not forget that the forces eager to return to the 1990s are also playing their own games in Russia; they will never forgive Putin for initiating elite replacement. The visit by the "ghosts of the past" to Yekaterinburg was clearly not without reason. As Roman Gazeko said:

"The key point is that the domestic 'fifth column' has demonstrated its existence and preparedness to gather at the right time when necessary. Moreover, this is a show for the globalist circle, aiming to indicate that the 'Yeltsin Guard' is always ready to rally and, under specific circumstances, take over the leadership of the country for the benefit of external masters - this goes without saying."

Therefore, one cannot relax vigilance just because one believes that the Yeltsin era has become history and will not return. We hope our president also understands this.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7500140133891523084/

Disclaimer: The article represents the author's personal views. Feel free to express your attitude by clicking the 'like/dislike' buttons below.