Skobov biography

Here we publish only the main news and the most interesting texts. The channel is available for non -Russian numbers. Skobov is also a dissident with a serious track record: twice the court recognized him as insane and sent him to a psychiatric hospital. The first time Skobov was arrested when he was a student. He entered the Leningrad Left circle: under Brezhnev, underground youth circles began to arise, which independently studied left -wing ideas and even invented their own, which was unacceptable from the point of view of the Soviet regime.

In the year, Skobov turned out to be the accused in a criminal case-for the spread of the “prospects” samizda magazine. Comrades and acquaintances - that’s all our distribution, ”said Skobov about the magazine later, at the end of x. They were judged under the article "Anti -Soviet agitation." Punitive psychiatry was used to Skobov twice. For the first time, he spent two years in the hospital, but after discharge, he immediately began to make the trade union independent of power - see.

And he got to the hospital again. Subscribe to our Imail mailing, and every evening from Monday to Friday you will receive the most basic news per day, as well as the context that will help you understand what is happening. Skobov and Volokhonsky Sr. were friends and together engaged in independent-and, of course, illegal-trade union. When Vladimir was three years old, his father was tried for anti -Soviet agitation.

For this he was arrested again. This time he spent five years in a psychiatric hospital and left only in a year.

And in the year, Skobov once again turned out to be a defendant in the case of anti -Soviet agitation - for participating in the creation of the Democratic Union party. But it did not reach the verdict: the case was closed in the year, when perestroika was already in full swing. Its leader was Valeria Novodvorskaya. Like her, Skobov has been in opposition all his life.

In the nineties, he zealously protested against the war in Chechnya. In the year, Skobov wrote an article about the Chechen war, where he harshly condemned Russia's actions. Today, a multinational state can exist only as a voluntary union of the peoples included in it, ”he writes, and as a solution to the conflict, an immediate ceasefire and“ negotiations on the mechanism and conditions of the free will of the people of the Chechen Republic ”propose.

He could be arrested for something else in the nineties, ”said Vladimir Volokhonsky. For Vladimir Volokhonsky Skobov - a family friend. But a personal friend too. When Vladimir grew up and began to be interested in politics, they together were in the Jolidarity movement at the end of the zero and early x. According to his story, Skobov helped organize rallies in the protest winter in St.

Petersburg. Now Volokhonsky was in exile: in Russia he was put on the wanted list. And Skobov, although he participated in the “Free Russia forum” - the site for the Russian opposition abroad, which was recognized in Russia as an unwanted organization - continued to live in St. Petersburg. More recently - March 22 - the Ministry of Justice recognized Alexander Skobov by a foreign agent.

Skobov himself in his telegram talked about the visits of the police: according to the dissident, they wanted to talk with him about an interview with Radio Freedom, but he did not open the door. In March, he wrote that he was opened an administrative case for participation in the “Free Russia forum”. About this he received a letter from the prosecutor's office.

Rybakov also told the BBC that his friend received a paper on a call for investigative actions: “He was assigned time, but they decided to come after him earlier. Apparently, they thought that they could hide. ” Rybakov insists that Skobov flatly refused to hide - no matter how close to it was asked: "I believed that he was in vain for self -sacrifice, but he was adamant." But he did everything so that the risk of sitting he did not stop him.

” Rybakov explains this with a gesture of “last protest”: “As I understand it, he decided to simply sacrifice himself and follow the path of Navalny in order to try to arouse society and humanity again, and show what is happening in our country.” Volokhonsky is not sure that Alexander will be able to read letters in a pre-trial detention center and write answers due to poor vision.

He sees only blurry spots. If he write the text 32 by Kugl, he may be able to read it. ” He reads brackets using the screen reader for visually impaired. About 10 years ago, the dissident was attacked in the courtyard with a knife and took the phone, since then his health has become very shaken. Both friends of Skobov talked with the BBC before the arrest and both were sure that the court could not choose another measure of restraint.

It seems to me that for him this is the most worthy and beautiful ending of his life. But I say this, and my tears flow from my eyes, ”said Vladimir Volokhonsky. But the movement in a spiral sometimes happens up, and sometimes down. In this case, the repetition goes with even the worst sign than it was before, ”says dissident Rybakov. In Soviet times, the Kagabashniki, who came to arrest us, behaved more polite.

And these are just guardsmen who know that everything is allowed to them. ” In the last interview, which Skobov gave free - the project “North.Realities ”in the register of“ foreign agents ” - he insisted that the Putin regime became totalitarian. Vladimir Volokhonsky in absentia argued with him about this on Facebook, but personally did not talk. I wanted to call him and read out my answer, but I was never going.

And then my mother called me and reported that he was detained. Only in honor of his arrest can I agree: well, Skobov, proved, totalitarian!