About how the blockade coordinator framed chief editor of RBK-Tatarstan

'We can criticize Poroshenko all day long'

On 19 January at some international media project Nastoyaschee Vremya (Present time) appeared an interview with one of the main organizers of the blockade of Crimea Lenur Islyamov, that allegedly was given to the chief editor of RBK-Tatarstan Almaz Mirgayazov. On the same day the interview was reprinted by Ukrainian mass media, not the leading ones — Apostrophe and dialog.ua. On the video, Islyamov answers 'three tough questions from Russia'.

We must say that the responses of the blockade coordinator were no less caustic. In particular, Islyamov accuses Russia of taking away native land from Crimeans, and the word 'Ukrainian' equates to the word 'freedom'. But answering the question why he thinks that Putin is foolish and the President-oligarch Poroshenko — his friend, Islyamov admitted that 'it's a tricky question', but then gave the following argument: 'We can criticize Poroshenko all day long, but try to criticize Putin.' Then he added, that there is no another President anyway.

But Almaz Mirgayazov states that he didn't interview Lenur Islyamov. In an interview with Realnoe Vremya he told that these three ill-fated questions were rhetorical: the chief editor of RBC-Tatarstan left them as a comment under another video of Islyamov in the community 'Azatlyk – nischek bar, shulay' ('Azatlyk — everything as it is') in the social network Facebook, and editorial staff of Azatlyk Nail Khisamiev on his own initiative sent the questions to Islamov.

But Almaz Mirgayazov states that he didn't interview Lenur Islyamov. Photo: rt.rbc.ru

'I did not ask any questions directly, and if they reported my comments to him, that's not my fault'

— We've found on the net the interview with Lenur Islyamov. Allegedly you are the author of this interview.

— Actually, I am not the author of this interview. I wrote on Facebook a comment under a previous video with threats, saying, we will not stop, the blockade will continue. I asked not him, of course — I knew that I won't get through him, and I wrote three questions. The first question: 'So what that you are blocking us? What are you getting at?' I wanted to provoke someone to answer in different ways. That is, someone will say — this what they are striving for, someone will say another thing. Question number two: I was surprised that they cooperate and work very closely with the nationalists, we call them Right Sector (banned in Russia) in their actions. Question: 'How are these acts concern to each other, how are they combined with your ideological considerations and of Right Sector?' The third question I asked about his statements about Putin. He said that Putin is this, Putin is that, that he has taken away our homeland, at the same time they say that Poroshenko has given us this, this, and this. I asked a question: 'Here – Poroshenko's actions, here – Putin's actions: why is Putin bad, and Poroshenko is good, especially, until recently he was a citizen of the Russian Federation and had the business?' That is, if you open the file, nineteen organizations, as I remember, and five companies with suspended activity are registered under his name on the territory of the Russian Federation. These are the questions that I just wrote as a comment, and the employee of radio Svoboda Nail Khisamiev…

—Whose editorship?

— Azatlyk — radio Svoboda.

— In Tatarstan, that is in Kazan, or in Ukraine?

— That is in Prague, the Czech Republic.

— That is only in Prague?

— Yes. He pulled my comments out and sent them to Lenur Islyamov. He, apparently, answered to my questions, and that is all.

The employee of the radio Svoboda Nail Khisamiev. Photo: facebook.com/nkhisamiev

— And they published it as your interview?

— Yes, as the editor of RBK-Tatarstan interviewed Lenur Islyamov. But this was not true – I didn't interview and did not want it, because I am more than familiar with his work, that is, with his past, his present, his future. I just wanted to create a resonance within this community Radio Svoboda — Azatlyk on Facebook, to loosen the public a little bit. The public didn't loosen, my questions reached Islyamov, and he answered them with pleasure.

— What do you think about his answers?

— On Facebook, I wrote three rather long comments about what I have understood. However, I commented in the Tatar language. Probably you heard the answers?

— Yes.

— He suggests that they act on behalf of the people and on behalf of the Crimean people. And these actions — undermining power lines and other actions aimed at so-called blocking of Crimea — they are designed to draw attention to Crimean Tatar issue and in order the Crimean Tatars living in Crimea knew that they fight for them, and there is someone to stand up for them. That is his answer. As I understood, he says: 'We were taken away our native land'. As I understood, it is the key phrase. So, all these actions are not because they struggle for someone. They do it because, first, to indulge their vanity, to take some revenge. That's what I wrote there.

'I didn't interview and did not want it, because I am more than familiar with his work, that is, with his past, his present, his future.' Photo: tatar-inform.ru

— Did Azatlyk publish it somehow?

— Yes, surely. There is link.

— Did they also write that it was your interview?

— No, they wrote that Lenur Islyamov answered the questions of the editor of RBC-Tatarstan. There's nothing in that. These videos are recorded with a frequency of several times a week. I did not ask any questions directly, and if they reported my comments, that's not my fault.

Has a comment of chief editor erased?

However, in the community 'Azatlyk radiosy – nischek bar, shulay' under the first video of Lenur Islyamov, which became the reason for the occurrence of rhetorical questions, we didn't find the aswers of Almaz Mirgayazov. As for posting the latest video, which allegedly was a fragment of interview to the editor of RBK-Tatarstan, there is no any comment under it.

On azatliq.org, the notorious video was actually published, and its transcript, translated in Tatar language. The text of the so-called interview is prefaced by editor's note, stating that Mirgayazov had asked if he could talk to Islamov. 'I have a few questions that I can't find logical answers to. Please, tell Lenur about them and try to explain the answers' — azatliq.org publishes such request.

We asked Nail Khisamiev, who leads the community in the social network, and the editors of Azatliq Radiosi whether there was an addressing of the editor of RBK-Tatarstan to Azatliq Radiosi or the comments under the video on Facebook were given as the interview. But at the time of publication we didn't manage to get the answer.

We will remind you that Azatliq Radiosiis the Tatar-Bashkir service of radio Svoboda — a non-profit organization, positioning itself as a radio station aimed at ensuring media freedom and promoting the development of democratic institutions and market economy and is funded by the US Congress. In 2012, Kazan editorial office moved to the Czech Republic, in Prague.

P.S. After the publication, Realnoe Vremya received a letter from Prague. Radio Azatlyk confirmed that Almaz Mirgayazov posted the questions on Facebook that were redirected to Lenur Islyamov at the initiative of the Editorial Board. 'The material, that you are interested in, is not an interview with Almaz Mirgayazov. We used the questions from Facebook. As the questions to Crimean blockade participants were specific enough, we decided to address directly to Lenur Islyamov. Azatlyk treats with great respect the desire of readers to understand the essence of events. Azatlyk has correspondents in the regions where Tatars and the Bashkirs live, including in Ukraine and in Crimea. The interview was recorded in Chonhar Peninsula, Ukraine,' — chief editor of radio Azatlyk Rim Gilfanov.

Photo: ru.krymr.com