It's an exercise in synchronized absurdity: Two opposing law initiatives in Russia united in their assault on reason and free speech. The first, a government proposal to make denial of the Soviet victory in World War II a crime. The second, a proposal by the liberal Yabloko party to outlaw the glorification of Stalin and Bolshevism. Passing either would essentially fling open the door to thoughtcrime prosecution in Russia, heretofore merely ajar.

Yabloko, a '90s-era democratic party now relegated to the political fringe, offers its bill as a way to combat the disturbing growth of Stalinism, Bolshevism, and ultra-nationalism in Russia. It's ironic that that they think sedition laws are best the solution to the problem, but to their credit, the Yablocans know the bill has no hope of passing. Rather, it's a stunt designed to help the disenfranchised group play a role in national discourse.

The "WWII reverence" bill, meanwhile, poses a much greater threat of becoming reality. Fashioned on recent European efforts to criminalize Holocaust denial, the proposal was authored by Sergei Shoigu, head of the emergency situations ministry (Russia's FEMA) and one of the country's most popular and respected Kremlin officials.

Shoigu's timing couldn't be better. His proposal rides a wave of outrage over a recent WWII documentary televised in Russia. The film, which focuses on the Soviet Union’s shocking and incomparable death toll during the war, contains interviews with German war veterans who recall with horror how Soviet generals used their own troops as “cannon fodder.” Questioning Soviet tactics in WWII is still a serious taboo in Russia, and veterans were affronted by the depiction. As the London Daily Telegraph reported, some critics even accused the film’s presenter, news anchor Alexei Pivovarov, of participating in a Jewish conspiracy funded by the West to “belittle the Soviet war effort.”

Shoigu not only wants to make it a crime to suggest the Soviet Union did not win WWII, he also seeks to punish former Soviet republics that deny having been liberated by the Red Army. Liberation deniers, a group that includes anyone who refers to the Soviets as "occupiers," would be forbidden from setting foot on Russian soil.

In light of Shoigu's plans, it makes sense that Yabloko would seek to stem the revisionist tide with its anti-Stalin legislation. Unfortunately, their decision to fight censorship with counter-censorship makes the whole thing into a farce. Then again, in Russian politics, farce is invariably the name of the game.

Russia to Outlaw Criticism of WWII Tactics [Telegraph]
Политкомитет «ЯБЛОКА» призывает российское общество к избавлению от наследия большевизма и сталинизма [ЯБЛОКО]