“Kozulin Project”
Some information appeared about a serious disagreement between the two oppositional camps.
Alexander Kazulin breaks off all relationships with Alyaksandr Milinkevich
The politician announced that after addressing the crowd gathered on October Square.
Meeting of ex-candidates began with delay. For 20 minutes, Alexanders negotiated whether it was necessary to remove the tents and take away the people. Both leaders agreed that they had to, both spoke to the chiefs of the campsite and they promised to quietly explain the campers that they would have to leave at night. Kozilin’s and Milinkevich’s bodyguards would see to the safe withdrawal from the square.
Speaking to the crowd of protesters, Milinkevich called the people to come daily to October Square until March 25, and said that the camp would not be taken down. Kazulin, who spoke right after, apparently, took the role of a “bad leader,” who would scare the people with menace. Kozulin said that he had a 100% credible information that the riot police would disperse the protesters and called the gathered to leave but to return on March 25 with an impressive 100-thousand rally. The politician spoke that the country needed lives of young people who had showed that they were not afraid of the regime. As expected, the crowd cried back, “We stay!” “If we leave, we won’t be able to gather back again,” people were saying. Inna Kulej, Milinkevich’s wife, having taken a microphone, urged people to stay on the square, “We stay with you,” if the camp is attacked, “we will stand in the front line of those who will protect the tents of freedom.” “Sasha,” she appealed to her husband, “Say it, we stay with the people.” After that Kazulin left the square.
“Before the beginning of a joint rally, Kozulin and Milinkevich talked things over, consulted each other how to keep up the spirit awoken in hearts of Belarusians. And the agreement was reached. In fact, the initiative to put away the site originated in Milinkevich’s camp,” said to us Kozulin’s spokeswoman Nina Shidlovskaya. The candidate himself was even blunter, “We agreed with the youth, and they needed the leaders’ call. And now they are being thrown under the police batons. I can say that Milinkevich let me down twice. We agreed that we would appear together on the square. I waited for him in the appointed place. He lied to me – I waited for an hour, and he went to the crowd and campaigned for himself. We agreed that we would quietly make a statement that we would do everything possible so as not to allow violence against the protesters… Youth leaders agreed with us… No, this is Inna Kulej who is all in charge of his actions, his wife… That said, we have our own Raisa Maximovna, and he is a dummy and not an independent figure… I am not going to keep up relations with him.”
Now I say it publicly. Tobias Ljungvall was right. Kozulin was acting like a demoralizer of the joint opposition from day 1.
Let me remind, Kozulin called for a recount, while Milinkevich called for new elections.
Kozulin called for people to leave, while Milinkevich is keeping his word and he will stay with the people on the square.
Kozulin did not participate in the congress of democratic forces, and in fact criticized the joint opposition just like Lukashenko had done during the first elections.
I don’t really know how to explain the “Kozulin phenomenon,” but he seems to be a scenario to weaken the opposition, to lead part of the public off the mainstream track.
I don’t know whether he plays the fiddle of Moscow or the official Minsk, but majority of his actions during the current campaign pose more questions than answers. I really don’t know how come part of Social Democrats support him?
I salute all those of my close friends and all of the people I don’t know who hold on October Square. You are the real heroes. My heart is with you!
