Matthias Schepp of Der Spiegel writes about the threats facing the staff of Novaya Gazeta:
Olga seemed simultaneously awestruck and wary as she ran her fingers across the envelope. The sender seemed to be important: the "Presidential Administration." Was it mail from the Kremlin? "But the envelope felt strange," says Olga, who is secretary to the editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
When she finally opened the envelope, she felt something cold and leathery inside: the severed ears of a donkey. "One needs strong nerves here," she says. Four of the newspaper's journalists have already been murdered, and one of its attorneys was shot dead in broad daylight.
The donkey ears were followed a few days later by a bloody piece of meat. This time there was no return address on the envelope. And then a peculiar man offered the editor-in-chief a bribe.
The culprit behind this caper? A Nashi-linked group, funded by the state budget. If we recall that earlier stunt from Young Russia which slaughtered some 20 sheep, put Solidarinost t-shirts on them, and dumped them in front of the hotel where the opposition was meeting, I'm left wondering: what option is available for a young Putin supporter who is also pro-animal rights? Maybe Vladislav Surkov can come up with another youth group idea which operates under a different methodology....
Are you kidding, a hardcore Nashi youth with an ethical conflict, those little fascists have no regard for human life let alone animals. There have been many incidents of their beating peacefully assembled opposition protesters with brass knuckles.
Sociopaths by definition don't have a conscience. Decent kids will fall away when they figure out the reality of what they've joined, but, the core of sociopaths are what's most coveted.
The problem is, of course, that there are more than "hardcore" members at Nashi. Exactly because of state support and broad acceptance, entering Nashi may be a good career move if you plan to be a bureaucrat somewhere in the administration -- perhaps less than entering the Komsomol was in Soviet times, but still a help. And just as there were Komsomoltsy and Komsomolky who didn't really believe in any of the stuff and were just thinking of their personal careers (my wife was one of them), there may be Nashi who don't care so much about strict Russian nationalism or anti-democratic activism, but who think only about their future salaries in the administration and their prospects for promotion.
Of course, you might also ask why such a person would have conflicts of conscience -- if s/he is so materialistic and individualistic, why care? But in my experience, people -- especially young people -- often think they're one thing but then find out what their true heart is when confronted with the realities of what they chose. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more than a few "Nashisty" who are at least ashamed, perhaps more than that, of their colleagues who beat up peaceful opposition protesters with brass knuckles.