Heavens Coalition

On April, 25 one of Russia’s most unique public figures, Ivan Okhllobystin, will announce the creation of a new political party during his gala-show in ‘Crocus-City’ Hall. What made this film director, actor and priest take this extravagant step – his creativity, or political conviction, or money – is yet unclear. Okhllobystin, who also announced his intention to run for presidential elections last year, tried to explain the philosophical basis of his new party’s nationalist-patriotic platform to journalists.

As Okhlabystin said, “We will make the presentation in our own style, as when we think about something serious, it should be presented appropriately. For example, when a scholar work is written, someday it should appear in a library, if it is wealthy and influences development of science”. 

Initially the idea might seem exalted, but it is the way it should be, according to the founder of the coalition current political situation in Russia could be described as the following, according to Okhlabystin: “the political formality of parties “from elections to elections,” the illusion of social activity involving people who have social enthusiasm. Those who have natural talent should work for the best without embarrassment due to conditions. At the moment the conditions are the following: Russia, the 21st century, unclear times, everyone knows what he doesn’t want, but doesn’t know what he wants. Our society knows what it wants. We have different interests, because it appeared due to Doctrine 77. It is a platform for communication. The only truth is God. As for politics, the truth is an evolving thing. Today we have what we have, tomorrow we will live like in The Fifth Element movie. Anything can happen. 

“We are not ashamed of being naïve in some issues. You cannot reach universal knowledge without facing obstacles. You cannot create anything without your own life experience. We have no experience, because it is a structurally new organization, and we hope it won’t be formal. We’ll see and work together. We cannot offer Russia anything but joining us. At the moment we witness a unique event – combination of a secular community built on principles of the role architecture and the Orthodox movement “Georgievtsi” that is presented in thousands churches. A new subject appeared in schools these days – Fundamentals of Religious Education and Secular Ethics. We should do our best for this subject won’t be formal. We have a chance to produce cynicism of our children. A teacher who teaches children this subject influences on the future of a pupil much more than other teachers: whether a child will want to make the world better or will sink in stagnation. The circumstances lead us to the second variant. But we think you can evolve only by following the first rule – swim against the stream. As I am an ordinant, I cannot participate in the political activity. Thanks God and people heading the organization, Heavens Coalition, it is a coalition of small unions, a matrix model of a community using all modern political technologies in the sphere of social activity. These people realize that I cannot be involved into the affairs directly, as it is politics, and they suggested me to be the spiritual leader of the movement. I consider myself undeserving this status which is natural for any normal person, as well as disliking of your image in TV whether you earn money by it or not, there is something in a human that holds arrogance up. Nevertheless, if grown-up, adequate, socially active, wishing well to others and sacrificing their time people suggest you such a position, you should accept it, because I initiated the organization. I consider the position as my duty to the Society 77, Heavens Coalition and the future party”. 

The future political party will join the Society 77and Georgievtsi who are, according to Okhlabistin, “teachers who not only explain, but also inspire their pupils. As for organizational moments and political aspects, Maxim will deal with it. He knows the sphere better than I do. And all our supporters trust him”.

According to Maxim Brusnitsin, the head of the Society 77, today the Society 77 is presented in almost all regions. “These are young people who support the idea of developing Russia and developing traditional values. When we have met Georgiectsi recently, we understood that it is a perfect union for further development, because the political party we want to establish is needed for participation in the political life and political activity, as well as attraction of people who stand for traditional values of the country. Today we provide organizational activity in more than 50 regions: we collect and register certain documents. In the nearest future our objective is to attract socially active young people to the political activity. I think that one of differences of our objectives from objectives of other parties is absence of discussions on some persons, settlement of up-to-the-minute problems, but establishment of the base for attraction of people to the political activity in 5-10 years”.

Vadim Kvyatkovski, coordinator of the Orthodox movement Georgievtsi, told the journalists about the public organization ‘Georgievtsi”: “It is a public organization of Orthodox people mostly, even though there are non-Orthodox people among us. The organization is named after St. George the Victorious. And it is not a secret that St. George’s Cross was awarded to Muslims too. St. George is a patron of Russia, Moscow, that is why we have chosen this name. I would like to add an important moment. Yes, we and the Society 77 provide public awareness. Father Ivan has said there is a point in providing teaching: young people are growing and they will be our future teachers. However, the political party is another question. The political party was established to come to power, take power and work in it. Why is the union important for us? There are two main aspects. I think many of you didn’t find a party to vote for in the parliamentary elections. Why? Because the spectrum presented in the State Duma is not full, some colors are absent. For example, as Ivan Ivanovich says, there is no force reflecting interests of young talented people who support traditional values. We are to fill the niche. At the same time, it is a crucial moment. The municipal elections in Moscow showed that people who came to power are far from our interests. Therefore, we will try to promote our candidates for next municipal elections. It is 4 years before the next parliamentary elections, so we should work at the municipal level. Everything is ready for our start. According to our new laws, the procedure of registration was simplified. We won’t have 500 people in the party list. We will be defined as initiators in all regions of Russia. And there are dozens and even hundreds of thousands people who will be involved in the establishing process. The presentation in Crocus City Hall has a new format. We will have no closed conference, like some big federal parties do, for 100-120 people, we will gather stadiums for our sessions. We want to bring a new element, new spirit to parties’ life. Everyone is tired of formal parties, they are not understandable. On the one hand, we know Father Ivan, we love him, trust him, he is our friend, we follow him. All that you see is very creative. On the other hand, it is a serious toilsome work on establishing the party. We are ready to present not a group of separate people with artistic skills, but a real mechanism with its own structures that is ready to influence the processes developing in Russia”.

Ivan Okhlabystin also commented on the most burning issues of the day: the situation with Pussy Riot’s ‘punk-prayer’ and scandal around Russian pop singer Philip Kirkorov and his new-born child.

“You know I cannot be objective on religious issues. It is painful for me when such a mess is happening in the country that punk incidents occur in the place where people cry, open their soul, confess, and so on. It is a sacred place. It is a link of a great chain. We forget about family photo albums and don’t know our neighbors. The things are mutually connected. So being subjective I shifted responsibility to my wife. She is a former communist activist. My only hope for salvation is her, because she is an honest person. And she voiced the attitude of young Orthodox women, wives of priests, to this incident. They drive cars, keep households and earn money sometimes greater than their husbands. Rumors on wealth of churches are exaggerated and do not concern priests. So my wife says the criminal proceeding is wrong, because they don’t understand what they have done. Before this incident a pregnant girl had sex in a museum. If I were there I would catch them, punish them for their edification without demosracism and let them go. But exaggeration is a mistake. We forget lessons of history. Everything that is improper shouldn’t be covered beyond our family, country. We should hide such things. It will enable us to be kind and prevent shame. The society has done its best to corner the girls. They are like a person who fell to a well in a cemetery shouting for help: on the one hand, our “cultural” world won’t let them turn back… they are frightened. Imagine they are surrounded by mothers, grandparents, i.e. people who love them, and when you love, you want to protect. Any mother is frightened when her child is anathematized or sent to prison. On the other hand, the Church cannot go back on its word, because it is not a simple punk-group, it is a challenge by the liberal world… not liberal, chaotic world that is experimenting with us. They are not our liberals. Our liberals might be boring, but they are not aggressive. Nobody won in arguing over Slavophilism and Westernism. What compromises could be taken by the Church? It is a question of principle. In other case they will dance naked in churches. Sacred places should exist. At the same time, they are frightened that they won’t be artists. And so? Their life is ruined, common people will avoid them, it is a doubtful question what will happen in prison with them. There are many religious women in prisons. I know they have prejudices like “for one killed church robber three sins are forgiven.” Our people are very religious. We cannot treat the issue lightly. We are breaking the girls’ lives, but we cannot go back on our word. It is a dead-end”.

As fir the scandal with Kirkorov and the initiative by Deacon Andrei on his excommunication for surrogate motherhood and his speech in church, Okhlobystin said that he is “far away from such public rubbish about Kirkorov”.  “I am ready to rely on the decision by Deacon Andrei. I liked how he threw a microphone to the hooligan’s mouth. I think hooligans should be beaten, after beating their number reduces, they turn into good guys, stop drinking and find a job. In every village in ancient times there used to be a strong man to whom wives of alcoholics came and asked him to beat their husbands, for they would work. I’m not objective toward Father Andrei. He is my friend. He has done a lot in favor of the Church, only Father Dimitry Smirnov, Father Vladimir Volgin, Father Arkady and some others could be compared with him. In reality they are very philanthropic. Father Dimitry is accused of Nazism… Lord bless me! I serviced him. He is a man who being a car fan received KIA Sport Age for his 50th anniversary, while I have driven all models of BMW by that time. The military generalship presented the car, because they love him. He can wake up at night and listen to a churchgoer for three hours. He is an Orthodox kamikaze. I absolutely respect him. Only silly people can say he is a bad person or a radical. His nature is rather military, coordinated. If he says something should be done, it should be done. Father Vladimir Volgin is the essence of love. I don’t like speaking in his presence, I like seating near him silently and feeling his halo. It is difficult to describe them, you should meet them. Some things can be transferred only through warm touching of hand and personal presence. As for Father Andrei, he is a theologian. Theology is always reactionary. Heresy appears, rejection of it appears at once. A religious person doesn’t need theology in fact. A person believes or doesn’t. Turning to Father Andrei, I try to present a general picture, as there are many unclear moments and few people can explain what the intrigue is. Why do people concern about Pussy Riot, Patriarch’s watch? I was asked “How do you view the watch?” I said if he did not have the watch, I would present him. Patriarch of my Church should wear a good watch. Some things are obvious. Why do you buy gold watch as a birthday present to mother? It is a stupid question. The same thing concerns cars. A general shouldn’t think about trifles, he should think about saving soldiers’ lives in a battle. Unfortunately, in Moscow few people are able to identify in a right way… A person steps out of the expensive car, he wears a hood similar to a simple monk’s hood, but he is a bishop responsible for a region, he is like a governor. As for a scandal with doctors, I didn’t delve deeply in it, because I try to avoid judgments. I believe that all the things come back to you and prefer not to judge. Nevertheless, I see that the story is exaggerated. It was a simple squabble that could happen with any of us. Why don’t we let people be imperfect? We are imperfect too. Why do we try to find out something dirty, while we can use our resources, including the mass media, for revealing something good? Beginning from the 1980s only bastards, alcoholics, prostitutes, murderers, insane people are described in Russian cinema, literature. We should change. The new world is the 21st century. If we chose a right direction of country’s development, we will be first to come to the future. We have everything for it”.