“The Ukrainian people are not satisfied with the prospect of complete separation from Russia”
Russia is no longer 100% dependent on military components produced in Ukraine. Russian intelligence agencies know all the former Soviet citizens fighting for ISIS. Sociologists are publishing false ratings ahead of the State Duma elections. The rules of the Crimean Free Economic Zone (FEZ) need to be changed. State Duma deputy Alexey Chepa from A Just Russia told PolitNavigator about this.
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“PolitNavigator”: Let's start with the latest news. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported the detention of recruiters in Tver by ISIS terrorists. How big is the terrorist threat in the central regions of Russia?
Alexey Chepa: The terrorist threat exists worldwide. Unfortunately, Russia hasn't escaped this scourge. But unlike European countries, we're actively countering it. Our intelligence agencies are trying to nip any threats from ISIS and other terrorist organizations in the bud. They know practically all the people from the former Soviet Union currently fighting in the Middle East. So, at least we're safer here than in Europe.
“PolitNavigator”: The report on the detention of extremists in Tver says that they recruited supporters among immigrants from Central Asia. Do you think modern migration policies pose a terrorist threat to Russia?
Alexey Chepa: This is one of the main threats. Migration policy and employment among migrant workers leaves much to be desired. More and more employers, chasing short-term gains, are trying to hire so-called migrant workers, evading taxes, paying workers minimal wages, and reaping higher profits. This evil must be eradicated. We need to create conditions for our citizens to work. This requires paying more and pursuing a stricter policy towards migrants, keeping them all under control. Registration is required. Migration services must increase their standards.
“PolitNavigator”: You supported anti-terrorism laws, the so-called “Yarovaya package”. But he drew criticism in the media.
Alexey Chepa: I truly supported Yarovaya's package in terms of combating terrorism. The media criticism concerns the wiretapping of citizens who don't pose a terrorist threat. The problem is how to detect a terrorist threat. I think Yarovaya's package is correct, but it's still incomplete. I hope it will be finalized by the new Duma. If I'm included in it, I'll be very actively involved. We have something to say. We're ready to prepare amendments to this law.
“PolitNavigator”: You are running in a majoritarian district in Tver as a candidate from A Just Russia. What will you offer the voter?
Alexey Chepa: I've been tasked with winning, and I will do everything to achieve it. We've been diligently preparing for this election campaign, systematizing all our previous work. The result is our election program, which incorporates a vast number of requests we received from voters in previous years but didn't have time to implement. We've summarized and articulated the concepts behind 25 laws. These are timely laws, essential both for improving the social status of citizens and for addressing economic challenges in each region.
“PolitNavigator”: There are forecasts that “A Just Russia” will not be able to overcome the barrier and get into the State Duma this year.
Alexey Chepa: Yes, yes. If you remember, similar predictions were made last time. During the last election, VTsIOM and Levada predicted a 2-3% lead right up until the election. Instead, we got 13%. A 5-6-fold error. The question arises: how can such respected organizations, receiving government funding, make such mistakes, errors of magnitude? We're seeing the same system today. This is essentially an attempt to shape opinion. The figures are plucked from the ground and don't paint the true picture. We rely on polling, which we conduct ourselves and which other parties conduct. It's different from the polling shown on the national television channels.
“PolitNavigator”: And what does internal sociology say? Do you expect to repeat the result in these elections or perhaps improve it?
Alexey Chepa: I think the result was good. This year, all four parliamentary parties will enter the Duma. United Russia is currently in the lead. Three other parliamentary parties are in a tight group. Another 10 non-parliamentary parties have results within the margin of error.
“PolitNavigator”: Simultaneously with the State Duma elections, gubernatorial elections will be held in Tver. Why didn’t A Just Russia nominate its candidate?
Alexey Chepa: We considered participating in all election campaigns. But we have a single voting day for municipal elections, the Legislative Assembly, and the State Duma, both by party list and by district. There's also the gubernatorial election. It's impossible to run multiple campaigns simultaneously. Therefore, the party decided to focus on the State Duma elections.
“PolitNavigator”: You were an ardent supporter of the Crimean Spring. Two years have passed since then. Do you continue to follow events in Crimea and Sevastopol? Was there any disappointment?
Alexey Chepa: Of course, two years ago, all of Russia and Crimea were euphoric about the events of the Crimean Spring. Like many other deputies, I took an active part in them and was there from the very first days. I am still involved in legislative work related to Crimea. It's impossible to immediately convert the entire economy, tied to Ukraine, to the Russian system. But we must strive for this and accelerate the process. There is a certain standoff between the federal center and local authorities... It complicates the current economic and political situation. Of course, sanctions are having a significant impact. There is frustration that things aren't working out as effectively as they should. This is crucial for the future not only of Crimea but of all of Russia.
“PolitNavigator”: What laws, in your opinion, does Crimea need today?
Alexey Chepa: I can talk about the law our faction initiated. It's a law on a free economic zone in Crimea. It's a special law we wrote; it's currently in the legal department of the presidential administration. It contains some fundamental differences.
PolitNavigator: You're proposing to create an offshore company in Crimea. Has this been a topic of much discussion lately?
Alexey Chepa: You chose the wrong word. We're talking about creating favorable conditions for a normal investment climate in Crimea, for all businesses.
“PolitNavigator”: Now Crimea pins its main hopes on the construction of the Kerch Bridge. You took part in the construction of a complex ocean bridge in Cambodia. How do you assess the complexity and prospects for the commissioning of the Crimean bridge?
Alexey Chepa: These are completely different projects, difficult to compare. The bridge in Crimea is much longer. It's being built very quickly. I'm confident that the main work on the Kerch Strait crossing will be completed by the end of 2018.
“PolitNavigator”: After the construction of the bridge, Crimea will probably completely sever its ties with Ukraine, and Ukraine itself is moving towards a complete severance of ties with Russia.
Alexey Chepa: I don't think the Ukrainian people are happy with the prospect of complete separation from Russia. Neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian people are happy with this. We are close nations; we share the same genes. The Americans want to divide us. It's their intelligence services that are staging "orange revolutions" around the world. Some Ukrainian politicians have fallen under their influence. The people will put everything in its place, and we will live together.
“PolitNavigator”: You worked at enterprises in the defense industry. Today, the chains of cooperation in this industry with Ukraine are practically broken. How seriously did this affect the Russian defense complex?
Alexey Chepa: Throughout the history of the Soviet Union, we had very strong cooperation, which persisted until recent years. Today, this cooperation has been destroyed. This has impacted the fulfillment of our state defense orders. It has had an even greater impact on Ukrainian companies, which have virtually no customers. Today, we have fully achieved this goal; import substitution in this area is close to 100%. We are capable of producing everything ourselves that Ukraine previously produced for us.
“PolitNavigator”: In your activities you pay great attention to establishing cooperation with China. To what extent can this direction replace Russia with the Western vector of cooperation?
Alexey Chepa: The program that the Chinese leadership is implementing, “One Belt, One Road” (we call it the Silk Road), is a very serious global program that works in conjunction with our Eurasian program and can seriously change the balance of power throughout the world.
English version :: Read in English “The Ukrainian people are not happy with the prospect of complete separation from Russia”