Lenin’s Party and the Moose Carcass

Is the future of Russia’s once all-powerful Communist Party threatened by a dead moose? It seems, since last month a scandal erupted around the hunter-gathered communist Duma member Valeri Rashkin. Since this fall’s fraudulent Duma elections, the popular communist of the KPRF has been on a collision course with United Russia, President Putin’s party. For although his party won a good chunk of the vote, it was United Russia that miraculously took the win. Since then, Rashkin has called for protests against President Putin’s “omnipotent power” and dozens of communists have been arrested.

In the battle between Lenin’s and Putin’s party, a moose suddenly appeared last month. Because Rashkin not only likes to stand on the barricades, in his spare time the 66-year-old politician from Saratov likes to go into the forest with his hunting rifle. That hobby now threatens to become fatal for him. Last month, police found the Duma member with a dead moose in the trunk. Asked about the animal’s origin, Rashkin said he “found it” while walking in the woods.

However, the traffic police who had arrested him in the middle of the night believed that he was joking and was in a state of inebriation. Shots were heard at 11 p.m. During the inspection, a dismembered moose carcass was found in the car. Tools for slaughtering an animal and “traces of blood” were also found in the car, according to the police report. The incident was filmed, the movies ended up in the press and a scandal was born.

When asked how it is, many Russians think they know the answer. They suspect Putin’s party of a dirty scheme to push the rebellious Rashkin out of politics. “There are many questions about this arrest,” said KPRF press officer. “Rashkin is a smart politician, who led the protest against the electoral fraud when many of our supporters were arrested.” Rashkin then remained silent for two weeks, saying he was pending a police investigation. But when the police distributed a video of the find in the forest of a carbine, night vision goggles and a bullet casing, he had to bend his knees.

He confessed in mid-November in a video message to have shot the moose. “As you know, the economic and political situation in our country is bad. The fight against repression, through election participation and protest actions, has an impact on the well-being of all those who resist. Also on me. We are humans, not robots, everyone needs free time to recover.” He also tells in detail how he went hunting at the invitation of a rich friend, who assured him that he had a hunting license. “It was dark, visibility was poor. At 350 meters I saw a large wild boar. I shot. But it turned out to be a moose.” Then suddenly police cars showed up. Rashkin is sure he was framed. “I have been deceived by my friends. I am a victim of the circumstances.”

It doesn’t really matter who speaks the truth anymore. Last week the Duma voted to strip Rashkin’s parliamentary immunity. Now nothing stands in the way of prosecution for illegal hunting.