Moskow, May 9th 1991

Dear Radical friends,

I would like to send you greetings from Soviet Radicals in connection with your assembly in Prague.

The political situation in our country is now more different than in Chekoslovakia. And of course the problems which we must decide here are not the same like in Prague, Budapest or in other capitals of former communist states.

The political democracy is still absent in our country. Moreover the danger of fascism is now big like never before. We are observing the unprecedentedly unity between "national-patriotic" chauvinistic Russian groups and neo-stalinist forces in the Communist Party. Gorbachev and so called "centrists" (in fact - anti-democratic, imperialist forces around him) lead the process of political reaction. The events in Lithuania in January and last bloodsheds on Armenia-Azerbaijan border, attacks against freedom of press illustrates it very good. I think I must not explain you this situation because you are informed and showed the solidarity with Soviet democrats and Lithuanian people near Soviet embassy and consulates in January and many times before.

The main directions of our activity in this year are struggle for right to object military service, campaign against death penalty, agitation for United States of Europe. Radical Party is here the only political force which can organize and provide decision of these political questions.

Right of conscientious objection is still not recognized in the USSR. For the moment we wrote draft of proposal about alternative civilian service which was given to parliamentarian commissions in USSR's and Russian Supreme Soviets. We organized also a number of street manifestations for alternative service and two times made a blockade of Moscow recruitment office (autumn 1990). We collected for the moment about 10.000 signatures under petition for alternative service addressed to Supreme Soviets of USSR and Russia. Its not more of course but we hope that now in spring and summer we will sustainable to organize street table for collecting signatures and distributing of Radical materials.

Struggle against death penalty is one of the most difficult questions in Russia. 3/4 of Russian people's deputies are for preservation of death penalty in criminal code. Of course we collect signatures under transnational petition against death penalty. Some Radicals take part at new public committee: "Sakharov's Committee For Abolition Of Death Penalty" - together with members of Memorial Society (human rights group), some deputies of Russian Supreme Soviet, anarcho-syndicalists and others. But now we can only dream about your success in case of abolition of death penalty. We would like to feel your support by experience, materials and maybe direct political actions (manifestations near Soviet embassy and so on) in this struggle.

Big planes and hopes we connect with a new Radical newspaper in Russian which must be made with circulation of 70.000 copies in a few weeks and especially with parliamentarian letter which will be sent to all deputies in all democratic countries (and in Soviet Union - is it a democratic country? I don't know).

Now we have 202 members of Radical Party for 1991 in the USSR. Its not so much like the last year. But I hope that big inscription campaign which we open now with new information materials can give some results in the near future.

What can I say about the perspectives of our direct contacts and collaboration? First of all I think is necessary to collaborate in the question which is already successful decided in Chekoslovakia - I mean death penalty. We need direct contact between our selves through Agora'. We have only one computer in Moscow, like you in Prague, but I think its possible to organize an effective work even in this situation. We would like to take part in some common actions on the questions of Chekoslovakian political life, because I believe that there are no foreigners among Radicals.

Thank you.

Nikolaj Khramov.