Russia: Echo of Moscow Pokes Fun at Environmentalist Dissident

Earlier today, oppositionist blogger Oleg Kozyrev took issue ^[1] [ru] with an apparent gag that graced the website of Echo of Moscow. In an article titled “Leader of the Khimki Ecologists and Mayoral Candidate Evgenia Chirikova Complains About Interference In Her Election Campaign,” the accompanying photo ^[2] [ru] features Chirikova against the background of a large American flag (ostensibly implying that she is an American agent). Though the image was soon edited to replace the Stars and Stripes with the Russian tricolor, Kozyrev concluded ominously, “In my opinion, someone in [Echo's] editorial office is prejudiced.” In a rather uncivil exchange ^[3] [ru] in the comments section, Kozyrev traded jabs with political analyst Oleg Volodin ^[4], who pointed out that Chirikova is known for making seemingly pro-American, anti-Russian statements. Kozyrev, for his part, claimed that she was only quoting a “classic” Russian saying when she recently compared the public to mindless cattle.