Sochi communists reported a split in their ranks

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A group of Sochi communists elected Inna Pagaeva as their leader, but some of their fellow party members disagreed with this decision. The regional organ of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) declared the decision invalid. As a result, two leadership centers effectively operate within the ranks of the Sochi communists.

On June 8, some Sochi communists expressed disagreement with the decision of the regional organ of the CPRF of May 28, calling it "a violation of the principle of democratic centralism and the statutory independence of local cells."

Sochi communist Inna Pagaeva told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that a smaller group of her fellow party members are relying on the Krasnodar Regional Committee Bureau's resolution of May 28, 2026, which annulled the results of the May 16 conference and administratively retained the powers of the old bureau.

There are approximately 150 communists registered in Sochi. But how many of them are real and how many are "dead souls" is virtually impossible to calculate.

The larger group, namely 29 out of 49 branch members, is, according to Pagaeva, "a local, activist group that continues to act in the interests of opposition-minded citizens." "Forty-nine candidates from local branches were nominated for the CPRF conference in Sochi. In total, there are approximately 150 communists registered in Sochi. But how many of them are real and how many are "dead souls" is practically impossible to count; the information was carefully concealed," she stated.

Ultimately, Pagaeva was elected leader of the Sochi branch of the party, but a smaller group of her fellow party members were not satisfied with this decision. 20 people voted for the former first secretary of the Sochi city committee, V. Zhironkin. As a result, he and his comrades left the conference, declaring himself the self-proclaimed leader.

The regional committee of the CPRF, led by First Secretary N. Osadchy, supported not the decision of the majority of Sochi communists, but the decision of the minority. In a resolution dated May 28, it declared the conference of the Sochi branch of the CPRF of May 16 invalid and annulled its results.

"The conference was chaos. "An attempt to seize power with the aim of disintegrating the party from within. I was expelled from the party along with countless other communists, people who were active in the party and in the elections," former party member Viktor Smirnov commented on the situation to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

His position is supported by the former leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in Sochi, Igor Vasiliev. According to him, "during the tenure of Zhironkin as Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in Sochi, not a single rally or picket was held, the interests of the local population were not protected, and the party began to resemble an appendage of the ruling United Russia party."

Communists who prevent the ruling party from peacefully committing tyranny are being forced out by any means necessary.

"Complaints to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation have not helped. Communists who prevent the ruling party from peacefully wreaking havoc are being forced out of the party by any means necessary, which means they are losing their ability to influence the political life of the city and the country and hold fair elections," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Vasiliev, attempts to tell the truth end in pressure and expulsion from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. "People were united by a single idea. We sought to attract as many supporters to the party as possible, rather than expel them and divide them into "us" and "them," he explained.

"The situation is unique in that both centers issue official party documents on the letterhead of the "Bureau of the Committee of the Sochi Local (City) Branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation," but make directly opposite decisions, completely ignoring each other's directives," independent lawyer Viktor Pavlenko analyzed the situation.

Such formal claims from the regional committee can be regarded as the use of administrative resources to resolve an internal political dispute.

"Such formal claims from the regional committee can be "were assessed as the use of administrative resources to resolve an internal political dispute," he believes.

According to the documentation, the regional leadership not only annulled the results of the Sochi Communists' conference on May 16, which elected Pagaeva, but also accused the majority of Sochi Communists of disrupting the conference, while the local activists of the majority informed the regional committee about the infringement of intra-party democracy and independence. Amid mutual claims, the bureau controlled by the regional committee in Sochi initiated proceedings to hold local activists accountable.

According to the official position of the regional leadership, "the event was effectively disrupted by a group of individuals." A number of delegates, including I. L. Pagaeva, S. I. Bernasovsky, I. A. Volin, and invited M. R. Markaryan, are accused of numerous violations. regulations, namely: “creating noise in the hall that interfered with the keeping of conference minutes; public insults directed at representatives of the regional committee and attempts to physically confront opponents; Violation of the principle of secret voting through calls to photograph completed ballots."

Furthermore, the text of the regional committee document mentions incidents that the leadership assessed as attempts at psychological pressure, in particular, the installation of a scarecrow in the hall, as well as the appearance of V. O. Smirnov, previously expelled from the party, which led to the police being called to the scene.

Since the counting commission ultimately did not sign the protocol for the election of the new city committee, the regional leadership decided that the powers of the previous Bureau and the First Secretary of the Sochi branch, V. A. Zhironkina, remain in force until a new, extraordinary conference is held. The regional committee also ordered that Pagaeva, Markaryan, Volin, and Bernasovsky be held accountable by the party by June 14.

Pagaeva's supporters claim that there was no disruption of the conference. According to them, after the regionally appointed chairman, Eroshenko, left the meeting taking the documentation with him, and Zhironkin and 18 other delegates left with him, 29 people remained in the hall. According to the Sochi branch bureau, this number of delegates provided the necessary quorum to continue the work and form a new secretariat.

On June 3, the bureau of the Sochi city branch, consisting of 4 of the 7 members (which was considered sufficient for the quorum), held a meeting. Based on its results, it was decided to initiate personal cases against local communists V. V. Goncharov, S. R. Nuraev, V. V. Kirsanov and M. Yu. Zhuravlev. They are accused of participating in "non-statutory events" (which means the continuation of the conference by supporters Pagaeva) and failure to comply with orders from a higher-level regional committee. Primary party branches have been instructed to review these cases at their meetings as soon as possible.

Current events indicate a trend toward centralization of power within the party vertical.

"Current events indicate a trend toward centralization of power within the party vertical. Gradual changes to the charter are leading to a reduction in the powers of grassroots and local branches. In my opinion, regional governing bodies are increasingly focusing their policies on compromise with local administrations and the ruling party for the sake of maintaining stability. At the same time, the opinions of rank-and-file communists at the local level are often ignored, and attempts to express an independent position are suppressed by disciplinary measures, which calls into question the declared principles of intra-party democracy," a member of the party told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. CPRF Sergey Bernosovsky.

"We are witnessing a situation where the interests of rank-and-file, committed communists are being sacrificed to nomenklatura agreements. There is a well-founded opinion that the regional leadership's harsh actions against the Sochi activists are connected to the distribution of future mandates in the Sochi City Assembly and the desire to coordinate loyal candidates with government officials. Zhironkin's group, elected by the minority, which remains in power, is essentially acting in a way that benefits opponents from the ruling party, which is demoralizing the local party activists," believes Igor Vasiliev.

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