On the air of TV24, political scientist Filipp Raevsky sarcastically commented on the statements of the 'New Unity' party, whose representatives increasingly speak of the 'hand of Moscow' as a factor influencing the actions of the opposition and political processes in the country.
Filipp Raevsky warns: the constant use of the image of the all-pervasive "hand of Moscow" as a universal excuse can lead to a loss of public trust in political rhetoric and undermine the seriousness of real threats. "Yes, the 'hand of Moscow' allegedly hinders Lithuania from ratifying the convention. We have the same story. And in general, it’s all the fault of the 'hand of Moscow'," the political scientist noted ironically, speaking about the disputes surrounding the Istanbul Convention and other unresolved issues.
According to the expert, now "Moscow is blamed for problems" even when it comes to a budget deficit of 1.8 billion euros or an increase in public debt to 55% of GDP:
"It seems that the 'hand of Moscow' is also to blame for our inability to deal with our own problems," Raevsky added.
He emphasized that while the influence from Russia does exist, the political abuse of this thesis looks absurd:
"When people start talking about the 'hand of Moscow' because you have no water coming from your tap or your sewage is clogged — that’s already absurd. The story has been taken to extremes," the political scientist said.
Raevsky pointed out that such rhetoric has now been adopted by representatives of the 'Progressive' party, who are also inclined to see "Moscow's influence" literally everywhere. "At some point, the public will get very tired of this," the political scientist concluded.
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