Yesterday, Montelibero Space, also known as the First Montelibero Club, ceased its operations, which its creator announced on his blog. Why did the landlord terminate the contract? Because the police came to him. Why did the police come to him? Because he had a legal connection to MTL-City. Why did he have this connection? Because it is much cheaper to register real estate in Montenegro through Montenegrins. Why is Montelibero having difficulties with real estate registration? Because it is a zone of total corruption: no one can do it according to the law, but everyone can do it informally. Why did the police target Montelibero specifically? Because they needed to work a news story. Why did this specific news story arise, even though Montenegro is literally packed with Russians who have far more pronounced ties to the Russian authorities than those who were managed to be linked to Montelibero in the article? Because one of Montelibero’s original concepts involved open interaction with Montenegrin media and political forces for the purpose of advocating libertarian values. The journalist asking the questions was perceived as an ideologically close supporter of liberal values until the article was published. However, as recent world events have taught us, one should not confuse liberal values with USAID grants.

To summarize the first paragraph figuratively, Montelibero went to war, but dressed up as if for a parade. The same mistake was made as by Putin in February 2022, when he somehow assumed that the population would greet his army of liberators with flowers. The fact that Montelibero was indeed preparing for the role of liberators is irrelevant from a tactical standpoint. It was foolish to disregard the fact that the state is our enemy, and its compliant population and media servants mostly side with the Montenegrin state.

What conclusions should be drawn and what actions should be taken?

First, we should become more modest. We are not the vanguard of freedom forces, but refugees from a dictatorship far more terrifying than Montenegro’s. We have refugees here from such totalitarian state entities as Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Norway, and Germany. And we are here because it is a little easier to breathe here, and because we are less likely to be kicked out from here to somewhere else.

Secondly, “breathing easier” and “breathing freely” are not synonyms. There are obvious dangers here that should not be neglected. We have vulnerabilities, and they should be covered. What are these vulnerabilities? First and foremost, everything that the state can grab hold of. Yes, the state can grab hold of anything, just as some HIMARS can reach any target within the radius of its missiles. But missiles are expensive, so the best countermeasures are dispersal and stealth. Each of us must look like a cheap target that is not worth the effort. Just some random small business owners and freelancers, only vaguely acquainted with one another. And no formations on the parade ground, like MTL-Fest. This is no longer a beautiful, inspiring picture, but an enticing target that the enemy will not hesitate to expend effort to destroy.

Thirdly, any Montenegrin must be perceived as an agent of the state. Both the policeman and the one who helps solve problems with the police are beneficiaries of the current system, and both will hand us over to the state as soon as it becomes profitable for them, or as soon as they are simply asked to, or simply to avoid trouble, as happened with the club’s landlord. They will not refuse the state on ideological grounds, because ideologically they are on its side, not ours.

And what, not even make personal contacts with the locals? Of course, make them. Engage in small talk, congratulate them on holidays, treat them to strange Russian treats. But. The sympathy a specific Montenegrin has for you will in no way extend to your friends. If you ask a specific friend for help, there is a chance. But God forbid you try to preemptively buy your way into a Montenegrin “roof” instead—you immediately move from the category of acquaintances to the category of suckers. As soon as you actually need a roof, you will be screwed.

So. To the outside world, we must appear to be harmless loners: pleasant, sociable, with plenty of friends, and trouble-free. Among ourselves, it is important to continue feeling a sense of community. Appeal to it less, manifest it more. Should we record relationships on the blockchain? For now, the dangers outweigh the potential benefits. Blockchain is good specifically for tokenomics, when your obligations are countable and transferable. But whether two accounts are related—that is more likely fertile ground for a Major’s investigations. Our own know anyway, and perhaps outsiders shouldn’t know either.

In general, harsh conditions stimulate dividing the world into ours and theirs. And it is time for us to learn to draw such boundaries clearly, despite all the universalism of our libertarian ideology.