Petrozavodsk young actor Vasily Popov played one of the main roles in the film "The Man Who Surprised Everyone" directed by Natalia Merkulova and Alexei Chupov. The teenager got the role of the son of a man dying of cancer. Vasily played alongside Natalia Kudryashova, a Russian actress who won the Best female role at the Venice Festival.
Vasily Popov with his younger brother film set. Photo: from personal archive
About the tape itself was told in the popular TV show " Evening Urgant". The host invited two artists who starred in the film, including Natalya Kudryashova. During a conversation on Channel One, she also spoke about Vasily Popov from Petrozavodsk.
We have a problem with the elders in Petrozavodsk. Our Vasya is being pressed by high school students. They do not believe that he played in this film, - said the actress.
I appeal to all high school students who offend Vasya Popov at his school. Don't touch Vasya. Vasya is the king! - Ivan Urgant came to the defense of the young Karelian actor.
By the way, the film "The Man Who Surprised Everyone" was released today. True, it is not shown in Petrozavodsk cinemas. But Vasily Popov will be seen on big screens by viewers in Moscow and St. Petersburg. For the young actor, this is the first work in the cinema. True, he knows firsthand about this difficult profession: his mother is the actress of the Drama Theater of Karelia "Creative Workshop" Galina Pelevina. According to her, her son does not have any euphoria, and to important event in his life the boy treats first of all as a job.
It all took place in a village near Tver. We went there to shoot for several days, 3-4 days, sometimes there was one shooting day. Then from mid-September to the end of October we were on the set. Vasya is such a person for whom the filming process turned out to be absolutely his element. There were certain difficulties with the schedule, with the regime. He is still a child, it was difficult for him to act, for example, in some night scenes. The shooting day started very early. At 5 am we had to get up and go to the site. And there were some difficulties for him. I think so, with the role, because it is not easy, and the film is serious, not entertaining. But that's his atmosphere. He was surrounded by creative people, with whom it is easy for him to communicate, and he feels comfortable in this.
Galina Pelevina said that she had not yet seen the film itself in full and the work of her child. But, in her opinion, this is a very good tape, very deep and "about the present."
Those pieces of Vasina that I saw in the work, I think that he is cool. He doesn't mind filming. So he says that if he is called, of course, he will act in film. But he is passionate about any creative manifestations. He likes to practice vocals, he sings, composes music, edits and shoots some small short films with his brothers. Everything that concerns creativity, he, of course, is passionate about it.
When asked if Galina helped her son on the set, having extensive acting experience, she replied that she did not interfere in the creative process.
Galina Pelevina, actress of the TM theater, mother of Vasily:
I didn't help him at all. Since I am an actress myself, I understand perfectly well that any of my participation in any way in the creative process would only hurt. And it was absolutely not my task to somehow interfere in the process. There are directors, there are professional people. My task was, rather, at some moments to explain what is happening, that this is work, that it is important to overcome oneself here in order to play and succeed. That is, to explain some things to him about the profession.
Vasily Popov, a well-known politician and leader of the Karelian Yabloko party, has been living in Spain for three months now.
Until recently, this was a forced measure: Vasily Anatolyevich had a written undertaking not to leave, and he was waiting for a court session that was supposed to decide his fate. Recall that Vasily Popov received political asylum in Finland in March of this year, but was taken into custody as soon as he ended up in another EU country. The reason for the detention of the politician was the information that he is still on the international wanted list.
Vasily Popov was kept in Spanish prisons for three weeks, after which they chose a measure of restraint for him, not related to deprivation of liberty. AT this moment the politician is completely free in his movement. The Spanish Ministry of Justice told him that the trial would not take place because the Russian Prosecutor General's Office had not sent documents demanding his extradition.
If we recall how quickly Russian law enforcement officers reacted to Popov's detention in Finland, and how quickly they sent documents demanding extradition, the situation with Spain looks rather strange. According to the law, documents from the country that put the detainee on the international wanted list must be received within 40 days. In the case of Vasily Popov, this period was doubled, but the papers never arrived. What was the point then to put a person on the wanted list, to waste the forces of Interpol, the courts and the police of another country? It is hard to believe that this is a common negligence and the documents were simply forgotten or did not have time to send. It is obvious that this was a conscious decision taken despite the fact that it clearly discredits the country's law enforcement system.
It is also quite obvious that such a decision could not be made by an ordinary employee of the prosecutor's office. And all the talk that Popov paid off is nonsense. This case with the persecution of the Karelian politician is too resonant. No major or colonel would have dared to turn a blind eye to the need to demand extradition in such a case. It is clear that the decision was made on a completely different level.
Heads of the Prosecutor General's Office Russian Federation for some reason, they considered it unprofitable for themselves to demand the extradition of Vasily Popov. Perhaps this happened in light of the fact that Finland granted him political asylum and refused to extradite him to his homeland. It is obvious that any possible sentence against the politician will inevitably be subsequently canceled by the European Court of Human Rights, which will entail unnecessary problems for Russia. Although this is just a version.
One can only speculate what actually happened.
Andrei Rogalevich, Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Karelia:
It is difficult for me to say why the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation did not turn to the Spanish authorities with a request to extradite Vasily Popov. As far as I know, no official comment from the supervisory authority has been received. I have a few guesses. One of them is due to the fact that, as such, the crime, for which Vasily Popov is accused, among other things, was not committed. And the latest court hearings in the Petropit case testify to this.
In addition, when obtaining asylum in Finland, law enforcement agencies of another state did not see any signs of a crime committed. They did not consider Popov a criminal, recognizing his persecution as political.
Irina Petyaeva, head of the Karelian regional branch of the Just Russia party:
If the Russian prosecutor's office has ceased to demand the extradition of Vasily Popov, it means that they do not see a violation of the law in his actions.
Evgeny Belyanchikov, Chairman of the Union of Journalists of Karelia:
For me, without a doubt, the cases of "Petropit" and Vasily Popov are of a vivid political nature. Popov, as well as his political associates and comrades-in-arms, for a long time represented a rather serious political force in Karelia. opposition to the current government. They participated in elections, won them, worked in the republican and city parliaments, where they had their own weighty voice. A party-backed candidate was even elected mayor of Petrozavodsk. Of course, the activity of Popov and his associates caused quite significant political damage to the leaders of the republic, city and " United Russia"(which is essentially the same thing). Popov has long prevented the monopolization of the political system in Karelia.
Not surprisingly, the attention to him and his business in connection with this, was quite serious. Attention and pressure from all kinds of bodies - both inspection and law enforcement. It even came to real criminal provocations, when unknown people tried to plant drugs in Popov's car.
At the same time, the Petropit story is still rather strange for me. Due to insufficient immersion in the materials of the case, I cannot fully assert that everything in it is entirely a fiction of law enforcement agencies. I admit that there were some agreements between the participants of the illegal, according to the investigation, transaction, which, however, does not prove their violation of the law. I will add that in the modern legal system of Russia, if you wish, you can find some kind of compromising evidence on almost any businessman or official, which law enforcement agencies often use with success.
I have no doubt that if a similar deal had been made by one of the businessmen loyal to United Russia, there would have been no hype, and even more so, a criminal case and prosecution.
I remain of the opinion that it was the political order of the local level that could give rise to the criminal prosecution of Vasily Popov. The purpose of this order is obvious to me - to inflict significant damage on the political ambitions of Popov and his team. And this goal, I must say, has been successfully achieved. Today politic system in Karelia is completely monopolized by United Russia.
I also think that at the federal level this is well understood, and therefore all attempts by local security officials to include Popov's personality in a cohort of federal, if not international criminals, have so far been unsuccessful. Popov easily received political asylum in Finland, he was quickly released from prison in Spain, even the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, according to the media, eventually refused to demand Popov's extradition. I suppose that the fulfillment of the political task made the further persecution of the politician irrelevant.
It remains only to understand what will happen to the defendants in the Petropit case. I believe that the security forces will do everything possible to preserve the honor of the uniform and achieve a guilty verdict.
Emilia Slabunova, Chairman of the Russian United Democratic Party "Yabloko":
One can only speculate what could have caused such a decision. And the most important assumption: the whole point is that the criminal case against "Petropit" is falling apart. It was originally sewn with white thread, and the political nature of all these accusations and the criminal case initiated was absolutely clear. That is why the defendants were recognized by the international human rights organization "Memorial" as persecuted for political reasons. And now all these long legal proceedings, the testimony of witnesses, including those from the prosecution, do not confirm what was brought against the accused. Probably, the refusal to demand the extradition of Vasily Popov is due to the fact that law enforcement officers do not want to draw any more attention to the defendants in this criminal case. They want to take him away from the attention of the press and the public.
Gleb Yarovoy, political scientist, lecturer at Petrozavodsk State University:
The first thing that comes to mind when you comprehend this situation is that Vasily Popov has ceased to be of interest to the investigation and the prosecutor's office. There can be many reasons. In order to understand the loss of interest, you need to know the reason for its appearance sometime. Actually, there can be two reasons. First, the investigation really considers Popov to be a criminal, an accomplice of a certain crime, so they began a prosecution and sought extradition. In this case, the waiver of the extradition request may be an indication that the investigation revealed that Popov did not commit any crimes. Knowing the peculiarities of the Russian system of conducting investigations and trials aimed at accusing rather than establishing the truth, it is hard to believe in this version. More precisely, I don't believe it at all.
Second: Popov was very inconvenient for the regional leadership, so his persecution is political in nature. In this case, waiving the extradition request could mean losing interest in Popov as a political leader. Interest could have been lost in a natural way: Popov has long declared a lack of interest in Karelian politics, the leadership of the region has changed and the current managerial elite does not see it as a threat to their power monopoly, and Artur Parfenchikov may well not have personal accounts with Popov, unlike Khudilainen , to whom Popov's team greatly "spoiled the blood." Hard to believe. Most likely, Parfenchikov simply would not interfere in the situation, maintaining the status quo. Therefore, there is a suspicion that interest could be lost as a result of bargaining: Popov found what to offer the current leadership of the republic in exchange for an end to the active persecution of himself and his associates. What became the subject of bargaining, one can only guess: from obvious assets, such as the online magazine "Chernika", to non-obvious ones: for example, backed by something promises not to participate in regional political showdowns anymore. For example, not to nominate a candidate for the post of head of the region in the upcoming elections. I like this version the most, because at least some logic is visible in it. I will only emphasize that if it is true, this is not a reason to accuse Popov of political (or any other) weakness. There are things more important than political ambitions, it's obvious.
But in fact, the puzzle should be more difficult, and versions can range from banal to conspiracy theories.
Vasily Popov himself doesn't know either true reason what happened.
- I was only told that Russia refused to demand my extradition,- says the politician. - Unfortunately, I don't have more information.
Andrey Kuznetsov
Comments
Old grandfather pike
2017-07-23 12:01:47
Vasya firmly sat down there, you can’t uproot it with any force !!!
2017-07-21 09:14:58
By the way, Vpopov should still be checked on the privatization of the Olonets Dairy Plant))) there is)))
2017-07-21 11:30:18
Barbara,
What is the number of scammers for today?
2017-07-21 09:14:16
Majan, why didn't Russia demand the extradition of Vasily Popov? Vpopov himself asks you this question on Skype every morning))) Why? Why? Why?))) Lord's patience))) the thief will be in prison!
2017-07-22 10:32:57
Barbara,
Why? Why?
Because Varvara Bruns does not work in the Prosecutor General's Office!
Even for her, it's too much.
2017-07-20 13:24:38
Majan, lick you .. in your shoble vpopov))
2017-07-21 01:40:08
Wow!!!
Barbara has mastered the "fool himself" argument! Did she buy a card for a 20% discount on alcohol?
2017-07-21 11:27:37
Leopol "d,
Looks like the very, very point hit!
It will be necessary to get acquainted with Popov, otherwise it’s insulting to understand!
Looks like Vaska Varka was once very offended ... or cheated.
Vasily Popov, the leader of the republican movement Good Force, which is gaining momentum, recently received an appeal from an initiative group with a proposal to run for the post of head of the Republic of Karelia. The appeal was signed by a number of deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Kazakhstan, deputies of the Petrograd Soviet and many other citizens. According to the members of the initiative group, a brave and independent person, an experienced manager and a strong politician, Vasily Popov is certainly capable of creating an effective system of government in the republic.
Over the past four years, the Karelian ruling elite has strengthened itself very well both informationally and financially. Many are dissatisfied with the situation in the republic today, but few dare to oppose the current well-organized clan. You have made up your mind. Why?
Because I feel support in the republic. The fact that Katanandov suits everyone today and everyone is happy to have such a head is a myth. The myth and the fact that everything is fine in Karelia, that great successes have been achieved and that people live better. This myth is debunked when people look at life not through the rose-colored glasses that Karelian television puts on them, but on their own. And when they believe not inflated figures, but in what they see around them. For example, the government reports that the unemployment rate has halved in four years, but in reality unemployment is growing. It's just that a bus ticket has risen in price so much that people stopped going to the regional center to register with the employment service. And in some areas, buses stopped running altogether.
But there are figures of production growth of 20 percent in 1999, 9 percent in 2000... Living standards are not falling: 99.8 percent compared to last year...
In 1998, when Katanandov came to power, the standard of living after the default fell below nowhere. Where else can he fall? We would all be dead then. Yes, it does not fall, and this is presented by the government as a great merit. But this is one of the worst indicators in the country! In other regions, living standards are rising. In Russia, he last year increased by an average of 10 percent, in the North-West the figures are even higher: Arkhangelsk region - 23 percent, Komi - 21 percent. I do not argue that some people in Karelia not only did not lose their standard of living, but even raised it sharply. But if we raise the question of who these people are, we will come up with a hundred people, no more.
The growth of the economy of Karelia by 20 percent in 1999 is solely the "merit" of the default. And last year, the country began to decline. Other regions where the government is really working, gave a much larger increase in 1999. Arkhangelsk region, for example, - 37 percent. The default allowed the economy to breathe. We had a real chance to improve the economy and raise the level of well-being. We, the export republic, should have benefited most from the default. And they won some 20 percent. And they couldn't handle it properly.
What do you mean?
There is additional money in the budget. And, instead of using them for something useful - for example, for investments in production, for the reconstruction of housing and communal services, the government bought brand new jeeps, bought shares of the republican media, and made renovations in the offices of officials. Stepanov had an ordinary office. Katanandov has a stone table inlaid with semi-precious stones. Cabinets of ministers are not much more modest. In the Muezersky district, a boy almost died of appendicitis recently, because the only ambulance in the district has long been out of service. Housing and communal services have remained ruined: heating networks in most areas have not been repaired for 25 years. And when we got accidents in Loukhy, in Medgor, in the Belomorsky district, the government blamed everything on the mayors. To take away money from local self-government, and then to reproach the regions with poverty - this is simply cynicism! I travel a lot around the districts, communicate with people a lot, and I know for sure: people are tired of the current government, they no longer expect anything from it.
Who is more likely to agree with your position - ordinary people or major leaders, politicians?
Any mayor, deputy or director is afraid to argue: our republican executive power has learned how to twist its arms very well. Therefore, the higher the level of the leader, the more frankly he is in a face-to-face conversation and the less openly he expresses his position in public. For four years, Katanandov "taught": if you say a word against it today, tomorrow they will start "cutting off the oxygen" for you. But middle managers and small businesses are more bold in their statements. Many agree that it cannot continue like this, that the government needs to be changed.
But Katanandov is called a strong-willed, competent, strong leader.
But what are his challenges? First and foremost is the task of self-preservation. Therefore, instead of a course towards economic recovery, he led a course towards raising his own image, to strengthening his personal power. Look at the team he has formed! Kolesov, Krieger, Zhitny, Beluga, Sobinsky. Zhitny oversees "Karelrybflot". Now we do not have our own fish, and soon we will not have our own fleet. "Karelrybflot", as you know, is sold for next to nothing close friend heads of government. Wherever Krieger worked - solid financial scandals. Maybe Katanandov likes that the people of his entourage are "smeared over"? Because a "smeared" person is easier to control? What about Finance Minister Kolesov? Suffice it to recall his Karelian investment company. Many companies have invested in this project. But the undertaking went bankrupt with a bang. After that, the bankrupt manager becomes the Minister of Finance. Is this possible with a "competent" head of government? From the very beginning it was obvious: Katanandov selects a team not on the basis of decency and professionalism, but on the basis of personal loyalty. Do you know how we call the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan? CJSC Government of Karelia. This is really a closed joint stock company aimed at personal well-being, personal survival.
We constantly read about new government projects, about economic programs and strategies for socio-economic development...
It is clear that Sergei Leonidovich has professionals who are sincerely trying to do something. But the main thing is not written papers, but real actions. You can write a program to get the economy out of the crisis and immediately for two million rubles - for next to nothing! - sell the pulp and paper mill. Under these conditions, all programs - clean water populism. Then undercover work begins, when everything is given to "their own" for a penny, when the republic is simply pulled apart. Only tenths of a percent flourish - individual families. A common phenomenon in Karelia: the timber industry goes bankrupt, the workers are without wages, and the director flies to the Canary Islands for Christmas.
How can the government keep track of every director of the timber industry?..
Why?! It is just like that! It created such a system. Medium and small bosses look at the big one. They see that villages in the republic are freezing, schoolchildren are without food, and the government is buying jeeps for itself. The idea is being implanted that we are a poor republic and we should not expect anything. In fact, there are resources in Karelia. It is only necessary that the money should not go "to the left", but be directed to social facilities, to housing and communal services, to the development of the economy.
You reproach the Karelian authorities for trying to prolong their existence at any cost. But this desire seems natural ...
In our country this aspiration has grown to such an extent that the main objective- to improve the standard of living of people - is generally forgotten. Katanandov has turned into a wedding general who does nothing but give gifts, cut ribbons...
Well, as mayor, why didn't you cut the ribbons?
It happened once. Sergei Leonidovich invited me to the opening of a section of the road around Olonets. The road was built by the Federal Highway Fund. And I thought: "What do I have to do with it? What does Sergei Leonidovich have to do with it?" I was always surprised how this government, without hesitation, declares everything created, built by the people, everything bought with budget, people's money as a "gift from the government." The swimming pool in Petrozavodsk was declared the same gift. It cost the taxpayer 61 million rubles, but it could have cost 36 million if the government had not squandered the remaining 25 million. The forest alone was lost for 4 million rubles. Where did the two million dollars worth of wood allocated for the construction of the boiler house in Muezerka go?
But, most importantly, we absolutely do not recognize crimes and miscalculations! When the Chamber of the Republic discussed where the 18,000 cubic meters of timber allocated for the reconstruction of the basin "sailed away", where millions of budget rubles were squandered, the officials did not even try to justify themselves. “So what!” they answered. “Yes, the forest disappeared, money was also sometimes spent for other purposes. But look at the facility we put into operation, no one in the North-West has such a thing.” Theft and slovenliness are in the order of things. The government believes that everything is fine with us, the lured media repeat after: "Everything is fine: we must elect this government again."
Suppose you lead the republic. What is your top priority?
The most important task is to get ordinary people out of poverty. We must adopt the principle of "universal honesty and prosperity for all". This very simple principle should become our republican "national idea". And it can be realized under the first indispensable condition: the condition of abandoning the closed clan economy. Second. There should not be dishonest people in power. My personnel policy will be simple: involved in financial fraud - close the door from the other side. Professional, decent person - you are welcome. Thirdly, it is necessary to achieve a fair distribution of the benefits that all residents of Karelia earn by their labor. Today everyone agrees that what is happening in the republic cannot continue. Not without reason, a joint press conference was held in Moscow the other day with the participation of all serious political forces of the republic: Yabloko, the Union of Right Forces and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, at which a joint statement was adopted on the need to change the current republican leadership. If the inhabitants of our republic do not solve this problem in the next elections, Karelia will lose another four years...
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“Popov ran away? Let Popov return. He has nowhere to run, he has family here. He simply does not want this rigmarole - to walk around our lousy cells, where there is dirt and shit, ”- Vladimir Zavarkin, a deputy of the city council of Suoyarvi, accused “for public calls to violate the integrity of Russia”, about Vasily Popov.
These words of the Karelian deputy, spoken a few days before my accidental visit to Finland, where the businessman and politician Vasily Popov is "hiding from the investigation," still sounded in my head while I was waiting for my interlocutor in one of the many shopping centers on that sunny day. day of the city of Joensuu - the administrative, economic, scientific, educational and cultural capital of the region of North Karelia, and perhaps of the whole of Eastern Finland. Indeed, a good replacement for "lousy cameras."
Vasily Popov, who agreed to a meeting on his day off and even “dropped me off” to the nearest hypermarket in search of a “ban”, was the first to start a conversation immediately after the handshake:
- Gleb, do not be shy at all. I often have to communicate with journalists and political scientists, I understand and respect this work.
“Okay, I won’t embarrass you,” I thought, but the conversation started from afar ...
A bit about life in Finland
- And often you are disturbed here?
In Petrozavodsk, they didn't disturb me so often. And not only Karelian journalists. I constantly communicate with Muscovites, however, communication takes place via the Internet. Finnish journalists call from time to time, mostly from central newspapers: Heslingin Sanomat, Ilta Sanomat. And then the local newspaper Karjalainen reprints it. Because for them it is big event when they write about Joensuu in national newspapers. And when I was put on the international wanted list, then in general someone said: “Come on, Vasya, glorify our hole!” They treat this situation with humor.
(The pedestrian crossing the road waved his hand, they say, drive through)
Kiitos [Thank you].
- Do you learn Finnish?
No I do not want to. I went to Spain for a few days, there I immediately learned a lot of words, I can say hello to five different ways. But the soul does not lie in learning Finnish. And I don’t want to get Finnish citizenship… True, I wasn’t going to get a residence permit, but I got it in a month.
- No problem?
Absolutely no problem. In general, I got used to it easily, and I have an office here.
- As a business? Is it coming?
Well, we launched it like that, in between times. It is not an end in itself, but slowly develops.
About Russian politics and Petrozavodsk oligarchs
- I recently interviewed Evgenia Chirikova. She went to live in Estonia. And in general, they say that Russian political émigrés prefer the Baltic states, because Russian dissidents are treated well there. Why Finland?
I didn’t just take it and run away somewhere, because they seriously “rolled up” on me, like on Chirikova. My departure from Russia was necessary so that the political and economic system that we have built would not be left without my leadership. And not just to run away and just not to put me in jail. If there was responsibility only for oneself or even only for one family, then I would understand that children will not die of hunger, and then, like Alikhanov, one could sit down for nothing and sit, sort it out. And I had to leave, because you can’t especially guide yourself from the pre-trial detention center, you won’t defend yourself. And I have to work. It is 360 km from Petrozavodsk, people constantly come to me, sometimes I have three meetings a day. I'm working. You can't run into Estonia, it's much more difficult.
Concerning good relationship, a sin to complain about something. The attitude is amazing. They helped to create a business in such a way that they simply led by the hand. And I kept thinking: what's the catch? And they just have a different approach: do you want to create a company? Do you want to do business? Do you want to hire other people to work, create jobs, pay them a salary, pay taxes? So, of course, we sympathize with you, but we will definitely help you. In general, thank you, fool, for not wanting to work for a salary, but want to pay other people. And we have the opposite: did you decide to become a businessman? Well, we are going to show you what it means to have a business...
- Do you consider yourself a dissident, a dissident, a "fifth column"?
I don't think about this at all. I'm not a political refugee. I'm getting out of the situation. And the situation is this: the more confident the regime feels and the stronger it is, the more democracy it allows, because it feels its strength. Democracy ends when the regime runs out of resources. This works both in Russia in general and in Karelia in particular.
The governor came to us, who, unlike the same Katanandov, is very weak. Katanandov [Sergei Katanandov - ex-governor of Karelia, currently a senator from Karelia] as a person, maybe not better than Khudilainen, but he was stronger: he relied on political resources, on his supporters. We had a confrontation with him, there were political battles. Hudilainen doesn't have that, he's weak. His only resource in this confrontation is law enforcement agencies, which are also all guided by visitors. And I just thought that as long as this madhouse exists, I'll stay here because we don't need our system to be decapitated.
And I can say that it was not my personal decision. My people came up to me and said: “We don’t need you in the pre-trial detention center. You better tell us something on the Internet than we will find out through a lawyer how to act in such and such a situation. Therefore, we had to agree that Nastya [Anastasia Kravchuk - the wife of a businessman, who is on trial for fraud with municipal property] returned to Russia, because there is a risk of her imprisonment, but this will not decapitate the system, because she did not lead system. But I can’t, because if they arrest me, what will our people do?
In general, I do not feel like a dissident, but we still need to figure out what is meant by this. Of course, my persecution is political, because I am dangerous to the system. And Hudilainen is part of this system, like all the other governors. They all have the right to their "overshoots".
Regarding the "fifth column"... I'm a historian, I know not only what it is, but also where this expression came from. I really like to think logically, and I often have thoughts that what is happening in Russia is absurd. The "fifth column" are people who sit in the rear and destroy [the state]. And what did I destroy in Russia? Can not understand. I have created several enterprises employing a thousand people. None of them appeared as a result of privatization. Some of them are engaged in trade, some - in production. There is a plant [Olonets Dairy Plant], which is constantly developing and is the largest taxpayer of the region and on which the agriculture of the region is largely based. I ideologically oppose corruption, I support values that heal society. And yet I am a dangerous person for this society. Or not for society, but for some people.
So, on the one hand, both I and Shirshina are preaching some completely sensible things, and as a result we become dangerous. Moreover, if we did not do this, my image would be like “Leonid Beluga”, my old acquaintance, and I would fit perfectly into this system. Beluga has already been awarded with everything possible: both diplomas and the title of honorary citizen. Just that there is no order ... Or maybe there already is. And in my entire post-university life, I never received a single diploma.
And when the Finns ask me here about why I am here, I sometimes do not know what to answer. The answer that my economic interests collided with the interests of St. Petersburg residents is rather a secondary, although a very important factor. Khudilainen and St. Petersburg residents cannot enter Petrozavodsk, they cannot board a municipal order. They are nervous about this.
- Because you are sitting on this order?
No. Because Shirshina sits on this order as the mayor. And it defines the rules for receiving this order. And according to these rules, St. Petersburg guys can’t get through. After all, they want to come not because they are the best, but because they have connections with the governor. More than others, transport workers are nervous. They are so active because there is a year of their contract left, and if they don't remove Shirshina during this year, they will leave the city of Petrozavodsk. And their plan to have no trolleybuses in the city did not work either. "Piteravto" will fly into the pipe.
But this is all secondary. Once I answered the question of why I am here like this: I can win any election, but in our system a person who is not from the ruling party can win any election becomes really dangerous. And it needs to be removed somewhere on the distant approaches. And I understand that both Devlet Alikhanov and I were removed before the early elections of the governor this September. But I openly said that until they put me in jail, no victory will shine for Khudilainen. Alikhanov was jailed, but I was not. The governor does not go to the polls. And now Alikhanov will not be released. They just don't know how to release it. When a person is imprisoned for something, he understands his guilt and he has no resentment. And Alikhanov is well aware that he did not commit the crime that he is accused of. And everyone understands: the judge, the prosecutor, the Investigative Committee, law enforcement agencies, any person who is at least a little competent in this matter. Khudilainen knows this too. Only ordinary people you can tell he's a criminal...
- Well, actually I didn't want to ask anything about Alikhanov, but I'll ask one question anyway. He just interests me as a resident of Petrozavodsk. Will you deny that, when Andrei Demin was the mayor of the city, Alikhanov, taking advantage of a favorable situation for him, caused serious economic damage to the city, taking a lot of municipal real estate on a long-term lease for nothing and making a fortune on its sublease. At the same time, the city lost millions of rubles, although these schemes cannot be called criminal ...
Of course, I will deny it. And I can tell you that today I am the most competent of those who can discuss this topic. So, under Demin, Alikhanov really did several major things. The first major act is that he rented the Karelia Market building. Now we are talking, they say, such a beautiful piece of city property. And in 1998 it was a completely miserable building. It was a municipal enterprise, which was deliberately ruined, and this building, through the bankruptcy procedure, was generally supposed to go into private hands for a penny. Then Alikhanov agreed with Demin that he would make efforts, spend money, buy out the debts of this enterprise and bring the enterprise out of bankruptcy. And for this he takes the building on a long-term lease. If Alikhanov had not intervened, and Demin had not entered into this agreement with him, Karelia Market would not have belonged to the city of Petrozavodsk at all. As a result, we are talking about the fact that the building remained in city ownership, but does not pay enough taxes. Meanwhile, during this time, Karelia-Market has become a completely civilized store, it has got one more floor. And now Alikhanov is forced to buy this premises from the city at market value. So what damage did he do to the city? He actually saved the place. But he is a businessman, so the purpose of this deal was to make a profit. And Demin had neither personnel, nor financial, nor organizational resources in order to save this enterprise.
I'm not talking about the fact that he carried out several large transactions of the same type, buying up almost all the unfinished buildings of the city of Petrozavodsk and building shopping centers there. For the money for which he bought these buildings, anyone could buy them: me, or Svyatoslav Nefedov, or the same Leonid Beluga. But none of us figured it out, didn't do it. And no one believed that profit could be made from these unfinished buildings. That the current building of the "Capital", that the building of "Ten", in addition, were simply dangerous for others, the children played there all the time, any of them could fall into these pits.
That's all he did. What damage did he do? He organized construction, jobs, paid a bunch of taxes. By the way, he is very law-abiding. And the fact that he is smart and knows how to invest money ... Yes, we do not like it for this. And when Davlet, at the peak of his position, complained to me that they did not like him, I told him: “What do you want? You are so well settled in life, you are rich, you are famous, you have power, and you want someone to love you? And he was offended like a child.
- Yes, local oligarchs here, as elsewhere in Russia, are not favored ...
By the way, in terms of people, Alikhanov, Beluga and Popov are one and the same in terms of wealth. Although, in fact, Alikhanov and Beluga are much richer than me. And for people we are some kind of "oligarchs" who share something there in the city of Petrozavodsk. But at the same time, the attitude of people, for example, to me and to Beluga is different. And if I go to the polls, then everyone knows that I am a dangerous competitor for any opponent. Beluga is better not to go to the polls. The people are not stupid, they catch this topic. As a result, he lost the elections to the Legislative Assembly to Alexei Gavrilov from A Just Russia.
And Alikhanov wins. Of course, he has flaws, like everyone else. But he is an absolutely useful person for society.
(A waitress approached. Vasily Popov makes an order in English: “A large kettle of green tea and the most delicious dessert, please.” The expression on the businessman’s face in the photo - a la “the last dessert in his life” - is deceptive, in fact he often smiles, although often looks thoughtful and focused).
About Crimea and Yabloko
- Thanks to the waitress for distracting us from Alikhanov. I would be very interested to know more, but there is no time for that today. So let's finish with general political questions, I have a couple more. For example, this one: you openly opposed the annexation of Crimea to Russia…
I didn't do it on purpose. It wasn't a statement. They just asked me and I answered. The press conference where I am talking about this was not dedicated to Crimea at all.
- Do you think there is political implications your application?
I expressed an opinion that, according to the law, everyone has the right to express. There are people in Finland who say that Russia did everything right, but there are those who say that it was impossible to annex Crimea. Everyone talks about it and goes on their own way. And we have a man said - that's it, a label is hung. But in general, I do not consider this statement to be in any way dangerous, because I am a member of the Yabloko party, and regarding Crimea, this is the official position of the party, this is the position of Grigory Yavlinsky. But I said this not because I submit to party discipline, but because we have the same attitude towards this. But we, those who have not fled from Yabloko in 20 years, still have something holding us together. So I just expressed my opinion, and some of this inflated the story, because we are used to everything being silent “in a rag”: from the tsar, from the general secretary, from the Soviet Union, from the KGB ... And now nothing has changed with us , psychology has not changed, so a person who makes open statements should automatically be obstructed and labeled.
- It is clear that you are not inflated about the consequences for yourself personally. But what could be the electoral consequences for the Yabloko party? What percentage of voters share your point of view?
First, nothing is static. The opinion of the population of Russia and Crimea at the time of accession, with expensive oil and the absence of sanctions, and today's opinion - they are already different. And in a year it will change even more.
At that time, at a press conference, I said that there would be no Gogol bridge in Petrozavodsk, because we annexed Crimea. We will not have many things, because we have annexed Crimea. Most likely, Yabloko at the federal level [because of its position on Crimea] will not lose anything. After all, the level of support was at the level of 3%. And the annexation of the Crimea does not support more than 3%. And it is quite possible that, unlike other parties that take the same position on Crimea, Yabloko will be admitted to the elections. And as for what happened, Yabloko can even earn votes on this.
- And in Karelia?
Unlike the federal Yabloko, we in Karelia always fight for victory. Here, completely different factors are included: this is the factor of trust in specific political leaders and the effectiveness of the asset. But there are additional difficulties: they are trying with all their might to keep us out of the elections. But why? After all, they say that Yabloko has buried itself with its statements on Crimea. Then why cancel the election of the mayor before dismissing Shirshina ahead of schedule? Because Shirshina will be elected again. And I am sure that the electoral positions of Yabloko did not suffer in the slightest, I even suspect that they are for Last year intensified somewhat.
No one is such a devoted reader of individual sites as their political opponents. So today I went to the opposition media, where I came across another interview with a prisoner of conscience Vasily Popov.
As it turned out, Vasily Anatolyevich made a restart to his enemies, adding the OFAS of Karelia to the extensive list.
Let's recall history. In January of this year, the prosecutor's office of Karelia received a wave of complaints from residents of the republic about a sharp increase in prices for the entire line of dairy products. On average, the cost increased by almost 15%.
The commission organized by the Department of the Antimonopoly Service found out that “from August 26, 2013 to January 20, 2015, the specified competing enterprises repeatedly, synchronously in time and dates and uniformly (for all varieties of purchased raw materials) set the same purchase prices for their partners: agricultural enterprises of the region raw milk suppliers.
What a "coincidence"! Directly from Helsinki, fearing no one, Vasily Popov publicly declared: “The governor is coordinating the actions of federal inspection structures!” It should be noted that earlier the asylum seeker repeatedly stated that Alexander Khudilainen coordinates the activities of all federal law enforcement agencies. Soon you will inevitably begin to wonder what Vladimir Putin is doing in his post, if everything is in the hands of the head of the region.
But something else is curious. The entire article is devoted (in addition to the fact that all the governors in Karelia were bad people, and did not understand the noble urges of Vasya's soul) to how he diligently manages the Olonets dairy plant. Meanwhile, at one of the last press conferences, I myself heard Popov proclaim from the podium: “I got rid of all my assets. Now I have nothing. I don’t want people close to me to suffer because of this.”
That's really who would say ... "Care" Vasily Popov about people, both distant and close, is well known. Let's not talk about Galina Shirshina, Konstantin Begunov writes a lot and in detail about her. Let's look at other cases. Namely, those when, as a result of such “care”, citizens who at one time or another were close to Popov got a criminal record, criminal terms, and so on. For example, Andrei Demin, who was also brought to power by Vasily Popov. Bought trash instead of buses, embezzled budget money - all this at the suggestion of a Helsinki refuser.
I doubt that cousin Vasily Popova, Director of the Publishing House "Gubernia Newspaper" Svetlana Chechil herself came up with the idea of heading the administration of the Prionezhsky District and engaging in speculation land plots. Recall that by the decision of the court of first instance, the cousin of the fugitive businessman was sentenced to 1.5 years in a colony of the settlement.
And what about his wife, Anastasia Kravchuk, together with other defendants in the Petropit case, that, without the knowledge of her husband, turned this deal? As a result, according to the investigation, the budget of the Karelian capital suffered forty million rubles ...
As a human being, it is hard for me to understand how a loving husband, knowing that his wife is under investigation, while not intending to return from abroad, could allow his wife to return to Russia. Indeed, in Petrozavodsk, the court could not release Kravchuk on bail of 3 million rubles, but determine a different measure of restraint. Moreover, it is not known how the ongoing trial on the merits of the case will end, no matter how ...
It seems to me that this was done for a reason. The more people from the environment of the fugitive businessman suffer, the easier it will be for him to declare the political background of the case, the more likely he is to receive political asylum ...
There are prisoners of conscience, and there are prisoners without conscience...