Vasily Popov: “Karelia is tired of Katanandov.” Vasily Popov played one of the main roles in the film, which conquered the Venice festival Vasily Popov Karelia

Over the past two years, Karelian businessman, former leader of the regional branch and member of the federal political council of the Yabloko party, Vasily Popov, has been subject to a criminal case in Russia, the status of a political refugee in Finland and in a Spanish prison. On April 5, he was released from a pre-trial detention center in Madrid. The "" correspondent talked with Popov about the conditions of detention in a Spanish prison and his plans for the future.

“Psychologically it was more difficult in Finland”

Congratulations on your release - another one. How does it feel psychologically when you are taken into custody in a foreign country? How does it feel?

Thank you. It was psychologically more difficult in Finland, because at that moment the children arrived. In Spain, I initially felt irritated that work plans were disrupted, no one spoke English and could not explain anything. When I was already in prison, I calmed down.

The conditions in the Finnish KPZ [pre-trial detention cell], or - as it is also called, pre-trial detention center - were very comfortable. You managed to spend time in two Spanish prisons. How are the conditions?

In Finland it is more comfortable, of course, both in the police and in prison. Besides, in Finland I could use gadgets and keep in touch. Spain has more restrictions. The inability to use the Internet was the main problem for me.

- Doesn't the prison look like a hotel?

Not good. The cells were double, but I was alone almost all the time. The cell has a toilet, washbasin and shower. Prisoners may have a TV, radio, headphones and other gadgets other than communication devices. There is a small store where you can buy food, hygiene products, and other necessary things. I bought myself a wristwatch for 9 euros and will give it to my son. The shop brews fresh coffee of several types. Prices are low. One coffee costs about 14–15 rubles in our money.

- What about the attitude towards prisoners? For Karelia, torture in colonies is one of the most complex and discussed problems.

The attitude of police and prison staff towards arrested persons and prisoners is respectful and even friendly. The prison in Tenerife was comfortable and even pleasant. Very tasty food, excellent climate. After the Spanish newspapers wrote about my detention, the guards jokingly stood up to attention and saluted me when they met me. In principle, there is no need to react to the guards. Very often, prisoners simply chat with the guards about various topics or play table tennis.

- How do prisoners communicate with each other?

Relations among prisoners are very friendly. Everyone tries to help each other, especially newcomers and those who find themselves without things and money. The prisoners even treat each other to coffee.

- Are there other entertainments besides coffee?

The prison offers various courses, in particular, in the study of Spanish and English, aerobics and even yoga. Naturally, everything is free. I spent my days doing yoga outdoors, learning English and Spanish, and talking to prisoners who spoke English. I didn’t want to leave Tenerife. He parted with the prisoners and guards very warmly.

I spent my days doing yoga outdoors, learning English and Spanish, and talking to prisoners who speak English.

- Are conditions worse in Madrid?

I wouldn't say so. In Madrid they wanted to place me in a prison for politicians and businessmen with a very preferential regime, but this prison turned out to be overcrowded. I found myself in a normal one for eight days. I was supposed to be released in three days, but because of the holidays I stayed late and had a good time. At the same time, foreign prisoners say that Spanish prisons are almost the toughest in Europe.

“On what grounds I was arrested, I don’t know yet”

- Still, the Spanish authorities admitted their mistake [Popov was detained at the request of Russia after he received political asylum in Finland]? Or do they insist that they acted according to the law? I checked: your name is not in the Interpol database. On what basis did they detain you and now they are not letting you out of the country?

On what basis I was arrested, I don’t know yet. The meeting with the lawyer will be on Monday. This could be some special Interpol list or a direct request from Russia. But since I was detained by decision of a Spanish court, I now need to go through the whole procedure. At the first preliminary hearing, the judge decided to release me. I will find out what the next procedure will be on Monday. I think that we are not talking about an error, but simply about a rare case for which there are no strict regulations. Apparently, there is a request from Russia, and Spain is obliged to respond to it, one might say, manually.

- Now you will have not only Russian, but also Finnish business assets and projects remotely. Can you handle it?

I have gadgets and internet, so managing my businesses won't be much of a problem. Although it is, of course, more efficient to manage the Olonets Dairy Plant and other enterprises from Russia.

This year, like last year, is an election year. Many in Karelia have a question: are Vasily Popov and Yabloko going to participate in the fight for the post of governor? I remember very well that in the summer of 2015 you told me that politics was not interesting to you and that you participated in the 2013 mayoral elections of Petrozavodsk either forcedly or out of a sense of duty - not even to voters, but to partners and associates. Last September, despite local successes, Yabloko was not represented in the Petrozavodsk City Council, retaining only a faction in the Legislative Assembly of Karelia. No motivation at all to participate in the gubernatorial campaign?

- Yabloko is a federal party. The party, not me, makes the decision to participate in certain elections. But I’m still not interested in being involved in politics. I want the enterprises that I created to develop successfully, so that the workers of these enterprises receive a decent salary and be confident in the future, so that my comrades and my wife are not persecuted. I want our family to be together.

I'm still not interested in politics

Serious passions are flaring up in the neighboring region: two associates of the influential businessman Vasily Popov were arrested in a criminal case of fraud - Petrosoviet deputy from the Yabloko party Olga Zaletskaya and director of the large trading house Lentorg Alexandra Kornilova. Vasily Popov himself and his wife do not want to return to Karelia, because they are sure that the local authorities have announced a hunt for him.

In Karelia, a high-profile criminal case of fraud led to the arrest of Petrograd Soviet deputy from the party Olga Zaletskaya, director of the large trading house Lentorg Alexandra Kornilova, as well as the forced emigration of one of the most influential people in the region - the founder of Lentorg Vasily Popov, they report local media.

A criminal case for fraud was opened in 2014. According to investigators, the now detained deputy Olga Zaletskaya sold Vasily Popov’s wife, Anastasia Popova, a municipal building (Petropit school feeding plant) at a reduced price. Olga Zaletskaya was then the director of Petropit. Now both women are accused of a crime under Part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code (“Fraud committed by an organized group of persons or on a particularly large scale”). As the Petrozavodsk newspaper clarifies, as a result of the illegal transaction, the damage to the city budget amounted to 16 million rubles.

Local media clarify that Lentorg director Alexandra Kornilova and Petrosoviet deputy Olga Zaletskaya are longtime associates of Vasily Popov. "Capital on Onego" clarifies that the investigation intends to petition for the women to be placed in custody for 2 months.

Vasily Popov himself and his wife are now abroad and do not plan to return. The businessman is sure that Karelian law enforcement agencies plan to imprison him for the same case when he returns. “Now, I think, neither I nor she should return. Probably, the governor is preparing the ground for early elections. While I am free, the risks of losing are high for him. Various custom television programs are being aired, where the population is ideologically prepared to accept my arrest,” - Vasily Popov told Kommersant.

At the moment, Vasily Popov is a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Karelia, director of the Olonets CJSC Olonets Dairy Plant and the informal leader of the regional Yabloko. A Karelian businessman supported the candidacy of Galina Shirshina for the post of mayor of Petrozavodsk (in fact, he promoted her to mayor).

The press service of the Yabloko party, in turn, claims that the criminal case has no prospects. “Zaletskaya is accused of signing a contract for the sale of a municipal building at an allegedly reduced price. But Zaletskaya signed the contract for the sale of the building only after the court forced her to do so,” says the party’s press service, emphasizing that in the last year In Karelia, a huge number of criminal cases have been initiated against political opponents of Governor Alexander Khudilainen. “This is just madness. Continuation of the war between the Karelian governor Khudilainen and the mayor Shirshina,” Vasily Popov comments on what is happening on his

Olga Zaletskaya, the mother of two minor children, has a husband at sea and no other close relatives. Alexandra Kornilova is doing little better: she has a 90-year-old mother in her care, and none of her relatives are particularly eager to care for her. Social activists and human rights activists are now trying to understand the harshness of the court decision. I am more interested in the position of the person who is behind everything that is happening: Vasily Popov himself.

Let us remind you: as soon as it became known about the detention of Zaletskaya and Kornilova, Vasily Anatolyevich, vacationing abroad, immediately announced that he and his wife would not return to Russia in the foreseeable future. The politician’s words were quoted by Kommersant: “Now, I think, neither I nor she should return... The governor is probably preparing the ground for early elections. While I am free, the risks of losing are high for him... Various custom-made television programs are being released where the population is ideologically prepared to accept my arrest.”

The question arises: why was this statement needed? If you follow the logic of the priest’s team, the main task of the enemies is to remove the “Apple” leader from the political process. Emigration is a great way to do this. So, perhaps, Vasily Anatolyevich, with his commentary in the press, confirmed that he had fulfilled the conditions of the veiled ultimatum, and the women could be released? Nothing happened. A few hours later, he confirmed his decision to stay abroad and “MK” in Karelia.” But he emphasized that he was not going to play by the rules of his enemies.

Perhaps Vasily Anatolyevich expected that the people would react to his decision with understanding and sympathy, but in reality it turned out differently. Indeed, it turns out ugly: the girls are in prison because of his affairs, and he is in a stadium in Finland. Explanations like “sitting down won’t make it any easier for them” are understandable, but still somehow unmanly...

What could the main Karelian Yabloko do in this situation? The first way is to immediately declare that you are returning. And give appropriate comments: they say, I’m not hiding from anyone, I’m already on my way, I’m standing in line for tickets... Because if you’re hiding, it means you’re guilty. We do not know what happened at the trial for the arrest of Zaletskaya and Kornilova, but we can well assume that Popov’s departure played an important role here. Like, the person who conducted the entire performance has already disappeared, and it’s not a fact that the others won’t rush after him. (However, according to rumors, the court took into account that Zaletskaya, the wife of a sea captain at sea, could go with his children and elderly father directly on a long voyage). And so - everyone is in sight and ready to answer any questions. And Vasily Popov is the first.

Although, actually, it’s not about Popov at all. From the point of view of the letter of the law, he has nothing to do with what is happening, and he does not feel the need to deliberately hide from the punishing sword of justice. It was bought by his wife Anastasia Kravchuk. It’s really too early for her to return...

It is clear that Anastasia herself did not and could not have had that kind of money, even taking into account her 100,000-ruble deputy salary. Everything indicates that her husband gave her a round sum of 18 million rubles - in other words, he recorded the purchase in her name. Hence the second way to save at least your own wife from criminal prosecution in advance: make the purchase in your name.

There was a third way. The main complaint of the security forces against the participants in the transaction is that the building was sold at a reduced price - for 18 million instead of 34 million. The price fell due to the fact that the building was burdened with a long-term lease. According to the investigators’ logic, after the early termination of the lease agreement, it again became worth 34 million rubles.

If I were in the place of the Popovs, immediately after the initiation of a criminal case, I would have put the building up for auction at exactly this price. And then everyone would see how much interested parties are actually willing to pay for it. According to my information, no one needs it even for 18 million. It is impossible to set up anything other than a warehouse in the former school canteen complex, but you can find a warehouse here even cheaper. Thus, everyone would be convinced with their own eyes that the price was not too low, but very real. Maybe even the most profitable for the city. The most interesting thing is that it can still be done! Even while abroad!

But Vasily Popov did not do this. He did not make any gestures at all to alleviate the fate of his associates, except for slogans. Well, and, according to our information, lawyers, who, according to the testimony of my colleagues, also operate with slogans. All that remains for the priest’s team is to give a political coloring to what is happening: supposedly we are witnessing a “cleansing” of the political field of Karelia before the early gubernatorial elections. The version, frankly, is weak: if such a decision had been made by the president, it would have been announced immediately after Putin’s recent meeting with Khudilainen. (Let me remind you that it took place in Moscow in March. According to the presidential press secretary - on the 11th, according to the laws of logic and physics - on the 4th).

In my opinion, everything is much worse: women are going to be tried specifically for an economic crime. How valid the charges may be, and whether the city lost anything from the sale of the building, will be discussed in the near future.

In the meantime, the initiative group is collecting signatures for a petition demanding that Olga Zaletskaya’s preventive measure be changed. By the time this material went to press, almost one and a half thousand people had already signed it, a picket was being prepared near the government building of the republic, and a rally against political repression and for the resignation of the current head of Karelia was scheduled for April 9.

It is interesting that after the high-profile arrests of Oleg Fokin, Devlet Alikhanov and Vladimir Samanyuk, the public did not show such violent activity. And what is happening now, oddly enough, whitens the government in this story with the arrests: for people from Lenin Ave., 19, everything that is happening is extremely unprofitable. The situation is paradoxical: the longer Zaletskaya and Kornilova are behind bars, the more points the governor’s team loses, and their opposition gains. This is truly - quid prodest, “look for who benefits”...

However, judges are usually not impressed by all these actions, and even on the contrary, they cause a backlash, being perceived as pressure on the court. It’s another matter if the whole world chips in on a tough Moscow lawyer, who proves that house arrest and a ban on using communication means are quite a sufficient preventive measure for Zaletskaya and Kornilova. Or pool together to collect the required amount of collateral, which for some reason was not discussed at all. This is what Vasily Popov can generously participate in! Even if from abroad.

“Popov ran away? Let Popov return. He has nowhere to run, he has a family here. He just doesn’t want this rigmarole - walking through our lousy cells, where there is dirt and shit,” - Vladimir Zavarkin, deputy of the city council of Suoyarvi, accused “for public calls for violating the integrity of Russia,” about Vasily Popov.

These words of the Karelian deputy, spoken a few days before my chance visit to Finland, where businessman and politician Vasily Popov was “hiding from investigation,” still sounded in my head while I was waiting for my interlocutor in one of the many shopping centers in the sunny day that Day of the city of Joensuu - the administrative, economic, scientific, educational and cultural capital of the North Karelia region, and perhaps 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 at the nearest hypermarket in search of a “forbidden item,” was the first to start a conversation immediately after the handshake:

- Gleb, don’t 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 I started the conversation from afar...

A little about life in Finland

- And do they often bother you here?

In Petrozavodsk they didn’t bother me so often. And not only Karelian journalists. I constantly communicate with Muscovites, although 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 it is a big event for them when Joensuu is written about in the national newspapers. And when I was put on the international wanted list, someone actually said: “Come on, Vasya, glorify our hole!” They approach this situation with humor.

(The pedestrian crossing the road waved his hand, saying to pass)

Kiitos [Thank you].

-Are you learning 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 in five different ways. But mastering Finnish is not in my heart. 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, it’s easy to get comfortable here, and I have an office here.

- As a business? Is it coming?

Well, we launched it like that, casually. It is not an end in itself, but is slowly developing.

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 emigrants 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 attacked me, like Chirikova. My departure from Russia was necessary so that the political and economic system that we built would not be left without my leadership. And not just to run away and not to be imprisoned. If I had responsibility only for myself or even just for one family, then I would understand that children would not die of hunger, and then I could, like Alikhanov, sit down for nothing and sit and figure it out. But I had to leave, because from the pre-trial detention center you don’t get much guidance or protection. But I need to work. It’s 360 km from Petrozavodsk, people come to me all the time, I sometimes have three meetings a day. I am working. You can't drive into Estonia, it's much more difficult.

As for a good attitude, it’s a sin to complain about anything. The attitude is amazing. They helped create a business in such a way that they simply led you by the hand. And I kept thinking: what’s the catch? But 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, create jobs, pay them wages, 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 wanting to pay other people. But with us it’s the other way around: have you decided to become a businessman? Well, now we will 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 topic at all. I'm not a political refugee. I'm starting from the situation. And the situation is this: the more confident the regime feels and the more strong 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.

A governor came to us, who, unlike the same Katanandov, is very weak. Katanandov [Sergey Katanandov - ex-governor of Karelia, currently a senator from Karelia] as a person may not be 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. Khudilainen doesn’t have this, he’s weak. His only resource in this confrontation is the law enforcement agencies, which are also all led 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. It’s better for you to tell us something over the Internet than for us to find out through a lawyer how to act in such and such a situation.” Therefore, we had to negotiate for Nastya [Anastasia Kravchuk - the businessman’s wife, who is facing a criminal case for fraud with municipal property] to return to Russia, because the risk of her imprisonment exists, but this will not decapitate the system, because she did not lead system. But I can’t, because if I’m arrested, what will our people do?

In general, I don’t feel like a dissident, but I still need to figure out what that means. Of course, my persecution is political, because I am dangerous for the system. And Khudilainen is part of this system, like all the other governors. They all have the right to have their own quirks.

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 the people who sit in the rear and destroy [the state]. What did I destroy in Russia? Can not understand. I have created several enterprises that employ a thousand people. None of them came about 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 in the region and which largely supports the region’s agriculture. I am ideologically opposed to corruption and support values ​​that improve society. And at the same time, I am a person dangerous to this society. Or not for society, but for some people.

So, on the one hand, both Shirshina and I preach some completely sensible things, and as a result we become dangerous. Moreover, if we didn’t do this, my image would be like “Leonid Beluga,” my old friend, and I would fit perfectly into this system. Beluga has already been awarded everything possible: certificates of honor and the title of honorary citizen. Just now there is no order... Or maybe there already is. And in my entire post-university life I have never received a single diploma.

And when Finns here ask me why I am here, sometimes I don’t know what to answer. The answer that my economic interests collided with the interests of St. Petersburg residents is rather a secondary, although very important, factor. Khudilainen and St. Petersburg residents cannot go to Petrozavodsk, they cannot take a municipal order. They are nervous about this.

- Because you are on this order?

No. Because Shirshina sits on this order as mayor. And it determines the rules for receiving this order. And the St. Petersburg guys cannot pass by these rules. They want to come not because they are the best, but because they have connections with the governor. Transport workers are more nervous than others. They are so active because there is a year left on their contract, 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 didn’t work either. "Piteravto" will go down the drain.

But this is all secondary. Once I answered the question about why I am here like this: I can win any election, but in our system a person who is not from the party in power can win any election becomes really dangerous. And it needs to be removed somewhere on the distant approaches. And it’s clear to me that both Devlet Alikhanov and I were removed for the early gubernatorial elections this September. But I openly said that until I was imprisoned, Khudilainen would not have any chance of victory. They were able to imprison Alikhanov, but not me. The governor is not going to the polls. And now Alikhanov won’t be released. They just don't know how to release it. When a person is imprisoned for something, he understands his guilt and has no resentment. And Alikhanov understands perfectly well 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 somewhat competent in this matter. Hudilainen knows this too. Only ordinary people can be told that he is a criminal...

- Well, I actually didn’t want to ask anything about Alikhanov, but I’ll still ask one question. He simply interests me as a resident of Petrozavodsk. Will you deny that, when Andrei Demin was mayor of the city, Alikhanov, taking advantage of a situation favorable to him, caused serious economic damage to the city, taking out a lot of municipal real estate for a pittance on a long-term lease and making a fortune from 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, of those who can speculate on this topic, I am the most competent. So, Alikhanov really committed several major actions under Demin. The first major act was that he rented the Karelia Market building. Now we are saying, this is such a wonderful piece of city property. And in 1998 it was a completely wretched building. It was a municipal enterprise that was deliberately ruined, and this building through the bankruptcy procedure should have gone into private hands for a pittance. 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 would not have concluded 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 remains in city ownership, but does not pay enough taxes. Meanwhile, during this time, “Karelia-Market” became a completely civilized store; it acquired another 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 this place. But he is a businessman, so the purpose of this deal was to make a profit. And Demin did not have the personnel, financial or organizational resources to save this enterprise.

Not to mention the fact that he carried out several large transactions of the same type, buying up almost all the unfinished buildings in the city of Petrozavodsk and building shopping centers there. For the money for which he bought these buildings, anyone could have bought them: me, or Svyatoslav Nefedov, or the same Leonid Beluga. But none of us realized or did this. And no one believed that profit could be made from these unfinished projects. Both the current “Capital” building and the “Ten” building, among other things, were simply dangerous for others, children played there constantly, any of them could fall into these pits.

That's all he did. What damage did he do? He organized construction, jobs, paid a lot 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 don’t like him for that. And when Davlet, at the peak of his position, complained to me that he was not liked, I told him: “What do you want? Are you so well-settled in life, you’re rich, you’re 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 are sharing something in the city of Petrozavodsk. But at the same time, people’s attitudes, for example, towards me and towards Beluga are different. And if I go to the polls, then everyone knows that I am a dangerous competitor for any opponent. It’s better for Beluga not to go to the polls. The people are not stupid, they are picking up on 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 his flaws, like everyone else. But he is an absolutely useful person for society.

(The waitress came up. Vasily Popov makes an order in English: “A large pot 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 I don’t have time for that today. So let's finish with the general political questions, I still have a couple more. For example, this: you openly opposed the annexation of Crimea to Russia...

I didn't do this on purpose. It wasn't a statement. They simply asked me and I answered. The press conference where I talk about this was not dedicated to Crimea at all.

- Do you think there are political consequences of your statement?

I expressed an opinion that, according to the law, every person has the right to express. There are people in Finland who say that Russia did everything right, and there are those who say that it was impossible to annex Crimea. Everyone talks about it and goes on their way. But our man said - that’s it, the label has been 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 treat this the same way. For us, those who have not fled from Yabloko in 20 years, something still holds us together. So I just expressed my opinion, and someone made a big deal out of this, because we are used to keeping everyone silent “in a rag”: from the Tsar, from the General Secretary, from the Soviet Union, from the KGB... And now nothing has changed for us , the psychology has not changed, so a person who makes open statements should automatically be subject to obstruction, and a label should be attached to him.

- It’s clear that you don’t worry 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 of all, nothing is static. The opinion of the population of Russia and Crimea at the time of annexation, with expensive oil and the absence of sanctions, and today’s opinion are already different. And in a year, even more will change.

That’s what I said at the press conference: that there will be no Gogol Bridge in Petrozavodsk, because we annexed Crimea. We won’t have a lot of things because we annexed Crimea. Most likely, Yabloko at the federal level will not lose anything [due to its position on Crimea]. After all, the support level was at 3%. And the annexation of Crimea is not supported by more than 3%. And it is quite possible that, unlike other parties that take the same position on Crimea, Yabloko will be allowed to participate in the elections. And relative to what happened, Yabloko can even earn votes from 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 prevent us from getting to the elections. But why? After all, they say that Yabloko buried itself with its statements on Crimea. Then why cancel the mayoral elections before removing Shirshina early? Because Shirshina will be elected again. And I am sure that Yabloko’s electoral positions have not suffered at all; I even suspect that they have strengthened somewhat over the past year.

The well-known politician, leader of the Karelian Yabloko supporters Vasily Popov 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 the place, and he was awaiting a court hearing that was supposed to decide his fate. Let us remind you that Vasily Popov received political asylum in Finland in March of this year, but was taken into custody as soon as he found himself in another EU country. The reason for the politician’s detention was information that he was still on the international wanted list.

Vasily Popov was kept in Spanish prisons for three weeks, after which they chose a preventive measure that did not involve imprisonment. At the moment, the politician is completely free to move. The Spanish Ministry of Justice informed him that the trial would not take place, since the Russian Prosecutor General's Office had not sent documents demanding his extradition.

If we remember how quickly Russian law enforcement officers responded to Popov’s detention in Finland, and how quickly they sent documents requesting extradition, the situation with Spain looks quite strange. According to the law, documents from the country that has 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 were never received. What was the point then of putting a person on the wanted list, wasting the efforts of Interpol, the court and the police of another country? It’s hard to believe that this is simple negligence and the documents were simply forgotten or did not have time to send. Obviously, this was a conscious decision made despite the fact that it clearly discredits the country's law enforcement system.

It is also clear that such a decision could not be made by an ordinary employee of the prosecutor's office. And all the talk about Popov paying off is nonsense. This case of persecution of a Karelian politician is too resonant. Not a single major or colonel would dare turn a blind eye to the need to demand extradition in such a case. It is clear that the decision was made at a completely different level.

For some reason, the heads of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation 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 verdict against the politician will inevitably be subsequently overturned by the European Court of Human Rights, which will entail unnecessary problems for Russia. Although this is just a version.

One can only guess what actually happened.

Andrey Rogalevich, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Karelia:

It’s 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, there has been no official comment from the supervisory authority. I have several assumptions. One of them is due to the fact that the crime as such, of which Vasily Popov is accused, among others, was not committed. And the latest court hearings in the Petropita case testify to this.
In addition, when receiving asylum in Finland, law enforcement agencies of another state did not see any signs of a crime being committed. They did not consider Popov a criminal, recognizing his persecution as political.

Irina Petlyaeva, head of the Karelian regional branch of the A Just Russia party:

If the Russian prosecutor's office has stopped demanding 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 affairs of Petropit and Vasily Popov are of a clear political nature. Popov, as well as his political comrades and comrades, 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 a significant voice. A candidate supported by the party 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, the city and United Russia (which is essentially the same thing). Popov has long prevented the monopolization of the political system in Karelia.

It is not surprising that the attention to him and his business in this regard was quite serious. Attention and pressure from all kinds of authorities - both inspectors and security forces. It even got to the point of real criminal provocations, when unknown people tried to plant drugs in Popov’s car.

At the same time, the story with Petropit is still quite strange for me. Due to insufficient immersion in the case materials, I cannot fully assert that everything in it is entirely an invention of law enforcement agencies. I admit that there were some agreements between the participants in what the investigators believe was an illegal transaction, which, however, does not prove that they violated the law. I will add that in the modern legal system of Russia, you can find some kind of incriminating evidence on almost any businessman or official if you wish, which law enforcement agencies often use successfully for themselves.

I have no doubt that if a similar transaction had been carried out by one of the businessmen loyal to United Russia, there would have been no fuss, much less a criminal case or prosecution.

I remain of the opinion that it was a political order at the local level that could have given rise to the criminal prosecution of Vasily Popov. The purpose of this order is obvious to me - to cause significant damage to the political ambitions of Popov and his team. And this goal, I must say, was successfully achieved. Today the political system in Karelia is completely monopolized by United Russia.

I also believe that at the federal level this is well understood, and therefore all attempts by local security forces to include Popov’s personality in the 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, as the media write, eventually refused to demand Popov's extradition. I assume that the fulfillment of a political task made further prosecution of the politician irrelevant.

All that remains is to understand what will now happen to those involved in the Petropita case. I believe that the security forces will do everything possible to preserve the honor of their uniform and will achieve a guilty verdict.

Emilia Slabunova, chairwoman of the Russian United Democratic Party Yabloko:

One can only speculate as to what might have caused this decision. And the most important assumption: the whole point is that the Petropita criminal case is falling apart. It was originally sewn with white thread, and the political nature of all these accusations and the criminal case was absolutely clear. That is why the accused were recognized by the international human rights organization Memorial as being persecuted for political reasons. And now all these long trials, the testimony of witnesses, including those from the prosecution, do not confirm what was presented to 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 persons involved in this criminal case. They want to take him away from the attention of the press and public.

Gleb Yarovoy, political scientist, teacher 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 at one time. Actually, there may be two reasons. First: the investigation really considers Popov a criminal, an accomplice to a certain crime, so they began persecution and sought extradition. In this case, the refusal to extradite may be an indication that during the investigation it turned out that Popov did not commit any crimes. Knowing the peculiarities of the Russian system of investigation and trials aimed at accusing rather than establishing the truth, this version is hard to believe. More precisely, I can’t believe it at all.

Second: Popov was very inconvenient for the regional leadership, so his persecution is of a political nature. In this case, refusal of the extradition request may mean a loss of interest in Popov as a political leader. Interest could have been lost naturally: Popov has long declared a lack of interest in Karelian politics, the leadership of the region has changed and the current management elite does not see him as a threat to their power monopoly, and Artur Parfenchikov may well not have personal accounts with Popov, unlike Khudilainen , for whom Popov’s team “spoilt his blood” a lot. Hard to believe. Most likely, Parfenchikov simply would not interfere in the situation, maintaining the status quo. Therefore, there is a suspicion that interest may have been lost as a result of bargaining: Popov found something to offer the current leadership of the republic in exchange for stopping the active persecution of himself and his comrades. One can only guess what became the subject of bargaining: from obvious assets, such as the online magazine “Blueberry,” to unobvious ones: for example, backed by some promises not to participate in regional political squabbles anymore. For example, do not 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, that's obvious.

But in reality, the puzzle should be more complicated, and versions can range from banal to conspiracy theories.

Vasily Popov himself He also doesn’t know the true reason for 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 is firmly entrenched there, you can’t uproot him by any means!!!

2017-07-21 09:14:58

By the way, Vpopov should have been checked for the privatization of the Olonets dairy plant))) it’s there)))

2017-07-21 11:30:18

Varvara,
How many snitches have you reported so far?

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?))) Patience, gentlemen))) the thief will go to prison!

2017-07-22 10:32:57

Varvara,
Why? Why?
Because Varvara Bruns doesn’t work at the Prosecutor General’s Office!
Even for her this is too much.

2017-07-20 13:24:38

Majan, you lick.. in your shoble in popova))

2017-07-21 01:40:08

Wow!!!
Varvara has mastered the “you’re a fool” argument! Did you really buy a card for a 20% discount on alcohol?

2017-07-21 11:27:37

Leopol"d,
Looks like you hit the nail on the head!
I'll have to meet Popov, otherwise it's a shame!
Apparently Vaska once offended Varka greatly... or deprived her.