Surkov-Dad

“The career path of the ex-vice-prime minister Vladislav Surkov is known to everyone, but the early childhood of one of the most striking representatives of the Russian political elite is mostly mythologized,” the material about Vladislav Surkov, which was published by the Izvestia newspaper, begins. Its content is very entertaining: the correspondents of the publication found the former official’s own father and took a fairly large interview from that. The reader does not know anything shocking from him: what does it matter to anyone that the father of the future “Gray Cardinal of the Kremlin” was a military and worked in the GRU? Or what does this person believe that “God has given Russia Putin and there is no replacement for him now”?

The thoughts of Father Surkov - the philistine and rather superficial - few may be interested. The question is another matter, why did such an interview appear and why now? Moreover, this is the Izvestia newspaper, whose publisher Aram Gabrelyanov previously spoke almost about friendship with Surkov. Times, however, are changing, and Gabrelyanov’s editions, including Izvestia, react very sensitively to changes in the conjuncture and current authority. It was Izvestia ”a couple of days before the resignation of Surkov published the text of the head of the press service of the Investigative Committee of Vladimir Markin with a rather sharp criticism of Surkov and the Skolkovo project. And now here is an interview with his father.

The text has several undemanding passages that can be interpreted in about this vein: this is a signal, and a signal to Vladislav Yuryevich. The format for an interview is chosen for Russian journalism is not the most traditional. This is not a dry “question-answer”, but rather a story about a meeting, “retelling of the interview” with author's remarks and reporting retreats. There is not a lot of direct speech in the text. The format is, of course, the choice of the editorial office or correspondent, but from the conspiracy the feeling “something is wrong” not to get rid of.

Despite the fact that the father of Surkov is expressing about his son rather complimentary, the feeling is created that the interview as a whole is anti -Surkovo. “Skolkovo” is our future if we want to have the future. We have nothing of our own. Cars, phones - everything is foreign. I think he could create a good technopark, ”says Yuri Dudaev, adding that with the departure of Surkov from the government“ Russia has lost a very good and very honest politician ”. And one more thing: “Knowing him, I am sure that he quit himself. But I would not advise him to go to the opposition. He needs solid work. And not trinkets like daredevils. He is a man of scope, a man of business. Maybe the government will still change their minds, and he will return. Of course, I do not scold the government, but this is wrong. Although he can live, write. Romanes, plays, songs. He does it perfectly. Have you heard his album? "

Surely this is really the words of the father of Surkov, a person, however, with whom Surkov himself has not lived from five years. But these words are carefully transferred to the “Izvestia” journalists into a transparent hint of the former official-dear man, do not stick into politics, do “Skolkovo”, write poems and songs, but in politics no-no. You can probably even move to Chechnya, but no opposition. Moreover, one of the versions of Opala Surkov was just flirting with the “swamp opposition”.

The signal, one must think, will be counted in this vein and other interested parties. Type: Surkova can be attributed from accounts and not keep him in the mind when orientation to one or another “tower” as they say.

Indirectly, in favor of such an interpretation, the fact is that usually the life of Russian officials is a secret for seven seals. Personal life and the past - taboo, relations in the family are very rare. Moreover, in this particular case, Izvestia is actively reminding the Chechen origin of Vladislav Surkov. None of them want to remember the age when "Ilyich was small with a curly head." Well, not Ilyich, but the actual figure itself. The past is almost like a personal life, everyone has a lot of skeletons to the closet and no one wants to talk about them. Official biographies are completely with spaces and are a rather dry, purely bureaucratic product. As if you are not reading about a person, but a press release about improving the quality of fertilizers.

Do we know a lot about the childhood of Igor Sechin or Dmitry Medvedev? Do he often recalls the details of his life, say, the mother of Dvorkovich or relatives Sergei Ivanov? Yes, we do not even know their names and even more so the place of residence. The discovery of details from the father of the former Deputy Prime Minister is both almost unprecedented, and in general, rather, unpleasant for him. The disclosure of family secrets means that Surkov was asked to exit seriously.