"No selfie - no payment"

Reporting from another line-there are extras to a post-election rally concert in the Kremlin on March 18

On March 18, shortly after the announcement of the record, one version, and according to the other, anomalous results of the presidential election, a rally concert was arranged in the Kremlin on the tenth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. In addition to the audience who came here of their own free will, the event was again recruited. Seeing the announcement on the VKontakte social network, I signed up for one of the sets, and I, together with students and pensioners, were conducted for the fence, warning me: we “represent the Stavropol Territory” and should not discuss us here, otherwise they would not see payments (400 rubles) ...

On the Revolution Square in front of the Kremlin is crowded. But the arrivals crashed in small heaps of 7-10 people and are waiting for something. The fact that this is a crowd is clear right away. Some are even equally dressed.

I find my group, gathered near "Real No. 1".

- Are you on the mass? - I quietly ask Olya ( the names of the heroes of the report were changed. - Ed. ), A girl of about twenty -five.

- Quiet! You can't say that! She besieges, but as if jokingly.

In the chat on the VKontakte website, we were all warned in advance that no one should in any case find out that we will attend the concert as a mass and that they will pay us for it.

Otherwise, they threatened to deprive all payments - 400 rubles - and bring the offender to the black list of Moscow agencies. This rule also acted on the spot: to discuss loudly that “we were driven” and “we are a mass” was strictly forbidden.

People were recruited through groups of advertising agencies on the VKontakte website. In one of these groups, a set of masses for the concert on March 18 was announced, age - 18–65 years, payment of 400 rubles. What a concert was not specified.

After I contacted the organizer and they added me to the chat, the rules of the game changed somewhat: the ban on the disclosure of information about us as a paid mass of the concert immediately entered into force.

The payment has another condition. It was necessary to throw your photo with an entrance ticket for a concert into a common chat.

No photo - no money.

We were also demanded to provide the name, phone number and information about the presence or absence of a self -employed status. The document did not need to be confirmed by the data, but it was necessary to post it in a common chat for everyone.

They promised to send money on March 19.

We talked with Olya. It turns out that she quite often goes to various events for money as a mass. Only she does not delve into particular.

- Do you know what kind of concert? Where are we going at all? She asks.

I am perplexed. How can you not be in the know?

-Well, a rally concert in honor of Crimea. Shaman, Leps, Putin will come.

- Ah, yes? I just didn’t even know who would perform, ”Olya continues. - Just arrived, there is free time.

About 15 people gather us. Most of the group, to my great surprise, are women of mature and even retirement age. In a conversation with pensioners, I find out that for them such trips to events are a familiar way of additional earnings.

At this time, confusion is happening in the chat. Our organizer - that is, a person who must meet us, photograph for a report and “bring” to the framework of metal detectors at the entrance - changed the place of the meeting.

Now we are going to theater square.

While we went around the cordon, one of the grandmothers complains to me:

- What is he ( organizer. - Ed. ) He wants us? We are all confused now, I can't walk so fast!

“Everything is in touch in the chat,” I answer her.

“Why is he late?” Already 35 minutes, but it is still gone.

The pensioners talked among themselves while they were waiting for the organizer.

“No, the photo must be sent, otherwise it will be a shame to go without money,” says one of the elderly women.

“And I heard that the Caucasians are not called ( to the masses. - Ed. ),” The man notes about sixty.

- Why?

- Well, they are not called, that's all.

The old women are noticeably nervous.

- Soon everything will begin.

There are many groups like ours in the theater square. Some consist only of young people - most likely students.

Our organizer was a man of strong physique, in appearance about 35 years, in a jacket over a hoodie, a large chain on his neck. There were two more with him - older.

- How is your mood, good? - asks the main.

The crowd nods.

- Look, now we will give you tickets, take pictures, and you go to the concert. Stay there as much as you want - you can an hour, two, you can. If you froze, do not stand, we do not force anyone.

We are given tickets for a concert and everyone is photographed with a ticket in their hands, noting the presence in a special table, where our data previously left in the chat on the VKontakte website has already been entered.

The passage to the theater square by this time was already blocked by the Russian Guard. And some of the people from our group, who came later, was cut off.

The organizer approaches the Russian Guards in a cordon, tells them something, and they calmly pass the members of our group through the framework. I see this for the first time. After that, we were told that we were “representing the Stavropol Territory”. And they reminded of the need to be silent about the extras.

The pensioners laughed, but everyone understood. "No money." Although earlier the conversations were mainly about payments for presence.

The organizers say goodbye to this, they did not plan to accompany us after the framework.

“Go to the volunteers, give them a ticket and continue to go to the concert,” the young guy is instructed, who stood with us all this time, and when the organizers came, sided with them and photographed us with tickets.

Having gone through the framework, I talked with Alexander, Olya joined us. Sasha is almost the only one of my peers in the group. The rest are much older.

“I have planned to take a time in my plans and get out of here in thirty minutes ...” Realizing that there is no more control over him, he says. - I want to come home early.

- How much do we need to stay here? An hour and a half? Two?

“Yes, you can take a picture and just send it to the group, and then leave right away,” Sasha suggests.

- What if you will be asked for a photo from the concert in an hour? What will you do then? - argues Olya. - Not to get the money will be sad.

Sasha does not find what to answer. But he is completely indifferent to this concert.

The three of us go to the Revolution Square and stand in line to enter the Red Square between the Moscow Hotel and the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812.

There are a lot of people. Everyone is waiting for something. Out of my ear I hear conversations.

Someone came of their own free will, someone really wanted to get to Red Square. But many were “asked” at work or in college.

According to my personal observations, almost every second or third of those who came to the center of Moscow that day was there by the will of the authorities.

Olya complains that if she is not paid, then the trip to the concert will be at a loss.

- I live in the suburbs. From Medvedkovo half an hour by bus. I don’t want to spend on trips on the Troika once again.

On the way to the frames, I meet two students, they are a couple of years older than me. It seems that they are one of the few who came to the concert voluntarily "listen to Khabib and Gazmanov."

At this time, in the chat of our group they begin to throw away reporting photos with tickets: "Mark."

In the queue for inspection in the FSO framework near the Historical Museum I come across a company of five girls-studies of one of the pedagogical colleges of the Moscow Region. The director "asked" them to go. But they themselves do not mind. Combining the desire to hang out with an order, they discuss the upcoming concert loudly and cheerfully.

Watching them becomes funny.

- And what, Putin will be?

- Do you want to see Putin?

- Don't know. And who else will be there?

- Leps, “Hands up”, Gazmanov.

- Oh, Leps! We will listen to Leps!

- And who is there now? Hey, tall someone,-one of the girls to the crowd turns,-look on the screen: who is there?

“Habib,” the guy replies.

- Oh, Habib? What sings? Nothing is heard!

We have not yet entered the territory of a concert that began less than an hour ago, as the stream of people leaving it forms.

Our turn comes out long. Gradually, the enthusiasm of the girls fades away, and by six o’clock in the evening, that is, after a two -hour expectation, it disappears at all.

- It's hard for me to breathe. Everything was just numb with me, ”says one of the students.

There is indignation in the crowd. We move very slowly. Among us there are many elderly women and children. Fesseos are allowed in groups of only 4 people, carefully inspecting everyone.

-This is just some kind of mockery! We go a meter per hour! Real mockery! - notes a man of about fifty -five with a slightly gray beard, in a black coat and the same color hat.

“I have not seen a more idiotic system,” a man who looked like him echoes him, but already without a beard and hollow.

Some are already unfolding and leaving, meaninglessly defending two hours.

I wait for my turn with difficulty. I go to the scope of the inspection under the performance of Grigory Leps. But I am not allowed to go to Red Square: with a professional camera without accreditation, the entrance is closed. At all.

“You will have to go out in the same way.” No matter how scary it sounds, ”Fesseoshnik tells me with a slight sympathy on his face.

Making my way back, I try to evaluate the scale: in two hours the crowd decreased several times, someone went to the broadcast screens near the Moscow Hotel.

Putin's performance finds me in an underground crossing on Okhotny.

Since then, our chat has almost "died." The latest messages were about payment. Those who sent their pictures, the organizers promised to give them out today, March 19, by transfer to the map, after eight in the evening ...

Sergey Makarov , for "New"

P.S

At 20:59 in Moscow, the chat came to life.