| And in Kyiv - Rybkin Russian presidential candidate Ivan Rybkin, whom the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, relatives and associates have been trying to find since last Thursday, finally turned up safe and sound yesterday. At 21.45 he arrived at the capital's Sheremetyevo-1 airport on a Transaero flight from Kyiv. As it turned out, it was there that Mr. Rybkin was located all these days, while he was listed as missing in his homeland. At the airport, along with journalists, the presidential candidate was also met by detectives from the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department. Without such a face-to-face meeting, it was impossible to officially close the case on the search for Mr. Rybkin.
Although information about the appearance of a living Rybkin, whom the prosecutor’s office almost listed as a murder victim on Monday, became known yesterday afternoon. The first to report this were deputies of the Ukrainian Rada, who allegedly saw him at a local hotel. The head of Mr. Rybkin’s campaign headquarters initially categorically denied this information, but by the evening she made a different statement: “Ivan Petrovich called me, saying that he had a pleasant four days in Kyiv and does not understand what all this hysteria is about.” According to Ms. Ponomareva, the presidential candidate has not yet explained his almost week-long silence. Mr. Rybkin himself stated a little later that he was simply relaxing with friends and “has the right to 2-3 days of personal life.” “I came to Kyiv to visit my friends,” said the “missing” candidate. “I was walking, turned off my mobile phones and didn’t watch TV. Last week I decided to take a break from the fuss that was around me. He left fruit and money for his wife, who is now taking care of the grandchildren, but didn’t tell her anything, changed his jacket, got on the train and left for Kyiv.” In connection with this incident, Ms. Ponomareva did not rule out the possibility of leaving her position. Albina Rybkina, who, in fact, initiated his search, sharply assessed the mysterious act of her husband and his husband: “Poor Russia, if such people are trying to lead it.” When asked to clarify whether she meant her husband, Ms. Rybkina replied: “Yes.” She also noted that she would not go to meet him at the airport.
According to detectives, Ivan Rybkin is unlikely to face any claims for the fact that his “innocent joke” turned into a three-day “standing on the ears” for the capital’s police, the FSB and the prosecutor’s office. “He is a free person, he has the right to go wherever he wants, if there can be any claims, then only against the applicants, and even that is not a fact,” the criminal investigation department explained.
Representatives of the Russian political elite spoke out more harshly. And the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security, Mikhail Grishankov, said that the special services should issue an invoice to Rybkin to reimburse expenses in connection with his search. “I have no doubt that on Rybkin’s part this was a game to fuel his fame on the eve of the presidential elections through the so-called “disappearance.” It’s strange that a person registered as a presidential candidate, vying for such a high post, behaves in such an unworthy manner,” Mr. Grishankov noted. The day before, his colleague on the Duma committee and in the faction, Gennady Gudkov, in an interview with the newspaper Vremya Novostey, called the disappearance of the candidate a 99 percent PR campaign by Rybkin himself and Berezovsky “behind him.” However, the disgraced oligarch himself yesterday was perplexed about the motives for Mr. Rybkin’s action and said that if the adventurous nature of his disappearance does become clear, then “Ivan Petrovich’s political career is over.” Apparently, this will be the case. Immediately upon arrival in Moscow, Ivan Rybkin said: “I am very upset that my relatives perceived the situation in this way. Perhaps I will withdraw my candidacy from the elections.” Alexey GRISHIN, Yaroslav ZORIN |
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