Translated material
Ricochet
The head of the capital's police, Vladimir Pronin, was dismissed
President Dmitry Medvedev, as his press service reported last night, signed a decree dismissing the head of the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate, Colonel General of Police, Vladimir Pronin. Nothing was officially announced about the reasons for this resignation. But unofficially, both the Kremlin and the Ministry of Internal Affairs itself admitted that it was quite expected - thus, the person responsible for the tragedy, unprecedented in Russian history, that occurred on Monday night in the south of Moscow was identified. Then the head of the capital's Tsaritsyno police department, Major Denis Evsyukov, came drunk to the Ostrov supermarket on Shipilovskaya Street and caused a real massacre, without any reason shooting three and wounding seven people - employees and customers of the store. Moreover, as it turned out, the officer fired not from his service weapon, but from a pistol that was wanted.Mr. Pronin himself then immediately went to the crime scene and a little later, commenting on what happened, stated, among other things, that Major Evsyukov was a “good professional.” And now, thanks to the “professional” Evsyukov, General Pronin lost the position he had held for eight years, and therefore had long earned himself a reputation as “unsinkable.”
Vladimir Pronin headed the capital's Central Internal Affairs Directorate in 2001 . During this time, he experienced more than one tragedy in the city, which became possible largely due to the poor work and miscalculations of the police. The first time there was talk of his possible resignation was in June 2002, when football fans staged a pogrom in the center of Moscow, as a result of which two people were killed and 72 more were injured. The head of the capital's police then wrote a letter of resignation, but the head of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Boris Gryzlov, did not accept it.
Mr. Pronin remained in his position both after terrorists seized the Theater Center on Dubrovka (125 people were killed at the time), and after a series of terrorist attacks in Moscow in 2003-2004 - in Tushino, near the National Hotel, on the Zamoskvoretskaya line metro station and at the Rizhskaya metro station . The fatal act of police major Denis Evsyukov, whom Vladimir Pronin considered a “professional,” was fatal for the general. It is possible that these words played a certain role in his resignation. After all, following this logic, if the head of the Tsaritsyno police department, who shot 10 people, was considered a “professional,” then one can only guess how many more such “professionals” work in Moscow under the subordination of Mr. Pronin.
In any case, it is obvious that the supreme power could not help but react to such a “police” emergency. Although it was the first in modern Russian history, it clearly showed all the long-standing “diseases” of law enforcement officers - drunkenness, corruption, lack of control. But there is no strength or means to carry out a systemic reform of the entire police force, especially since the long-declared reform of an equally complex system - the army - is still stalled. "Tightening the screws" within the Ministry of Internal Affairs system itself and tightening control over the selection of personnel in the current situation is also It’s pointless to work seven days a week, face bullets, be on duty day and night, receive constant “scoldings” from superiors for a meager salary - there are few people willing, the police are already suffering from chronic understaffing, and if the law enforcement officers are really “pressed”, they will probably run away. those who are still working, albeit poorly. Nevertheless, a harsh reaction to what happened was inevitable. The choice that fell on Mr. Pronin was not surprising in such a situation. Although it is worth noting that the security chiefs have rarely responded in recent years. for the crimes and failures of their subordinates. And in this sense, the president’s decision looks almost revolutionary.
A news agency source in the presidential administration noted yesterday: “The leadership of the Moscow police, undoubtedly, should bear full responsibility for the tragic situation that has occurred. This is, of course, the main reason for General Pronin’s resignation.” The only one who expressed surprise and regret at General Pronin's resignation yesterday was Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who, according to him, learned about it from journalists. “I regret it,” he said. - Pronin is an effective head of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, a military general who prevented terrorist attacks in Moscow. It was his merit." At the same time, Mr. Luzhkov, commenting on the emergency with Major Evsyukov, noted that its main reason was the miscalculations of the personnel service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but did not mention Mr. Pronin. It is worth noting that a source in the presidential administration subsequently reported that Mr. Luzhkov was nevertheless warned in advance about Mr. Pronin’s resignation. Moreover, according to the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, the latter allegedly himself submitted a report to the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs yesterday.
Yesterday, President Medvedev signed a decree on the dismissal of the head of the Internal Affairs Directorate for the Southern Administrative District (SAD) of Moscow, Major General of the Police Viktor Ageev - another chief of Major Evsyukov (OVD “Tsaritsyno” is located in the SAD). According to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rashid Nurgaliev, the reason for this was the same emergency in the supermarket. However, this statement seems very strange. The fact is that this decree according to Mr. Ageev was a formality - on April 20, a week before the tragedy in the supermarket, he himself wrote a letter of resignation. Appointing and dismissing employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with the rank of generals is the prerogative of only the president. “Pronin, as Ageev’s immediate superior, signed his petition, and all this time these documents were sent to the presidential administration. Therefore, it coincided that Dmitry Medvedev signed this decree the day after the emergency in the supermarket,” said the press service of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate.
As for the investigation of the emergency on Shipilovskaya Street itself, nothing fundamentally new has appeared in it and is unlikely to appear at all. The only thing that remains to be officially clarified is why exactly Major Evsyukov experienced an obvious attack of insanity. Until now, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs believed that his family troubles were to blame. Denis Evsyukogv allegedly constantly had scandals with his wife, and it was after another scandal while celebrating his own 32nd birthday that he drunkenly caught a car and drove to the Ostrov supermarket. Having shot the driver who was driving him to the store, he burst into the sales area and opened fire indiscriminately at cashiers and customers. Yesterday, another version was unofficially voiced - that Major Evsyukov allegedly had problems at work. At the same time, everyone stubbornly continued to ignore the initially known data that he was simply drunk and allegedly had problems with alcohol in general.
Denis Evsyukov was appointed head of the internal affairs department less than six months ago, only five months ago - in December. Then, upon taking office, he had to undergo psychological testing - all law enforcement officers undergo this procedure when hiring, as well as when moving to other positions. And then, judging by the fact that Mr. Evsyukov was approved for the new position, he successfully completed it. The quality of such testing can be judged by what happened to the major just a few months later.
Moreover, yesterday versions appeared in the media that Mr. Evsyukov was allegedly distinguished by inappropriate behavior before. According to some sources, last year he allegedly got drunk in a restaurant and caused a riot - he chased customers with a gas canister. Then the matter was allegedly hushed up. Even earlier, according to another version, he once, in the uniform of a Wehrmacht soldier, fired a pistol into the air from the balcony.