Direct speech

Gennady PODZNOEV, Deputy Chairman of the Pskov Regional Assembly of Deputies: “If the population does not use benefits, then they should receive monetary compensation. In any case, they should be given the right to choose. The population has already begun to calculate whether they will benefit or not from the replacement of benefits with monetary compensation, and have come to the conclusion that they will lose one thousand rubles. For example, veterans of labor are offered to pay about 400 rubles, and we only have a ticket for public transport that costs 250. So, veterans living in the countryside may benefit from the reform, but urban ones will not.”

According to REGNUM, August 2. The statement was made in connection with the package of social reforms developed by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Mikhail KUZNETSOV, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Melkombinat Pskov LLC: “Politics and personal happiness are mutually exclusive. I have been involved in politics for 6 years and I can say that only for the last six months I have been happy with my family and children. Politics should be dealt with in winter, and now it's summer. The elections will be in November, it will already snow, the field work will be over, then we will think about it.”

According to the PAI, July 29. The statement was made in response to the question whether M. V. Kuznetsov intends to continue to engage in politics and take part in the election of the head of the administration of the Pskov region.

Mikhail Bryachak, president of the international association "ROSTEK-Terminal", chairman of the Pskov regional branch of the Russian Party of Life: “I am not familiar with the concept of socio-economic development of the Pskov region, since it contains a political factor. Today, I don’t see any real mechanisms that could build an original economy and form a regional budget on its basis.”

According to the PAI, July 28. The comment was made in connection with the developed strategy for the social and strategic development of the Pskov region.

Boris POLOZOV, deputy of the Pskov Regional Assembly of Deputies, head of the Pskovshchina deputy group: “Certain people, such as Mikhail Gavunas and Vasily Salopov, have concentrated in their hands significant property in the production of alcoholic beverages and a number of other industries in recent years, and on the eve of the election of the governor, and it is possible that he may be replaced, they have a desire to preserve what has been acquired in recent years. Of course, there are more chances to keep what you have acquired in the status of the chairman of the regional Assembly, and more chances to agree with a potential future candidate, and then, probably, with the governor.”

According to REGNUM on July 29th.

Igor SAVITSKY, deputy of the Pskov Regional Assembly of Deputies, member of the deputy group "Pskovshchina": “If the law were on the side of Mikhail Gavunas and Vasily Salopov, they would not be afraid of the upcoming gubernatorial elections and would not try to seize power in the Pskov Regional Assembly. After 4 years, Gavunas, under pressure from the public and the regional elite, resigns from the administration and suddenly becomes the richest man in the region, just like Vasily Salopov. Now they have a complete monopoly in the alcohol industry and many more interesting and expensive objects. For example, the firm "Euro-Keramika", which was "very interesting" bought by Mikhail Gavunas. People become super-rich almost overnight, and law enforcement agencies do not see anything special in this, explaining this by privatization. Yes, this is theft of pure water, not privatization. And I don’t understand why today the law enforcement agencies of the region take such a liberal position in relation to these people.”

According to REGNUM, 30 July.

Lev SHLOSBERG, Chairman of the Pskov regional branch of the Russian Democratic Party "YABLOKO": “In the Pskov region, an unnatural union of regional authorities and those people who have a direct business interest has developed. This is a classic conflict of interest and absolutely unacceptable in public politics. Such “interaction” between government and business is essentially illegal. Because people who have their own commercial interest cannot make decisions in the authorities. If you look at the system of relations between power and property in the Pskov region, then it comes down to just a few people who really control this system. First of all, these are Mikhail Gavunas and people associated with the current governor. Following the alcohol business in the Pskov region, these people began to develop other types of business, without any previous grounds, since large pieces of property began to pass to them through administrative levers. And another big question is how the enterprises went bankrupt, which eventually came under the control of these people.”

According to REGNUM, 30 July.