president and successor

At the end of the summer, Kommersant special correspondent ANDREY KOLESNIKOV flew from Barnaul to Moscow on the “main plane” of the Russian president and talked with Vladimir Putin about what not only journalists, but also his inner circle still hesitate to ask the president about.

I was at the funeral of the Altai governor Mikhail Evdokimov. Several journalists from the Kremlin pool flew to Barnaul. It so happened that in the middle of the day we separated. I ended up in the hospital, where the governor’s widow lay in serious condition. The President came to see her, and they talked about something for quite a long time. I stood in the corridor where the Altai surgeon said that she had received injuries that, they thought, were incompatible with life. But she regained consciousness. The doctor said that until now no one had been able to tell her that her husband was no longer alive. This was apparently supposed to be done by Vladimir Putin.

The rest of the journalists did not make it to the hospital and flew to Moscow on the “advanced flight”. I didn't have a ticket for a regular plane. The president's press secretary offered to help. So I ended up on the “main board”.

My neighbor was the president's personal physician. He said that in five years he had not missed a single presidential business trip and that, fortunately, his ward did not need his help on any serious occasion.

“Eat,” he told me, “you’re probably hungry.”

The professional determined this by some signs that were apparently unconditional for him. I think, most likely, by my glance at the tray of food that was already lying in front of me on the folding table. But I didn’t have time to touch her. I was called to a nearby salon.

There I saw a richly laid table and the president of the country. He invited me to sit down. There were five of us in total: he, me, his assistant, press secretary and chief of protocol.

The President suggested a drink. I refused:
- I do not drink.
“We’ll have to,” he said. “Without clinking glasses.”

The car accident that Mikhail Evdokimov got into apparently made a huge impression on Vladimir Putin. Their relationship was not only a working one, between the president and the governor. Once Mr. Putin flew to Chechnya and, when he returned by helicopter, he offered to give Mikhail Evdokimov a ride, who was not yet a governor at that time and came to Chechnya as an artist. On the way, the helicopter was fired upon. So Mikhail Evdokimov was no stranger to Vladimir Putin.

“It’s a strange story with this accident,” said Vladimir Putin. “Why didn’t he have an escort?” It would not have allowed his car to go at that speed.

“So they removed the escort,” I said. “A few days before the accident.”
“Yes, I know,” the president answered. “I’m interested in why.”
He said so: not why, but why.

“Well, everyone is talking about this in Barnaul too,” I said. “It is known that he has an insoluble conflict with the deputies.” The head of the police department, they say, supported them.

— Do you know that he hasn’t been to Altai at all for the last three months? — Vladimir Putin asked. “He just didn’t want to, he couldn’t bring himself to go there.” It was mentally difficult for him.

“The whole of Barnaul says that he was killed,” I said.

- Are you seriously? - Mr. Putin asked again. “Isn’t it clear that this is such a fatal coincidence of circumstances?”

— When the mayor of Barnaul was killed shortly before, it was also, they say, a fatal coincidence. But what is a fatal coincidence? You yourself say: if there had been accompaniment, nothing would have happened.

Vladimir Putin picked up the phone that was on the table (a yellow “pinwheel” with a coat of arms) and asked to be connected to the Prosecutor General. When they connected, he left the room where we were sitting. He was gone for five minutes.

When he returned, we continued to talk about other topics. One of the interlocutors knew that I had published a book, “The First Ukrainian,” about the “Orange Revolution,” and asked who I thought could be dealt with in Ukraine now. I answered sincerely that, it seems to me, with no one.

Mr. Putin listened, it seemed to me, endlessly absentmindedly.
Then I myself asked him about what, in fact, interested me:
— Have you decided on a successor?

“In principle, yes,” he nodded. “But there are no special problems here.” But, of course, we still have to look. There seem to be two candidates? I do not remember exactly.

He looked at his assistant. He nodded.
- True, both do not seem to me a 100% option yet.

I listened very carefully. I have never listened as carefully as I listened now, it seems.

“Let’s figure it out,” the president added. “It’s a difficult region, of course.” But this is not the main problem now.

- Wait! — I couldn’t resist and interrupted him. “Are you talking about the Altai Territory just now?”

“Yes,” he was surprised. “What did you think?”

I looked at him carefully. I wouldn't say there was cunning hidden in the corners of his eyes. And yet I had the feeling that they were now treating me quite mercilessly.

“No, I’m talking about your successor,” I said.
“Ah,” he answered. “About mine.” Well, okay.
- And what?
- And what?
— Have you decided?
- Why are you so interested in this?

- Because everyone is interested in it. And, in my opinion, this interests you no less than everyone else. Because something depends on it.

“Well,” he said, “let’s say I’ve made up my mind.”
“Then let you tell us,” I asked with all my heart.

I thought I could add that I won't tell anyone else. I thought I could promise anything now.

- Do you think we should leave? - he asked.
“Of course,” I answered sincerely.
- What, you don’t like me that much? - he asked.

I had to say something. And I probably would have answered. But he decided to relieve this unexpected tension. In the end, we just sat and had dinner.

“What,” he asked, “do you think there is no need to change the Constitution?”
This was a hint.
- Of course not. You yourself know that it is not necessary.
- Why, by the way? — he asked sincerely (I’m sure he was sincere).
For the first time, I think he looked at me with real interest.

“Because if you change anything now, in a year there will be nothing left of it.”

- Do you need it? - I wanted to add, but refrained, because the cunning, which I at first chose not to notice, had now reached simply indecent proportions.

“Oh, okay, then we won’t,” this man easily agreed.
- So who is the successor? - I asked again.

— Tell me, if this were a person who was decent, honest, and competent in all respects, would you, personally, help him become president? - he asked.

I was amazed at the immediate reversal of roles.

- Why should I help? I work as a journalist. I don't have to help anyone.

- No, well, you are a citizen too. So why don't you help an honest man become president?

This was just a mockery.
- You can help him better than me.
- No, answer! — he got excited. “Why don’t you look at me?”
I caught myself actually looking somewhere to the left and above him.
- What, do you want to find a portrait of Stalin there? - he said sarcastically.
“Putin’s portrait,” I answered.
“It counts,” he nodded. “But it’s not there either.” So, will you help?
“I won’t,” I muttered.

- Well, what if the person is good? - he said unexpectedly. - And honest. And decent. And competent. Would you help someone like this?

It suddenly seemed to me that he was actually talking about a specific person.
- I would help someone like that. “But there is no such thing,” I said.
- ABOUT! - he nodded. - Still, they would help. Well, you didn’t want to answer.
He was, in my opinion, very pleased with this victory.

- I'm not going to help anyone. Can you tell what kind of person this is? - I said.

“You’ll like it,” he said after some silence.

And since then I look at some people in the Kremlin and think: do I like him or not? And here he is? Or is he?.. No, he won’t like him at all. Well, that means, thank God, he won’t be the successor. But here he is... Well, yes... Or they just threw him into the very current and watched: will he swim out or not?.. So, I’m racking my brains. He thinks that I will like the person he has decided on. But I understand who I might like... Thinking about this, it’s not so difficult to go crazy. Isn’t this, by the way, what Mr. Putin was trying to achieve by saying all this?

However, he was not going to talk further on this topic.

The phone rang. This time the president did not leave the room. Apparently, he was connected again to the Prosecutor General.

“I understand... Yes, I hear...” Mr. Putin said. “That is, you have analyzed the situation and think that this should be my decision?” So tnank you.

The next day, the head of the Altai Department of Internal Affairs, by whose order Mikhail Evdokimov was deprived of his security, was fired.

The conversation continued. I talked about what interested me. Well, about freedom of speech, what else? I said that it is not on TV channels and that a normal person cannot be satisfied with this.

- What exactly doesn’t suit you? - he asked.

“I’m not happy that some time after Khodorkovsky was arrested, I lost the feeling that I was living in a free country. I haven't felt any fear yet...

I wanted to add: “But, apparently, it’s about to appear,” but he interrupted me:
— That is, the feeling of absolute freedom disappeared, but the feeling of fear did not appear?
“Yes, the feeling that was there with your predecessor has disappeared,” I said.

- But there was no feeling of fear? - he clarified again, seeming to think about what I was saying.

“Not yet,” I answered.

“Didn’t you think that maybe I was trying to achieve such an effect: so that one state would disappear and another would not appear?”

“I didn’t think so,” I answered. “I didn’t expect it.”
He shrugged his shoulders and became indifferent again.
- Well, then, free up the TV channels? - I asked.
- Nobody captured them. Television is now the same as society.
- Do you like it?
“No to me,” he answered unexpectedly.
- Well, that needs to be changed! — I was delighted. “Many people would help you with this.”

- Well, we’ll change it together. Do you think it's so easy to change? Let's change it. But there will be no return to the television that was then, at the time you are talking about. That time has passed. He is no more. It won't come back. Forget it.

He seemed to convince more than just me of this.

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 247 dated December 30, 2005, page 13

Authors:

Andrey Kolesnikov

Themes:

Andrey Kolesnikov about Vladimir Putin

"This is a very good person"