What did you want?

As you know, the best way to save a family and divert suspicion from alleged adultery is to deny everything. Stand firm. Never, never, never, not once. Especially if in the arsenal of a jealous spouse there are only suspicions: she began to dress better, stays late after work, some incomprehensible sparkle in her eyes, and so on. No witnesses, rumors from dubious sources such as OBS, personal cockroaches generated by jealousy.
So it is with Bastrykin. He chose the best method - the method of complete denial. Because there are no witnesses. And if there is, then they go under Bastrykin. Therefore, they won’t let it slip even under torture.
I have no doubt that there was a trip to the woods. And threats coupled with black humor: if you complain, I’ll take care of your business. I have no doubt that Muratov is telling the truth; he is not the right person to throw sweeping accusations. Only there is no way to prove anything and, apparently, there will not be. Even if the journalist taken to the forest had a voice recorder built into his button. As is known, any evidence in the form of recordings is not seen by Russian courts, or is seen extremely selectively, in favor of those who are in power or close to it. The Bastrykins have strength; they have no defense against such crowbars. The only thing they can do is to quickly block the information flow - in different ways. They will succeed, they have learned very well how to shut their mouths using various methods: detentions, imprisonments, searches, compromising evidence, shaking up underwear, an incited pack of Nashi comment writers, hackers, provocateurs. I think they will also try to bury “Novaya” ahead of schedule, since this newspaper has been a fish bone in the throat of the Kremlin people for a long time. I don’t envy the journalist because he has no way to defend his truth. And forestry is just another stone in the grave of Russian legality. All that remains is to level it to the ground and cover it with asphalt, which is what happens every day. Routine work, dusty, dirty, but effective.