Translated material
Wallets without victims
Political emigrant Vladimir Ashurkov-about Yandex-Koshelki, undying Navalny and "Markwo Case"
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, there is a wave of interrogations in the criminal case of Yandex-Koshelki , which is related to financing the election campaign of the opposition politician Alexei Navalny. In particular, the employees of the Navalny of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Corruption Fund, as well as the sponsors of its election company, are interrogated.
In the case of Navalny’s election campaign , who was running for the Moscow mayor in the Moscow mayor in 2013, the defendants were accused, the opposition politician Vladimir Ashurkov, Konstantin Yankauskas and Nikolai Lyaskin took place. According to investigators, they stole about 10 million rubles collected for Navalny using the Yandex. Money service. Since June 2014, Yankauskas has been contained under house arrest, Lyaskin has been under the recognizance not to leave, Ashurkov fled to the UK, where he received a political asylum.
Vladimir Ashurkov was a key member of the team of Alexei Navalny. Conducting the post of director for managing and monitoring the assets of the Alfa Group concern and possessing extensive ties in the Russian business community, he attracted Russian businessmen and financiers to financing the anti-corruption activities of Navalny's anti-corruption. Together with Navalny, Ashurkov developed the main political projects and documents of the Party of Progress. Vladimir Ashurkov himself, living with his family in London, calls this matter far -fetched and politically motivated. In an interview with Radio, he explains the political background of pursuit of the Russian authorities of Navalny and his Party of Progress.
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Vladimir Ashurkov - about life and struggle
- When did you give a petition for political asylum in the UK, how did you motivate it?
- By the time I filed a petition for a political asylum, against me and my two colleagues, Konstantin Yankauskas and Nikolai Lyaskin, a criminal case was opened related to the abuse that allegedly took place during the fundamental campaign of Alexei Navalny. It is clear that this matter was politically motivated. In order to submit a petition to the British Ministry of the Interior about the shelter, I had to describe the nature of this case and answer questions about why I consider it political.
- How legal was the fundraising for the election campaign of Alexei Navalny, for which, in fact, a criminal case was opened against you?
The election campaign of Alexei Navalny. Summer 2013
All facts indicate the political nature of this matter
- Everything was absolutely legal, the money for the pre -election campaign was collected at the election account. The functioning of this account is strictly determined by electoral law, there were no complaints against us. We used Yandex-Kshael to raise funds and then pay them to the election account. It was much easier to do potential donors, everything was absolutely legal. After all, what does the Investigative Committee accuse us of? The fact that the money that we raised on the Yandex-Kshtelki is assigned. At the same time, the money was collected in favor of Navalny, our candidate, and he has no complaints about us. The Investigative Committee, when this criminal case was opened, interviewed hundreds of people in different regions who sent money to these "wallets" in small amounts, 100 or 500 rubles. As far as we know, there were no people who would declare themselves victims, no one was injured. Nevertheless, Kostya Yankauskas has been sitting under house arrest for a year soon, Kolya Lyaskin under the subscription about the lower place. All facts indicate the political nature of this case.
- If you summarize what you did for the Navalny Progress Party - was it the development of an exclusively political strategy?
-If you single out any things, that is, three areas for which I have answered, which I oversaw. First: Development of a strategy for civil political activity, projects "RosZHKH", "Rosyama", "Rospil", corruption investigations. Second: attracting funding. And the third: communication with the leaders of public opinion - artists, whose support we wanted to enlist, scientists, businessmen and so on. As part of the development of the strategy, I was responsible for the preparation of software documents, in particular, for the program of the Progress Party-this is the program of Alexei Navalny in the mayor’s elections in 2013 and various other documents, for example, our coalition agreement with the Party Partnas party.
- Now, while in London, do you continue to do this?
- Yes, of course, I am in daily contact with our team in Moscow, with Alexei, and in principle I deal with the same questions now. Of course, it is difficult to do something from London, but working with documents, communicating with people with the help of modern means of communication from anywhere in the world.
-Mikhail Friedman is your former employer in Alfa Group. It is known that he in every possible way tries to be politically neutral and stay away from politics. When he decided to part with you, he offered you an alternative or a choice: a business or a politician? Or was it said like this: thanks and goodbye?
The special services, apparently, lawfully considered me the closest ally of Navalny, and the shareholders of Alfa Groups did not want the company's name to rinse in the press due to politics
- At that time, the question was not so - it was the beginning of 2012. Friedman knew that I was helping Alexei Navalny in her free time from work. Alfa-groups are quite calm about what employees do at a time. But by the beginning of 2012, in his own words, the special services apparently lawfully considered me the closest ally of Navalny, and the shareholders of Alfa-Groups did not want the company's name to rinse in the press due to politics, in connection with me and Navalny. I think that at the same time there was also a certain pressure from the special services.
- At what point did you feel that you need to leave? And how did you leave: how difficult it was?
- In March 2014, after the annexation of Crimea occurred, I felt that the atmosphere around us began to change. Alexey was under house arrest, I had a search, the frames of the operational shooting of which were shown on the NTV channel that evening. I noticed a denser external observation and realized that it was unsafe for me in Moscow. My wife and I planned some part of the time to spend in May in London, because we had to have a son. She also gave birth to a previous child in London, these births were quite difficult, and she wanted the next child, our son, to give birth to the same English doctor, so we planned it for a long time. The combination of these factors led to the fact that we went to England. We can say that God saved, because a week after our son was born in May, a criminal case was opened.
- A criminal case has been instituted against your wife Alexandrina Markvo , she is wanted. Tell me, what, in fact, is accused of, does it have something to do with the activities of the Navalny party and your activity?
Alexandrina Markwo
- Sasha, of course, shares my views and views of Alexei Navalny, like most thinking and educated people in Russia. But she never engaged in political activities, the financing of our projects. They accuse her of fraud with the cultural projects that she implemented for the Moscow government, for the federal government. These are quite famous projects, in particular, the bookmarket book festival - a book of books in parks, when writers, artists, scientists come to Moscow parks and give their lectures on weekends, make concerts; Books are sold there. These projects are well acquainted with Muscovites. Sasha has been engaged in them for more than 10 years in cooperation primarily with the Moscow government. They accuse her of abuses in the spending of funds that she received by these tenders.
- That is, it has nothing to do with the activities of the Navalny party, except, perhaps, moral support?
- Yes, sure.
- You called your persecution by the Russian authorities politically motivated. Why didn't you please them?
- I had the first search in February 2013, then I was a search in March 2014. I found external observation. Navalny and I were engaged in anti -corruption activities, opposition political activities. Alexei Navalny became the most significant political opponent of modern government in Russia. Many people who gathered around him are persecuted by Russian law enforcement agencies.
- What do you think about the current state of the Russian opposition? Does she have a chance to strengthen her influence, somehow influence the political situation?
The politically active part of the population is unlikely to defeat the car of authoritarian and corrupt authority
- It seems to me that the opposition is a broader concept than is commonly believed. I include in this concept of everyone who is dissatisfied with the regime, who does not even engage in professional political activity. I think that all these people can also be included in the opposition, since they understand the reasons for the political situation in Russia. The politically active part of the population is unlikely to now defeat this car of authoritarian and corrupt authority. I am sure that the general segments of the population will become more and more politically active as they begin to realize that the deterioration of the economic situation, the deterioration of the situation with civilian freedoms is directly related to the existing policy of the regime. It is with this that I associate my hopes.
-And yet: can we expect in the near future some change in the influence and popularity of the political opposition in Russia?
-It seems to me that some changes will be the result of complex historical processes. It is clear to me that they are not developing in favor of the regime of Vladimir Putin. I do not think that there are some universal recipes that are suitable for everyone. I am glad that there are people who, even in conditions of repression, do not leave attempts to influence the situation, change it. I am glad that at some point I joined a person who is an example of unbending for me-to Alexei Navalny, who, like the biblical David, fights this huge giant Goliath. And I'm glad that there are such people.
- Looking back, at the time when you began to cooperate with Navalny and decided to support him, - Now you do not regret that you took this step and began to support Navalny and financially and morally?
- No, I do not regret. This began quite innocently, in his free time. I helped him write appeals to the auditors of large state -owned companies, organize supporters and volunteers. Together we thought over a political strategy, invented new projects, such as Rospil or Roszhkh. So I certainly do not regret it about this. Of course, I did not think five years ago about where it would lead me, but those values that I was guided by when I wrote my first e-mail to Navalny with some advice. And I am glad that in my life there was an opportunity to follow them, ”said Vladimir Ashurkov , who received political asylum in the UK, in an interview with Radio Radio.