"My friend Volodya Putin"

Will Vladimir Putin start a nuclear war? Conversation with a classmate of the President of Russia, Colonel of Justice Leonid Poloshov

The biography of the Justice Colonel Leonid Polokhov is filled with events, by which it is possible to track the latest history of Russia. In 1975, he graduated from the Law Faculty of Leningrad University, was a classmate of Vladimir Putin, with whom he maintained close friendly relations before the election of his president of Russia. Familiar with many famous Petersburgers who have entered the upper echelons of power today.

Leonid Polokhov from 1975 to 1999 worked in the military prosecutor's office of the Leningrad Military District, went from the investigator to the head of the investigation department and the military prosecutor. One of the first to attract the public attention to the existence in the Soviet Army of an urgent relationship, telling about the case of the killed nine colleagues of ordinary Arthrats Sakalauskas . From 1990 to 1993, Leonid Polokhov is a deputy of the Leningrad City Council, and since 1999-the chairman of the Committee for Social and Legal Protection of the military.

- Leonid Mikhailovich, we have not seen each other for more than two years, during this time many events occurred, but the main, of course, were the annexation of Crimea and the Russian military operations in Ukraine ...

- I remembered the events of 1979, when we entered Afghanistan. I was outraged by lawlessness on our part. How is it possible-to come to some state with weapons, overthrow everyone, kill everyone in the presidential palace, and then say that we have some kind of morality and morality? To say that the Americans are fighting in Vietnam, and we must go to Afghanistan ... It was terribly conquered.

Ukraine is a foreign state! What was the right to get there?

When this happened in Crimea, I immediately had a question: how so? We are screaming throughout the world that we are peaceful people, we will never attack anyone ... How so? My friends explained to me: "This is our former republic." I replied: "These are guys, the state. Ukraine is a foreign state! What right did we have to get there?" When the Federation Council gives permission for hostilities in another state, there is nothing to talk about here. Why is this happening today in Russia? And with the Crimea? I will answer unequivocally: because now in Russia one person runs. One person! And everything else: the Federation Council, the State Duma, Governors and others - I would call it a cover ... Today the president leads the state. No one but him. And what he said will be executed.

- You knew Vladimir Putin from the student bench. When he began to change noticeably, how did the process of turning it into the person we are observing today?

- When Putin came from Germany and began working with Sobchak, Vladimir Churov and Alexei Miller became assistants. In general, we all studied there. When we came to the Lension, it turned out that there was such a porridge ... The Bolshevik-Revolutionaries came, but with democratic beliefs. And where does the head of the department of LSU, Anatoly Sobchak, have an experience in managing a city of 6 million inhabitants?

They performed from the stands. And everyone wanted good to all people. But there is no experience. And with Sobchak. I always treated him very well. Remember, he was a deputy of the USSR? He was a very smart person. But he had no management experience. These are people who have never guided anything in life. I do not want Vova Putin, God forbid, to criticize, but he never led any department. Maybe these people are a child prodigy, I don’t know ... This was destroyed ... After all, if someone told me that he would be the way he had become today, I would never have believed. And none of our guys with whom we studied were friends with him, would never believe it.

Tomorrow the president will say: "You can’t walk E2-E4, let's walk like this."

Svita makes the king. Those people who surround him were more experienced in life, in positions, and on titles ... I always thought and still think that there was a wonderful idea in the Soviet Union. When a person became not at the helm, but somewhere lower-at the head of the ministry, the deputy minister ... You will open his biography and read it: he has gone to this post for these 25 years, so much went-the head of the workshop, the director of the plant, and then only began to lead this ministry. And what? "Leaders" ... Everyone understands football. I recently read one figure, and he argues why Zenit began to play like that ... I recently read the newspaper Soviet Sport and I don’t believe my eyes-suddenly a citizen of Mutko , our great Minister of Sports, says: “But we have a serious task, this is a serious task. Well, here, the president hinted to make such and such a scheme ...“ Well, what is it? The president hinted ... Tomorrow the president will say: "You can’t walk E2-E4, let's walk like that." The president said ... This retinue, I think, then, in the city hall, made him the way he has become today.

- And who today has the strongest influence on the president?

- In addition to Alexei Kudrin, a decent person who could positively influence him, I do not see anyone next to him. I know Kudrin since the time of the Lensovet. This is the only person who, let's say, be positive. As for everyone else ... Different opinions exist about who made it then.

I asked him: “Why are you jumping back and forth?”, And he says: “So you need”

I spoke to him about his future presidency about two years before his election, when he began to jump from place to place (he, of course, was rearranged as it should). I called, asked me to be connected. He was then the director of the FSB, and I was still the prosecutor of the Air Defense Army. I thought they would not be connected. Twenty minutes later - a call: "Leonid Mikhailovich? Vladimir Vladimirovich will talk to you now. You are sorry, he was busy." I think: "Wow! The FSB apologizes before me! Well, life has gone!" We talked with him. And before that, he was appointed deputy head of the presidential administration, the head of the Main Control Department of the President. I asked him: "Why are you jumping back and forth?" And he says: "So it is necessary." Like, we need to go through these posts. I did not ask what to go for them, he told me. I ask: "Do you think you will pull the presidency?" He says, like, “we will try” ... I would be scared, honestly ...

I did not hear criticism from him from classmates. Nothing special. Some immediately became closer with him. Apparently, they have good scent. And my nose is big, but the scent turned out to be bad. And then there was money. They were always needed and then too - for the polls. Where to get money from? From those friends who are nearby. And friends have their friends. So they appeared. I don’t want to name the surnames, because I just don’t know, I can only suggest ... But I heard the names of those who were spinning around him ... They are all now in sight, all these oligarchs. My guys say they gave money to these elections. Why money for elections? Are you crazy? They pressed the button - and the elections are won. I joked, of course. Money is needed, the country needs to go around, agitation and so on. These money went.

He is a living person, it will still steal

But you have to work out money! So such, I would say, incomprehensible appointments. When a person with whom you once worked together is appointed, this is understandable. You need your person, you know him, etc. But when the appointments of people begin, who had never had anything to do with him, and very, very rich ... They say to me: "He is rich! He will not steal." I reply: "Guys, I do not believe in it. What does it mean" will not steal "? He is a living person, it will still steal." So a retinue appeared. One journalist from Moscow called me and asked, not for the publication: “Rumors reached me that when Putin was preparing to participate in the presidential election, his classmates asked for something about him to write about him in newspapers. Objectively, right?” Everyone refused. I know the sorry for those who were addressed, and those who are now near him. So, his friend and my friend also called me, said (literally): “Lech, all these goats refused. Write something. You know how. You are a deputy, the articles wrote. Cherkani about Vova.” I say: "I will cherk, but only honestly. Good and bad. I am criticized." He says: "Come on! Without criticism, in any case. On the contrary, good!" Well, I wrote. Before the elections, my article "My Friend Vovka Putin" appeared.

- When you wrote the article “My Friend Vovka Putin”, did you assume that his character would change so?

The fact that there is "Crimea - Russian" and so on - I don't even want to listen to this

- I did not assume that this friend of mine would fit into my mother (she is Ukrainian) and this will do this there ... I say to everyone definitely: the fact that there is "Crimea - Russian" and so on, I don’t even want to listen to it. You are my colleagues, prosecutors and investigators. There is such a concept-"causal relationship." If we had not climbed into the Crimea ... Everyone is told-scary: NATO, the Black Sea, trawl ... And what about the Black Sea? Our ships are standing there all their lives. Something I do not remember that NATO climbs there. The causal relationship is in one thing: if we slipped to Ukraine with this issue, then we gave rise to Donbass. We are to blame for the fact that people are dying there. Not anyone else, only we, that is, our "sweet" leadership led by Putin.

It was correctly stated that international law was violated

It was correctly stated that international law was violated. I also think so: yes, they violated. But who prompted? Here is a question. Maybe I'm mistaken, but if we analyze those people who surround Putin, close to him, those who whispers to his ear, then it is clear that this whole “brigade” is from the FSB, from the KGB. Remember how they said: "Kerensky chicks"? And these are Stalin's "chicks." Not because they are bad, nothing like that. They are normal people, shallow, with higher education, with experience. But this has been stabbed in their brain: they came out of there. And, whatever one may say, these are the real Beriyevites . For them, the first is power, no law. Everything related to the law is a screen. Strength, hatred - that's all. Why is such an attitude towards people here? Why do they perform from the screens with the words "What are you poor, and how do we try to make your life better"? And how can you say this if you know that a person receives ten to fifteen thousand rubles a month, and you are five hundred thousand?

- The foreign policy of Vladimir Putin has led to the fact that now many are seriously discussing whether a nuclear war can begin. I will put a question differently: can Vladimir Putin start a nuclear war?

- Never. And I'm sure of that. I know Putin very well. To do this, you must be too bravely. So take the most global events that have taken place in Russia since the beginning of his presidency. This is Kursk , this is Beslan , this is Dubrovka . When these three events took place, my friends asked me: "Why is this the president is silent?" And I answered them: "He will perform on the third day after the death of a person, as it should be according to our Christian custom." He performed on the third day. They ask me: "Why?" I answer: “Because you don’t immediately realize what to do ...” look, these “Westerners”, as we call them ... In Tunisia, after the terrorist attacks, the authorities immediately grab the microphone, go out to people and say: “Guys, forgive us! We will do everything that is possible!” And here - no.

Here, after Kursk and after all the events that I listed ... I would not say the word "cowardice". It would be too loud. But very close to this word. You know, I would use the diplomatic phrase “We’ll wait, we’ll see how it will be” ... Therefore, there will be no war, ” Leonid Polokhov said in an interview with Radio Liberty.