Mikhail Prokhorov about Nemtsov: “He called and said:“ Cool! ””

In 2016, the project “Five Friends of Nemtsov” came out on our site - fragments of interviews that journalist Mikhail Fishman took from friends and colleagues Boris Nemtsov for filming the documentary “too free person”. By the third anniversary of the death of Nemtsov, we publish an interview with businessman Mikhail Prokhorov from that selection of articles.

In September 1994, Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton solemnly open the new building of the Russian embassy in Washington. The head of the Nizhny Novgorod region Boris Nemtsov is an official member of the delegation.

I saw Borya for the first time in the fall of 1994. The Russian embassy was opened in Washington, and Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin went there with his team. Potanin and I also went. I remember this well, then the embassy was both Clinton and other representatives of the American elite. And now Borya Nemtsov stands - in a black suit and in white socks. This is the first image that I remember. Cheerful, young, energetic - as always. But why white socks? I immediately paid attention to them, because when I studied at a financial institution, the English teacher told us: never, even under jeans, do not wear white socks. Socks should be under the tone of trousers. And for me it was such an absurd rule. And it was quite strange to see such a bright person, but in a black suit and with white sports socks.

In August 1998, after the default and resignation of Sergei Kiriyenko, Nemtsov refuses to work further in the government and writes a statement of care.

In 1998, when he left all the posts, he came to me at [the recreation center near Moscow]. And in the meadows we began to communicate through sports. Together we met in the gym, and then it turned out that we had the same passion - water sports. He loved Windsurfing more. And I loved aquabikes more. Nevertheless, this could be combined. And we slowly began to leave together.

In puddles, life was arranged like this. If it was a weekend, then at first I definitely went to the gym, for a warm -up. Then drink a seagull, and we started football. For two hours they played football. Borya did not play football. Then they drove to ride the Istra reservoir. I rode an aquabike, and he sharpened the windsurfing technique: there was a little muzzle, such a pipe, convenient. I also love windsurfing, but not like Borya. And so, slowly in the process, we became friends. In the winter, who had skis, it was possible to ski, there is a small highway, I rode on one leg so that there was some kind of load. Could go to visit, could go drink tea, ordinary Mishpukha, nothing special, but everything, of course, was built around the sport. Or everyone gathered in a small, by current standards, a cloudy restaurant and talked there. There was a very good, very fun atmosphere. Well, of course, we have another common passion - girls. Here we were not competitors, but rather discussed which of us is more loving.

Sochi, 2000. Boris Nemtsov on surf

Victor Klyushkin / TASS

There was another very interesting place - Kazantip. It was a separate state with its charter, with its border, with its visas. There was an ideology of complete freedom. Up to 25 thousand people came at the same time, and these were people who simply rejoice at life. I went for ten years in a row and have never seen fights or anything like that. Well, as usual, envious people stuck to the brand that there were drugs. But it seems to me that the number of drug addicts on Kazantip is the same as about Tverskaya. The question is not what place, the question is, what kind of people. There is a very interesting musical culture, and at the same time we developed the sports part: the sea, again windsurfing, aquabikes. The girls were also present. So for three, for four days to come to Kazantip was very cool.

We lived in a private house, about the same as when we traveled by students. The kitchen was very tasty - cutlets there, pancakes, domestic dumplings, dumplings with cherries. We really liked the dumplings with cherries. It was a complete buzz: you live in a private house, the engine regularly flies out, and your air conditioner does not work, and if there is no electricity, then there is no water. You go into the yard, as before, wash your water there. The amenities are in the room, but I, however, did not fit one leg when I sat down, I had to throw one leg into the open door. All this happened very naturally, very humanly, and therefore great. A bunch of funny non -standard people, dressed funny. And Boris Efimovich traveled with me, not every time, but traveled. I went to the discos. There, of course, many will find out, but no one will stick. They can approach the bore, take a picture. He really liked it there.

In June 2011, Mikhail Prokhorov headed the Party of the “right business”, but already in September he left the party, publicly calling the head of the Kremlin’s domestic policy department Vladislav Surkov and accusing the raider seizure of party structures.

Sometimes I told him: “The struggle, what do you see, you sing about that. That is, what kind of politician are you? A politician is a person who, in a sense, says what they want to hear from him. And this is also a form of professionalism. And you are a fighter for human rights. ” I in a friendly manner, jokingly called him a fighter for human rights. Politics is the art of possible compromises. And you, I told him, an uncompromising person. Because if you are convinced of something in this specific moment, it is impossible to agree with you about anything. And he told me: "Do you understand anything about it, what are you climbing to me?" And we agreed that we never discuss politics.

When I took up politics, Nemtsov and I continued our tradition: not to discuss politics with each other. And I told him: "The struggle, if you want to say something about me, and I-about you, then we leave it beyond the framework." As soon as a profession or politician climbs into personal relations, wait for trouble. Close people become much more uncompromising than if the discussion goes between unfamiliar people. Therefore, let the politics remain behind the threshold. Borea and I did it wonderful. Everyone could not agree, and he often criticized me, but this did not affect our relationship. In my opinion, this is absolutely normal.

- How did Nemtsov react when you left the party?

He called and said: "Cool." All. This was enough. "This is great!" We did not discuss our experience with him. Each boy has his own choice. It was absolutely pointless to give the Bore advice. Like, however, to me. We agreed with him that we are both smart and somehow we will deal with our own behavior and our own views. Of course, this is terrible - what was done to him. But in a sense, he knew exactly what he was going on.

He loved life so much that events that could be out of the rut of another person is not about Borya. He rejoiced at every day. He was a very confident person. And this was his attractive power. It’s even difficult for me to use the word “was”. I have the feeling that he just went to ride on the surf, but I did not go, and he will now return, tanned, beautiful, and we will see each other.