"Ossetians, forward!"

“Batenka, you are a transformer” tells the story of the opera singer and Covid-dissident Vadim Cheldiev, who faces 10 years in prison

On April 20, in Vladikavkaz, hundreds of people went to the government’s house for a rally against the self -isolation regime. The ideologist of the action is called Vadim Cheldiev - the famous Ossetian opera singer and activist. Three days before the rally, Cheldiev recorded a video message with an appeal to go to the people's gathering, and then was detained in St. Petersburg. Now he is in the Pyatigorsk pre -trial detention center, he faces 10 years in prison. Samizdat “Batenka, you are a transformer” published the story of Vadim Cheldiev’s life. Here is her short retelling.

All over the world, the movement of covid-dissidents is gaining strength. Famous artists, directors, clergymen tell the audience that the coronavirus epidemic is a government conspiracy covered by modern technologies. One of the bright representatives of Covid-dissidents is the 38-year-old Ossetian opera singer Vadim Cheldiev, a fan of Stalin, who calls himself a “citizen of the USSR” and considers the existence of the Russian Federation illegitimate. Now he is in a pre -trial detention center in Pyatigorsk, he faces up to 10 years in a colony. Cheldiev is accused of spreading fakes about coronavirus, an attack on a policeman and calls for extremist activity. He himself called coronavirus a fake invented to strengthen control over citizens. On April 16, Cheldiev posted a video in which he called on the inhabitants of his native Vladikavkaz to go to the government’s house and “ask questions”. As a result, the rally against the self-isolation regime took place at the Government House a few days later, and Cheldiev himself was detained in St. Petersburg.

The story of Cheldiev is, first of all, the story of a talented opera singer from the hinterland. He began his career in the Vladikavkaz art school named after Valery Gergiev, and continued it in St. Petersburg-at the Academy of Young Singers of the Mariinsky Theater and the Conservatory named after the Rimsky-Korsakov. Friends and classmates of Cheldiev recall that he made an impression: a beautiful tall man, long -haired and with a strong voice. He loved parties. Responsive, reliable comrade. Soviet songs well succeeded in him - they came out with Cheldiev not pathetic, but very sincerely. But it was especially vividly revealed in the image of charismatic characters-Don Juan, Demon, Woland.

Cheldiev’s friend Soslan Tsutsiev tells how in 2013 Vadim unexpectedly saved the archive with the vinyl records of the republican house of folk art in Vladikavkaz. The premises of the house of creativity were leased, and the archive was put into an unheated basement, where it lay for several years. During a solo concert, Cheldiev was handed over a note about the state of the archive, and he read it right from the stage. The prosecutor’s office intervened, the House of Creativity returned to its premises, Vadim and friends personally transported the archive back.

In addition, Cheldiev regularly arranged charitable concerts throughout the republic, created the Iron Ziu Foundation (from Ossetian - “mutual assistance”), gave children musical instruments. Gradually, Cheldiev began to manifest himself as a political activist. He performed at the republican holidays. At first he was friends with the head of Ossetia Vyacheslav Bitarov, but then he was disappointed in him. In the summer of 2018, he refused the title of Honored Artist - in disagreement with the authorities who accepted pension reform. In the same year, a large fire occurred in the Vladikavkaz at the Electrozink plant - the whole city was in smoke, people in masks and respirators tried to leave. Cheldiev recorded a video in which he sharply spoke about the causes of the fire and said that he was going to "walk to the square." The walk turned into a spontaneous rally of 700 people. After a couple of months, the plant was closed, and in the spring of 2019, Cheldiev was detained by employees of the Center for Combating Extremism. He himself said that the head of the Central Bank of North Ossetia Aslan Gadiev personally threatened him to put him. The singer left for St. Petersburg and called on the inhabitants of North Ossetia to follow his example or “rebel”.

On April 17, Cheldiev was detained in St. Petersburg and sent by plane to the Minvods, and from there they took the car to Vladikavkaz. On the way, on the gas station, according to the report of the head of the shift of the on -duty part of the suburban police department Vitaly Kozaev, Cheldiev made a fight and twice hit the face of an employee of the Center for Countering Extremism. Lawyer Batraze Kulchiev, protecting Cheldiev, doubts that the singer weighing “less than 60 kilograms” could attack a significantly stronger security official. Cheldiev handed over from the pre -trial detention center the appeal on eight sheets A4, where he claims that his chief struck the policeman, then to blame the singer of this. From Vladikavkaz, Cheldiev was transferred to Pyatigorsk.

The last business against Cheldiev (under the article on calls for extremism) became known only on May 1. According to investigators, in his telegram channel, the singer published a video for several months in which he called for the overthrow of the constitutional system and illegal actions. However, lawyers believe that there is no evidence that the Channel was conducted by Cheldiev. Moreover, the telegram channel is continued to be used even after the detention of Cheldiev and his conclusion in the pre-trial detention center, where he does not have the Internet.

On May 11, Cheldiev’s relatives recorded a video message in which they offered a beaten employee of the Center for Combating Extremism to meet in the Hetag grove in the Alagirsky district, which is considered a sanctuary, and find out everything. According to them, if Vadim really hit someone, representatives of the family are ready to apologize so that the conflict is exhausted. So far there was no answer. Cheldiev Haters continue to write long posts about him in telegram channels. Supporters - to protect him in social networks, communicate in closed chats and write letters to him in the Pyatigorsk pre -trial detention center. Cheldiev himself considers himself political prisoner and, in circulation from the pre-trial detention center, says that "he is proudly ready to answer everything if I am really guilty of something, but not for what they blame me for today and trying to blame."

While the singer is in jail, the same message regularly arises in his telegram channel: “Irættæ, Iumæ æmæ Prummy !!!” This can be approximately translated as "Ossetians, forward!" Under the message - the hashtag #Yamyatyatyatheyev.

Rethered by Alexei Yablokov