How one of the poorest regions of Russia survives, where the governor was arrested for bribes. Reporting "New"

For almost a week, the Penza region lives without a governor - Ivan Belozertsev sits in the Moscow pre -trial detention center. According to investigators, for receiving bribes for a total amount of over 31 million rubles. During the search in the house of the governor, investigators found half a billion rubles in cash - and this is that in 2019 the region entered the eight of the poorest in the country. “In connection with the loss of confidence” the president sent Belozertsev to resign, the regional government was following in full force. In the elections in September last year, the United Russia seemed to be enlisted by the powerful support of his voters - he gained 78% of the vote. But the Khabarovsk protests in defense of the head of the region will definitely not be repeated here, the inhabitants of Penza assure. “Thank God or Putin,” they comment on the arrest in the city.

The special corner of the "Novy" came to Penza and tells what heritage Belozertsev left behind.

"I have a pension 10,200, he has borders"

Morning after searches in the office of the governor. The main square of the city is empty. On the bench at McDonald's, grandmother sits lonely, looks at the government building. The light does not burn there in any window. Taking the phone close to her eyes, she, squinting, reads a message. Behind the grandmother’s back, the Yandex.Dera's corporate backpack.

Fragile miniature Nina Nikolaevna. She will be 70 years old soon. I got a job on a courier a week ago. For a shift at six o’clock, he manages to promote eight addresses. At the end of the day there is no strength to run - pays his own on a bus travel.

“I still work for a half -stage, the minimum wage is paid to me, the minus is income,” Nina Nikolaevna squeezes her handkerchief in her hand, wipes her cheeks - her eyes are watery from the wind. “Well, how is he so dishonest, this Belozertsev?” How much money did he find ... So I, for example, how to live? I buy black bread, I divide into three parts per day. I drink even tea without sugar. I save. How can you live like this? Where can he steal so much?
The warning rings. "It's time, the order has come." Nina Nikolaevna brings the phone close to her face, spends a couple of times on the screen - “accept” - and now he throws a backpack on her shoulder. He runs to McDonald's for the collected packages.

Opposite the doors of the administration, a man with a Russian flag rises. It seems to Gennady Gennadievich. Speakes: “I am in support of our governor Belozertsev. We live in Russia, he is a Russian, I am a Russian, so I'm here with a flag. ”

I ask: "Do not believe that he took a bribe?"

- I definitely do not believe. This is a lie and envy.

- Whom? What?

“Well, I think he has envious people outside Penza.” And here 99.9 percent of the population for Belozertsev.

A woman with packages stops nearby, begins to lower the mask to the chin, while Gennady Gennadievich says. It seems "just a grandmother." He listens carefully, and then from a whisper passes to a cry: “What are you saying? Do not believe him, - he already addresses us, - in the city there are five of these here. Everyone is happy that we were taken from us! Yesterday I went in the center, talked with musician boys, asked them: "What, guys, are glad?" They: "Hurray!" Applaud. What did Belozertsev do for us? Borders? Why do we need them? They are changed several times in one year. Here he is a billionaire. And I have a pension of 10,200. I have what is growing in the country - I trade in the market. How to survive differently? "

A short skirmish occurs.

The pensioner turns away, already wants to leave and quietly adds: “Humanly, I feel sorry for him, girls. When they put this paper [about the search in the office] to sign this paper - he sits, his face walks like that ...

But when I looked at how much money he has ... This is impossible. And we are sitting with our borders. "

REFERENCE
The Investigative Committee claims: from January to September last year, Belozertsev received a bribe from the head of the pharmaceutical companies of BIOTEK Boris Spiegel, his wife, Evgenia Spiegel and director of Farmasia OJSC Anton Koloskova. Money, the Mercedes Benz car and Breguet watches, according to the investigation, were transferred to the governor to provide the BIOTEK company competitive advantages when concluding state contracts for the supply of drugs and medical devices to the hospital of the Penza region. Spiegel considers the matter to be “political”, because earlier he was already “hinted that [he] shares business.” Neither Spiegel nor the Belozers admit guilt. The ex-governor notes that he performed all state programs, there were no complaints about him. “And in general, I am a patriot,” the official adds.

In September, before the re -election of Belozertsev for a second term, the experts carefully put the Penza region on the list of regions where the second round is "most likely." The reason is the problems with the head of the region. In addition, all the nominated candidates from other parties were allowed to the elections, including the communist Oleg Chaliapin - he eventually gained 8%. “Understanding the presence of a significant falsified base removed the regional authorities with fears of an undesirable election result,” reports of political scientists commented on the register of the communist.

In an interview with the “new” economist Natalya Zubarevich said that in Penza “they will give out what to give” and draw the result that the federal center is waiting for. By the way, a couple of months earlier, the region was presented by a fairly high indicator of support for amendments to the Constitution - 85.25%, with a turnout of 76%.

"After the election, the teachers went to the hospital"

The village of Bessonovka from Penza is ten kilometers. The sidewalks are tightly covered with gray snowdrifts. Snow melts - along the road deep puddles of dirt. You can only go along the edge, next to cars.

- After this stress, our teachers lay in hospitals. Everyone is now dragging around the courts. I do not know how to refuse this if the director insists, ”says a teacher of secondary school No. 78 in Bessonovka.

We cannot name the subject that she leads. Teachers are afraid. We speak on the stairs at the main entrance, red homeless puppies are teased at the feet. Schoolchildren dangle next to the school, dragging a shift in the snow. They are talking, who has the beginning of skis, gymnastics. Now the school is a vacation.

The guard is a shyly smiling woman. Having lowered points, he listens to the request to call the director. Diligently tries to find his phone in contacts. Then he hears: “We ask him about the elections” - and at the same moment he lay off the phone, looks away and grows at the wall.

Judging by the published video observers of Voice, September 13, on the day of voting on this site, a stack of ballots was thrown into the urn at school.

Moreover, they did this, having previously closed the camera with shields. They did not look behind the click - it can be seen that a woman promptly brings a thick pack of ballots into the room and throws them one after another into the urn. The school principal Vladimir Demin then explained the closed cameras as follows: "They prepared the walls for repair." During the vote, it was the time.

Someone with a female voice on the video asks "for such a day off." Presumably the director replies: "I'll give you him right now."

“All of ours were so happy when they heard about Belozertsev, everyone is glad,” the teacher continues at the entrance. - Now they think, maybe this [director of Demin] will be removed in a wave. I don't drink. But I will drink a glass of wine if they remove it.

A woman in a raspberry coat rises to the porch and take it. The teacher asks her: “Do not remember who was on duty in the September elections? What teachers suffered? "

“Oh, I was on duty in the rural administration, I don’t remember,” she says, going to school. - You do not participate [in the elections] - they ask: why aren't you participating anywhere? And you participate is also bad.

In Bessonovka, not only school No. 78 distinguished the election. On Section No. 378, the head of the commission was a kindergarten teacher and a member of United Russia, Julia Grishina. The cameras there were closed by banners of voting on amendments to the Constitution, and then “repaired”. Or plot No. 374, the chairman of which is the director of the Center for Children's Creativity and a member of United Russia Svetlana Sverchkova. The cameras there covered twice - with a jacket. As a result, the results in these areas give the victory of Belozertsev with an indicator of more than 84%.

Svetlana Sverchkova noticed the Investigative Committee. She was already accused of falsifying the results of the elections.

The check for this site was drawn since November. But it was officially decided to announce falsification the day after the detention of Belozertsev. According to the investigation, Sverchkova personally entered false information into 1324 unused ballots. In fact, 204 people voted on the site.

"A person worked, it seems that they did not die"

In Bessonovka, everyone heard about the stuffing and the criminal case. In a small market, hearing the name of Belozertsev, they frown, turn away: “There is nothing to talk about him. What did he do good to say something about him? "

Directors, who were wandering under the arms, abandon the retired friends: "As they were in the mud, they remained in the mud." They know about the stuffing: "How much they put for him ... What a shame."

The tightened gloomy Nikolai Ivanovich goes along the edge of the roadway. On the legs are kiraza boots. Running cars spray puddles - everything flies on a blue jacket and pants.

Nikolai Ivanovich worked for 47 years as a driver, the head of the motorcade. Voted for Belozertsev. In the Besonovka of such a person we were looking for a long time.

- He did nothing bad. A man worked, it seems that they did not die, they also worked, ”Nikolai Ivanovich smiles. - There are products in stores. But they offend, of course ... not him. But they offend. There are products in stores, but there is no money to buy them. The president even ours said that for such a pension as you live ... weak pensions compared to other countries.

In the Deaf courtyard of Bessonovka at the playground we meet a woman Nina. Beautiful, stately, in a down cap. She first shakes her head to the question about the governor. It goes on. Then he returns.

- Nothing good. - Silent. - He did nothing to us. The elections were - at least swim swim to the site. I have three grandchildren, I see them all to school, because it is impossible to walk along the road.

Nina, like many, who meet that in Penza, in Bessonovka, recalls a pension. Because this is a “sick”: “Well, here's my sister - 11 thousand, I have 15. So what? I paid for that, and what can I buy? There are products in stores, but you still need to buy them for something. ”

Nina is going to leave, and then adds: “Do you know what was most outraged by me? Three more days before the elections, and on TV they already say "our governor will do it, do it." Which governor? We also have to get out. "

"Top up, but help people"

The Penza assures us: if Belozertsev had real support of 78% of those who voted, people would already be on the streets. For example, in January, about two thousand have been released in support of Alexei Navalny - this is a record of the city over the past ten years.

Anton Strunin - the coordinator of the local headquarters of the opposition - 38 years old, he was born and raised in Penza. The chairman of the HOA at home - during our interview, the neighbors call either a leak in the apartment, then with a request for a team of workers. In Penza, you should not expect shares as in Khabarovsk? In response, Anton laughs: "In support of the investigation?"

- The previous governor Bochkarev (Vasily Bochkarev served as governor of the Penza region until 2015, died of lung cancer. - Ed. ) Threatened my life, said that the head of the head would be broken. But Bochkarev was a governor-politician, elected in a more or less honest election-he had charisma, he talked to people.

Belozertsev is an official who was appointed. If you look at its posters, it will be just about the “stability of the region”. No proposals for improving life, no promises.

“What did you think when you heard about searches and arrest?” - I ask Anton.

- I did not believe. I thought: nonsense, some kind of fake. I have a theory that before the elections to the State Duma it was necessary to show that “we are fighting bribes, we drive out such from the governors,” and Belozertsev simply turned out to be the most useless.

- Where are these 78% of support?

- This is about half a million people. We know the price of these interest. We have been observing for several years, and not to say what is drawn here in Chechnya, but they draw very well. According to our observers, at least 15–20% are thrown out of each election. We direct observers to the sites, compare with areas where they are not. Bessonovka: Three criminal cases of our statements.

Belozertsev does not have a support group, he did not break into power, campaigning people. He is a tanker, he worked most of his life at the military registration and enlistment office, this is just a reference official.

-Are there any things for which in Penza are grateful to Belozertsev?

-When people need to say something, in this case they say about the borders. It just fixed in the tongue, but we already had normal borders. There is a state “safe and high -quality roads” program, several billion rubles per year are allocated on it annually. All this has been going on since 2015, the money was mastered by several companies that made repairs. The antimonopoly service confirmed that five companies created a cartel conspiracy, but they continued to receive orders. And so it is clear that without the assistance of the governor this would be impossible, but this fall after the elections we suddenly found that these companies were the main sponsors in the Belozertsev election race. Tiles were shifted on Moskovskaya Street twice.

Over the past two years, Belozertsev opened monuments with us: mothers, Peter and Fevronia, a centaur. Millions from the budget are spent on this that could go for the right affairs.

( continues ) Maybe on the street of Glory not to pull out a good granite border in the 90s and not change it to the concrete made? Well, help people, even have a report on this, make a report, but help. Instead, they take money for which people could be resettled from emergency housing, they put a monument to the centaur.

“It was a van. And who is with us? "

Such an emergency hut is in the center of Penza. Wooden, four -apartment. With a broken roof, with icicles grown into the walls to the floor. On the walls in the house - black soot, on the floor - scattered books, magazines, twisted pillows of chairs. Now no one lives here, although residents are registered officially in the house. Because people cannot live here - they have to rent apartments and rooms.
The house was built in 1946 as a “template” - it does not even have a foundation. Nearby is the building of the district administration, the regional prosecutor’s office, a multi -colored new skyscraper.

Viktor Georgievich Piskunov - a journalist of the local newspaper Surskiy Eve - shows us everything that remains of their apartment after a short circuit and fire two years ago, when the family miraculously saved: "The three of us lived in this hole."

- At night it was, December 2. I ran out in my underpants, scorched my ears, eyebrows. At least we are people with a small income, but the library is more expensive for us than any state. Everything burned out. Two ten thousand months later, we were given to us in the administration. “Decide for yourself,” they say, “take off your housing.” Already after the fire, homeless people lived in a neighboring apartment in the summer, but here it became cold and they began to heat up with something-the person burned down. Neither in incidents, anywhere, the corpse was taken into account, as if this story was not at all.

In the rented apartment of Viktor Georgievich we are met by his wife Olga Valerievna, a former teacher and librarian and daughter of Vika.
“For ten thousand we rent this apartment,” says Olga Valerievna. - I have no pension at all, the FIU refused, because there are not enough points. On the women of 1964, they played out with a pension reform. My husband is paid only for me - 1850 rubles as a dependent.

Piskunovs went to a rally against pension reform. But since Olga Valerievna has two hernias, she was not on the latest protests - it’s hard to walk: “If a person is without housing, they give him at least a social pension. They don’t give me anything. ”

The family turned to Belozertsev, even when he was the head of the Legislative Assembly and the chairman of the regional branch of United Russia. Belozertsev promised: "We will bring questions to a logical conclusion."

“In 2012, we once again came to a personal reception with my mother,” recalls Olga Valerievna. - He hugs us like that, presses his hands - he has such a manner, says: "We will decide everything." My mother asks him: “Ivan Alexandrovich, well, after all, who will come to us? Will the news somehow be informed? " And such a grin from him: "Ha, who will come to you?"

Before the elections last year, Viktor Georgievich personally called Belozertsev.

- He told him how after a fire we stagger in removable corners. He, I hear, talks on a different phone with Luzgin (Andrey Luzgin is the head of the Penza administration. - Ed. ) . He says to him: “Listen, Andrei Vyacheslavovich, I was called the deputy editor of the Sur Spaces newspaper, he was a fireman. Вы уж найдите возможность решить этот вопрос, он же работает в нашей системе». Раза три, наверное, подчеркнул: «Он же на нас работает».

На следующий день Виктор Георгиевич пришел в приемную к Лузгину — там ему предложили квартиру маневренного фонда, предназначенную для временного проживания. Семья отказалась от такого варианта.
Теперь Пискуновы ждут суда.

Уходя, спрашиваю у Ольги Валерьевны:

— Не выйдут у вас за губернатора как за Фургала?

— Так это у них Фургал был! А у нас кто?

«Я никогда не голосовал ни за Путина, ни за кого. Тут проголосовал»

Чемодановка, еще одно село в десяти километрах от Пензы, но в другую сторону от Бессоновки. Почти два года назад здесь случилась трагедия.
13 июня 2019 года между русскими жителями села и цыганами произошла массовая драка. Погиб 33-летний Владимир Грушин. По словам тех, кто был рядом, Грушин не участвовал в драке. Пришел посмотреть, что происходит. Так туда попал и водитель сельского школьного автобуса Сергей Пугачев. Хотел загнать машину в гараж. Он был ранен в голову, попал в реанимацию, два месяца лежал в больнице.

Дрались несколько сотен человек. Причина: в тот день, как рассказывают друг другу соседи эту историю, несколько парней-цыган приставали к школьницам, которые загорали у пруда. Те рассказали об этом родителям. А дальше из попытки выяснить, что произошло, случилась кровавая бойня. С топорами, вилами, ножами и битами. На следующий день почти тысяча цыган покинула село. Люди ждали приезда губернатора, перекрывали федеральную трассу «Урал». В ответ — приехал ОМОН. Белозерцев тоже приехал. Уже на другой день. Сказал, что «Америка, Запад загоняют огромные деньги на подготовку людей. Народ взрывается».

Сегодня в Чемодановке тихо. Цыгане вернулись уже через месяц после тех событий.

На заледеневшем пруду — укутанные рыбаки. Рядом с отцом стоит девочка лет шести. Со своей самодельной удочкой. Смотрит на лунку. Ближе к школе и продуктовым магазинам стоит стойкий кислый запах от мусорного полигона. Здесь же, рядом с деревянными домами, этого нет.

— У меня лично благодарность губернатору, что он провел нам воду, что заасфальтировал дороги. После событий цыганских. Тут подвески летели на этой дороге, люди летели — спотыкались. Обещал свет провести по всей улице — провел. Не болтун, как Бочкарев. — Игорь, рослый мужик с широкой улыбкой, висит на заборе, а за ним внимательно смотрят его собаки, кошки. По другую сторону переулка с ведром воды бредет цыганская молодая девушка. — А Белозерцев все же к нам приехал. На своих «мерседесах», с сопровождением. Ну, естественно, чтобы всех успокоить, он это сделал, — улыбается Игорь.

Видит проходящую девушку-цыганку: — Они все спокойные, адекватные. Good people. Огурчики соленые им дадим, чеснок. Они же трубы для воды помогали прокладывать здесь — им деньги за это платили».
Когда все случилось, соседи Игоря, большая цыганская семья, тоже уехали. Остался пустой дом. Игорь ходил кормить соседских собак, насыпал корм, наливал воду свиньям.

Спрашиваю, сделали ли власти в Чемодановке отделение полиции, как обещали. Многие жители просили об этом.

— Конечно, — протягивает Игорь. — Только они отгородились трехметровым забором, колючей проволокой, поставили шлагбаум и камеры, — снова улыбается.

В сентябре Игорь голосовал за Белозерцева. «Я никогда не голосовал ни за Путина, ни за кого. Тут проголосовал».

Мы уже прощаемся, и он говорит нам вслед: «Но если бы каждый чиновник мог дать народу то, что он хотел взять себе, было бы лучше. У меня пенсия — 9 тысяч, а сколько у него нашли? Вот так вот». Щелкает пальцами.

«Думал, хоть вор, но не такой»

Егору почти 60 лет. Он — крепкий, в каракулевой шапке, с густой черной бородой и добрыми глазами. Улыбается нам. Приглашает на чай. Егор — цыган, его семья приехала сюда из Ростова, сам он родился в Астрахани.
Дверь открывает красивая черноволосая женщина — Рая. Сноха Егора. Из-за спины у нее выглядывают двое мальчиков, за ноги обнимает такая же черноволосая девочка. В доме живет несколько семей.

— Живем тихо-смирно, никто не трогает, — Егор рассказывает медленно, смотрит под ноги. — Мы тогда собрались все вместе, решили уехать. They were afraid. Их же много — русских. Люди, которые здоровались с нами, здороваются и сейчас. Но молодые — нет… Мы вернулись через месяц, все вернулись.

Он много раз просит прощения, что не хочет фотографироваться. Улыбается: «А то скажут: вот эти цыгане тут опять… Не надо. Вы только простите».

На стене черно-белые фотографии — родители Егора. Фото маленькой дочки, она умерла. Рая накрывает большой стол — ставит конфеты, творожную массу, сметану, клубничное варенье. Отправляет мальчиков в лавку за шоколадными вафлями и пирожными.

— Белозерцева я ни разу не видел, но он нам тут асфальт сделал. Потом по этой улице провели водопровод, совсем воды не было. Сыновья мои тоже его строили, да. В Пензе обижаются на него. А мы, цыгане, все вместе собрались, сказали нам, за кого поставить. Там и без нас проголосовали. Было, правда, — улыбается. — Ну, человек все равно помог.

Сосед Егора — Виктор. Сгребает снег с участка. Шапка почти на глазах. Улыбается ему, поднимает руку — Егор кивает.

— Я тоже за Белозерцева голосовал, — говорит Виктор. — Думал, хоть вор, но не такой. А он вон сколько наворовал! — Хватается за голову, кладет подбородок на рукоятку лопаты. — Говорю себе: вот, надо баллотироваться на его место.

˟˟˟

— А что с Чемодановкой? Белозерцев смог разрешить ситуацию там? — спрашиваю у Антона Струнина, активиста из областного центра.

— Вряд ли бы кто-то ее смог решить на самом деле, с федерального уровня она может выглядеть так: люди собрались, перекрыли трассу, губернатор пришел и какую-то чушь наговорил — «американцы все спонсируют». Но люди обращались в полицию много лет, полиция бездействовала. Не из-за плохой работы губернатора. Видимо, из-за плохой работы полиции вообще в России. Как сами умеют, жители решили массово подраться, неправильный путь решения проблемы — они ничего не решили. Родственников и соседей убили. На эмоциях перекрыли трассу, требовали, чтобы губернатор к ним приехал.

Если бы он был политиком настоящим — он бы смог успокоить людей, может, с работой полиции навести «шухер», но так как он чиновник, у которого самые простейшие функции как у губернатора — чтобы тишь да гладь была в регионе

и чтобы все коррупционные схемы проходили как надо, — он им по сути сказал «не отсвечивайте».

Вечером в пятницу подопспел указ президента: врио губернатора Пененской области назначен сенатор Олег Мельниченко. Пресс-секретарь Песков готовил журналистов к событию: «президенту потребовалось определенное время, чтобы принять решение».