Skor of treasures

This material was first published on the website of Novaya Gazeta. We will recover it with the permission of the editorial office.

In June last year, a group of deputies and senators introduced a bill on amendments to the law “On the Protection of Lake Baikal” to the parliament. In July, he was accepted in the first reading. Novella - in the resolution of continuous logging for the construction and development of tourism in the central ecological zone of Baikal, where any construction and mining of resources, including forest, are limited. Most likely, Russia will not notice when the law will be finally accepted. And they will undertake to implement.

It may seem that this is the awkward moment when the most businesslike and practical ones, using the crisis in relations with the rest of the world, is that all ties are torn, the most expensive that is in Russia (even if you reason by the standards of these deeds, at the very symbolic price for fresh water, Baikal is more expensive than its assets with all its assets at times). They are stinging that Russia had preserved before with the rest of the world-in the 90s it achieved and ensured that Baikal became an object of the UNESCO World Heritage, this gives him protection, and this was in the interests of Russia and the world. And here's a quiet sapa, taking advantage of the fact that “the West is no longer a decree”, Baikal begins to gut, removing all the security systems, canceling all the papers.

And do not give a damn that Baikal is the main not even Russian - a planetary resource and, possibly, the only guarantee of the future of Russia that has fallen to it Jackpot. No, break now. And there - grass does not grow.

The next roll of the Russian state and business on Baikal began last year, but then the professional ecological community in the country was not yet defeated, authoritative international organizations did not manage to recognize in this territory undesirable, the status of “foreign agents” hung by that time on the few, and the experts were able to recapture the most destructive initiatives for the Baikal. And the repeated, summer, attack on Baikal was assessed by his defenders almost as a compromise, not as destructive as it could be. However, it is clear that the new edition of the bill (deputies say that not even the second - the third) hastily, without a wide discussion, accepted by the deputies (for an inexplicable rush directly indicated, for example, the prominent unicorn Vyacheslav Fetisov), the fears were not removed, and the damage to Lake Baikal, its nature will be applied. Why for? And who for the sake?

In fact, the study of the Center for the Anti -Corruption Policy of Yabloko “Deputy Forestry” is devoted to this. As parliamentarians write a law on forest cutting in Lake Baikal in the interests of companies close to them. ” The “New Gazeta” was the first to introduce the “apple” materials. For lack of non -proof of the officials of environmentalists and experts, recognized political party is taken in the official public space of environmentalists and experts, recognized as well. And he does this as he can and can, as he should: speaks not about the consequences for ecosystems, but about the lobbying and possible corruption component. And this is correct and fair.

A lot has already been connected about how the co -authors of the new bill issued for the protection of the inhabitants of the coastal regions from the villages, with cornering companies, with developers, has already been said. Especially about the State Duma deputy Alexander Yakubovsky, whose family has a branched business in Lake Baikal. Yakubovsky, perhaps, is most active in this group of co -authors of 21 member of the parliament, and the “new” wrote in detail how in October last year at zero hearings of the bill in the Public Chamber experts, primarily from Greenpeace (recognized by the organizations unwanted in the Russian Federation), simply destroyed the face to the eyes of the eyes and arguments of Yakubovsky. Subsequently, he sought the closure of Greenpeace in Russia and achieved; When the Prosecutor General’s Office reacted to his statement, he rejoiced at this “big victory”.

The “Yabloko” brings into the light not so lively, but probably no less entrepreneurial figure, showing how Senator Sergey Brilka (co -author of the initiative) and his family can come true on the new law.

"This is some kind of Magic!"

The search for possible beneficiaries of the bill cited us, writes “Yabloko”, to a member of the Council from the Irkutsk region Sergey Brilka and his family.

Brick has a rich construction biography. He began in the Irkutskihilstroy trust, rose to the director. Since 1997, he is the Vice-Governor for Construction, since 2003-the deputy leader of the Kripstroy at the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant (part of the Rusal). Since 2012-the secretary of the re-division "EP", from 2013-the regional deputy, from 2015 to 2018 he headed the Legislative Assembly.

And - the appointment to the Council of People's Commissars. Where Brilka is still noticeable only to attempts to weaken the guardian status of Lake Baikal. So, he acted as a co -author of the bill on the removal of restrictions on the circulation of plots in the Baikal territories. The project received a negative response of the government and rejected by the State Duma. Brick also signed under two ill -fated bills on legalization of the cut of the Baikal forest. We could not find other legislative initiatives during the time spent in the federal parliament, writes Yabloko; Why is the senator only interested in clearing forest lands around Lake Baikal for development?

The work as a deputy from the “ER” in the Irkutsk region Brick was, according to Yabloko, more fruitful: among the initiatives supported by him - permission to people to gather in the forest a fallen. “Today, people see how powerful cars take out the forest with dozens of cubic meters, and they cannot even dial firewood,” Brick stood in 2017, offering to pay residents of remote areas for planting trees.

Prior to this, the company in his surroundings itself came across illegal cutting of forests in Lake Baikal.

Since October 2009, Brick became a co-owner of the half of the Sibakvaprom joint-stock company (water sampling and cleaning, a license for the extraction of mineral water from the Krasnoyarovskoye deposit in Buryatia). The second half according to the latest disclosed data ( report for 2015) - at Sigmat. Both companies are located at one address. Sigmata is involved in the illegal cutting of forests in the central ecological zone of Lake Baikal.

In 2010, a company with an authorized capital of 10 thousand rubles received a plot of Baikal lands with an area of ​​21.6 hectares covered with protective forests for 49 years. After they were cutting down at the former head of the Buryat Forestry Agency, Alexei Shchepin, they opened a criminal case for issuing illegal permission. By that time, Schepin had already moved to the west of the country and held the post of Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Karelia. The scandal, it seems, cost him positions (in general, as the Buryat media wrote , who followed the labor path of a fellow countryman, the minister was given four years conditionally and immediately released him from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. - A. T.), the prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit about the damage for 52 million rubles. There is no information about the responsibility of Sigmate in open sources.

Whether Brill is a share in business, it is unknown, writes Yabloko, but the case lives: now both companies are headed by a certain Vladimir Batyshev. It also includes half of the share of Buryat Scientific and Production Enterprise “Podra-Service” (geological exploration) and 100% of the Baikal-Akva-Culture Fish-breeding LLC. Batyshev is not public. According to open data, the current business owner with multimillion -dollar revenue drives by the UAZ car and lives on the outskirts of Irkutsk, which makes it similar to denominations.

Among many companies of Senator Ivan Brilka, the Ivideli Estate SK is listed. The company runs the “elite cottage village” near Irkutsk, which stands on the site of the former children's recreation center “Sunrise”-it was liquidated in 2011, in the same year, judging by the satellite pictures, the construction of the “elite village” began.

Sergei Brilka said in an interview that "his son followed in his feet - he became a builder," but the senator "tries not to interfere in his work." Ivan Brilka, meanwhile, earns on state contracts from the construction departments of the region. Since 2020, his company “Brikom” has been leasing premises to public structures of the Irkutsk region, including the Ministry of Transport and Roads. State contracts are signed in procurement mode with a single supplier - the most corruptive format.

The business of the senatorial family is intertwined: Brilka-Sin and the same Sigmatek owned on a shallow basis the company New Technologies-now it was liquidated, the liquidator was already noted by Vladimir Batyshev.

The daughter of the Senator Energraktik, Marina Brilka, also has her business interests in Lake Baikal. “Yabloko” studied Instagram (recognized in Russia as extremist and prohibited) a girl: sitting in the Novikov restaurant in the center of London in 2018, Marina advised subscribers “to live really in the moment. To thank parents, because it is so expensive and so truly. This is some kind of Magic! "

While her father welcomed the accession of Crimea, Marina graduated from a two-year-old magistracy at the London School of Business and Finance and lived in the city center at 14 Albemarle ST, London W1S 4HL (she herself, in 2018, tells and shows, the video in social networks: and right down here is Tiffany, and Sabrinochka and I lived here in the neighboring neighboring ones here apartments " - A.T.). The last sale of apartments in the house took place for 21 million pounds, and rental costs at least 558 pounds per week.

After the daughter of the senator got a job in Rosatom, where a year later she immediately took a senior post with a salary of half a million (she speaks in this video about income). Now Brill is positioning himself as a “energy-practical mentor” and organizes elite tourist trips to Baikal. She acquired her own fashion brand and conducts training as a personal consultant ( “copyright meditation for relaxation, restoration of energy resource, women's trainings”, etc., lower chakras, high vibrations - that’s all. - A. T. ). The senator’s daughter loves to move on a business jet, go to Bali and is friends on VKontakte with another initiator to cut the cut-off to Baikal as deputy Yakubovsky.

IP was decorated on Marina Brilka, her last tour at the Baikal took place at the Ring of the Russian Railway Railway to the Ring of Railways (as she writes in the forbidden social network, the spelling is also the author: “A huge chic base in the Junius Reserve”; by the way, it is very good that she remembers, she would have told her father that Baikal is in a special status as an object of the universal heritage of UNESCO - A. T.). VIP participants-they call Marina a “conductor”-were practiced with a bowl and a tambourine, with the rites of the “supreme shaman of Baikal”, meditated and opened the pineal gland. The rental of the “royal courtyard” costs from 130 thousand rubles per day (the pineal gland, apparently, was not revealed for everyone, and at the last moment the group led by Marina, decided to linger on the “courtyard”-all this is in the video report.-A. T.).

Sergey Brilka and his children are included in the sanctions lists . Littleness in Western countries, Yabloko writes, can explain the increased interest of Marina Brilka in Russia, and the emergence of new elite tourist clusters in Lake Baikal is fully consistent with the business interests of the senator's daughter.

Who else

“Yabloko” also mentions various interests in the construction, tourist and restaurant business in Siberia and the Far East of other members of the parliament (or their families) who introduced the project of continuous logging in Lake Baikal - in addition to Yakubovsky and Brilka, these are deputies Sergey Ten, Victor Pinsky, Anton Krasnostanov, as well as Senator Andrei Chernyshev . Another beneficiary of the bill is called En+, founded by Oleg Deripaska , for the participation of the company in the “Gate of Baikal” ( EN+ structures control the ski resort “Mount Sobolinaya” - this is an anchor resident of the special economic zone “Baikal Gate”. - A. T. ).

The deputies planned, in particular, in 75 plots in the Baikal Gate - “to ensure its functioning”, the largest site - 553 hectares.

In total, 763 hectares are allocated to the “gates of Lake Baikal” (for clarity: this is absolutely the entire area of ​​the “Baikal Gate” zone, just so many lands in it. - A. T.).

The largest single section (553 hectares) for cutting down, writes Yabloko, is located near the Sobolinaya Mountain. Now, on Google cards, there is a forest, but a ski route is planned. ( But, as far as is known, the resort itself plans to cut down only under the cable car, it is less than 4 hectares, it’s about hundreds of hectares, which are in a special economic zone, but not in lease from the resort. - A. T. ).

Yabloko also writes that Sergei Brilka has a connection with the railwayman Vladimir Uzunov. It can be traced, for example, through one former co -founder of Sigmat ( we must say, about Boris Puchkov, an indicated by a co -founder with the same share as Uzunov, in the now liquidated company Melnichnaya Pad. - A. T. ). Uzunov-deputy director of the Irkutsk branch of Roszheldoroproekt-railway design and survey company.

Uzunov also owns his business. He belongs to half in two existing travel companies - Talisman Baikal and Talisman Sobolina. By coincidence, both became residents of the Baikal Gate last year. The Talisman Sobolinova occupied the territory just near the largest site from the recent bill on forest cutting. In the same year, Talisman Baikal announced plans for the construction of a five -star hotel on the lake.

The petition against the bill collected nearly 102.6 thousand signatures.

Conclusions

Yabloko states: a group of deputies and senators pushes one after another initiative to weaken the security status of Lake Baikal and resolve continuous logging. Their persistence in the early adoption of the law on the development of the Baikal territories looks like the lobbying of their own interests. The presence of the families of the specialized business in the zone of operation of the bill indicates a potential conflict of interest.

The deputies, pushing the bill, argue that residents of Lake Baikal need it to protect against the villages and from the poisonous waste of the Baikal pulp and paper plant into the lake. But the main areas for cutting down and development are located far from the plant and are designed for tourism. At the same time, specialized companies operate around six co-authors of the bill, Yabloko writes, and we come to the conclusion that it is the business interests of members of the Federal Assembly or their families that are behind initiatives about solid forest cutting.

Why do such cases arise? This is the last and key question for the "apple". Parliaments are everywhere used as platforms for promoting group and personal interests. Often this leads to outright corruption. In Russia, a colossal shadow lobby of power structures in parliament has formed. It led to preferences for these structures, the growth of their budgets, power and influence, as well as a decrease in the transparency and accountability of the state system as a whole.

In the history of pouring permission to cut down forests around Lake Baikal, there are indicators of both abuse of power and an unresolved conflict of interests and shadow lobbying. "Yabloko" proposes to adopt a law on lobbying. And the first step should be the publication of all appeals of deputies and members of the Council, which we have already proposed earlier. The trial of a conflict of interests should be public and independent, deputies and senators should not check for corruption of themselves.

Finally, Yabloko proposes to establish the mandatory labeling “Lobbism Agent” for those deputies and senators who promote the interests of corporations and individual people.

Already now:

• The chairman of the Yabloko sent a statement to the Duma and the Council of Ministers, demanding to conduct a verification of parliamentarians to a conflict of interests and deprive them of a mandate;
• “Yabloko” calls on to reject the bill on cutting as a potentially corruption and destructive for Lake Baikal;
• “Yabloko” launches a public campaign in support of the adoption of the Law on lobbying and offers to endow the title of “lobbyism agents” involved in the shadow lobbying of deputies and senators.

Comments

- I am not at all eager to comment on the next corruption case. I think everyone understands that deputies - the initiators of the scandalous bill act in this way not at all because they hate trees. It’s good that the “Yabloko” figured out the motives of one such lobbyist. The rest, I think, is a similar story.

But what is interesting is that

The status of the UNESCO heritage object, even now, despite all the rhetoric of Hurradies from among the deputies, is still a security certificate for Russian natural territories. Otherwise, Baikal would have long been publicly pulled out without any regard to some of their internal environmental norms.

In the meantime, the status still does not allow. So there is another roll at the legislative level in order to soften and weaken the protective status of the territory of the world of natural heritage. It will turn out with the forest - they will begin for other environmental prohibitions that prevent the Baikal nature from mastering and digesting money. Dashing trouble began.

- According to my observations, paraphrasing the definition of cadaurus given by the Brothers Strugatsky, the deputies are unsatisfied with the “law on the Baikal” are divided into “unsatisfied economically” (about them the investigation of “Yabloko”) and “unsatisfied politically” (for example, P. Tolstoy) - the latter threaten to deal with the UNESCO “humiliating Russia” up to this time structures. Hysteria brings certain bonuses to these figures, although the Russian Foreign Ministry, for example, has repeatedly protested against such a frantic position. It is more interesting that, despite the impressive horde of these “Baikal Death Eaters” and part -time patriots, who are at the people oppressed by the “UNESC”, there are still several legislators publicly opposing the harmful bill and requiring the scientific and legal substantiation of each of the proposed messages of the Lake protection regime.

Against the backdrop of energetic attempts to break the legislation, the decisions of the UNESCO World Heritage Council are unnoticed here and now, the decisions of the World Heritage of UNESCO, into which Russia itself has been included in the past few years. For example, from August to mid-October 2023, the level of Baikal was again raised above the previously set maximum level of 457 meters, and almost the main justification of this protracted disgrace is the touching concern for not to flood someone's cottages on the islands of the Angara, which are built illegally, contrary to the project of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station. An increased level leads to accelerated erosion of the shores, especially during the period of late -random storms.

The last few decisions of UNESCO are repeated as the mantra: do not change the previously established level of regulation of the level until there is no reliable assessment of the effects of the expanded range of water fluctuations on the ecosystem of the lake. The ear does not lead, despite the obvious evidence of the negative impact on the ecosystems and the well -being of the local population.

At some point, collecting comments, he suddenly realized that the colleagues of Brilka and Yakubovsky themselves perfectly coped with them. Here are excerpts from deputy speeches. I quote on the transcript of the meeting on July 11. Note that the first two statements were also pronounced quite seriously.

- It is difficult to imagine how our countrymen expect the speedy adoption of this law. Right now, I’m sure, at night, many residents of the Irkutsk region, Buryatia and the Trans -Baikal Territory (night now in the Baikal region) look at the live broadcast of our evening meeting on the air.

- I think that most of the people sitting in the hall were in Baikal, they understand what I'm talking about now. Those problems of the inhabitants that Sergey Yuryevich (ten) said is really so painful, and now it seems to me honestly ... This ball that has accumulated in the conditions of today and a special military operation is not accidental. We have a large country, and if we are for each other, for every inhabitant ... those who know me know that I - maybe I’ll say harshly - the kadyk for people and for the truth will tear out, because people should understand that they are under protection! Who is the deputy? The defender, a person who will always defend the weak, will help, support, and now our function is legislative, and we really help with this bill.

- The loud words here with great pathos were uttered, but you look - I was also repeatedly in Baikal, this is a unique natural area - you look, your whole pathos is, as it were, contradicts the text of the bill, the very text of the bill. Here you have directly written that in the zone of the Baikal natural territory, continuous cutting is allowed for certain purposes,

And then seven points are indicated that relate to the widest opportunities to carry out continuous cutting. We are not talking about cemeteries, we are not talking about cutting one, one or another tree. Your bill says: "Continuous cutting." And the pathos says that ... (the microphone is disconnected.)

- What is the total area of ​​the cut down forest, the area of ​​those communications, roads, pipelines, power lines, which you are in this way to build for the happy local residents? What amount of funds is supposed to be allocated from the budgets of the regions, from the budget of Russia? And why, after all, such a craving for the Baikal territory, to the reserved territory? Why thousands ... (microphone is disconnected.)

- In the conclusion of the legal administration of the State Duma apparatus, it is noted that the proposed concept of the bill is not consistent with the special status of Lake Baikal. [...] Well, I did not think that there would be such an interesting situation with the most important property of our Russian Federation - with Lake Baikal. Here, the substitution of concepts is going on because the bill that we are considering today did not discuss - neither the scientific community nor public organizations. It is introduced a couple of weeks ago. [...] We are a little confused. Three versions, and the third version is so ... [...] there was so much pathos: Russian citizens are waiting! .. But Russian citizens are waiting for discussion, understanding what we are doing for and what business here will be a beneficiary. This is also very important for all of us to know.

The bill is directly conflicting with the principles of the protection of the Baikal natural territory. The bill contains a number of serious risks for environmental safety, for the preservation of the unique ecosystem of Lake Baikal. [...] Anthropogenic load on the Baikal is prohibitive today. If we take any other step without justifying it from a scientific point of view, without a very attentive and deep study of the consequences, we will lose a unique natural phenomenon.

Therefore, I believe that we hurried, and I will vote "against."

- Dear colleagues, it is difficult to attend the funeral of the Holy Lake Baikal, especially, as it was said, I am one of the authors of this law. It is difficult, since this bill concerns the problems of the environmental safety of the ecosystem of Lake Baikal, an environmental examination, which is reduced to zero by this bill. And even harder because this bill indicates the cadastral numbers of 75 forest plots on which the cabin will be made, and not just the cabin, but, as I read in the bill, it is allowed to carry out continuous cutting of forest plantations. True, it is added that with a restriction. It’s like making a decision to demolish the house, but with restrictions: the roof, walls are demolished, and the windows remain. What are continuous cutting? Well, if you wrote “restrictive cutting”, although this is also debatable ... but no - continuous cutting.

First of all, forests have water protection significance: cut down the forests - river, which means that Lake Baikal will be coming. You indicate the villages. It sounded here that five million cubic meters of muddy dirt have been accumulated - and why is this dirt not utilized, why are we waiting for all these mudflows to go to Lake Baikal? And then, remember from school textbooks, the trees have not only water protection, but also water -saving importance, including floods, from landslides, and selzizhiznate significance. That is, something does not converge with you here.

You say that you need to carry out continuous cutting, because the rural population has nowhere to bury the dead. But excuse me, to cut down the forest in 75 areas - is this, 75 cemeteries? If one cemetery is needed, set the boundaries, write in the law. And then, not necessarily continuous cutting, I saw a huge number of cemeteries, where they lie under pine trees, under linden and so on. Also some kind of frivolous argument.

Compensation landings - well, it is really 50-100 years to wait until coniferous forests grow. [...] Well, if you want to adopt this law, specifically indicate: what are the treatment facilities, hydraulic structures, which cemetery - specifically prescribe, establish an environmental examination and further. Well, you can’t all solid! .. A continuous obscenity. The Fair Russia faction cannot take part in the destruction of Lake Baikal. Thank you for your attention. (Applause.)

- [...] I am convinced that if this bill in this form will be adopted today, then this will be the last generation, here is our people who can admire all the charms of our unique lake Baikal, this is unequivocally. [...] The initial project provided for cutting down about five hectares for one object - now, look at the application very carefully, there are eight objects, and the area has increased, you know how much? 120 times. Now already 600 hectares. This is what has already been mentioned, this is what is already in the law now. [...] In fact, under the pretext of solving the problems that really accumulated on Lake Baikal, the unique natural ecosystems of Baikal is destroyed. And of course, the Communist Party faction does not intend to participate in this and will not support this bill. I urge everyone to follow our example. Thank you. (Applause.)

Voting result: Accepted.

***

There is a legend that the prologue to the first gold fever in the USA (Carolinskaya) was the find of a boy in a stream of a 17-pound nugget (7.71 kg). In the house they began to be used as an emphasis for the door - they did not see gold in the community. Then, after three, or something, the year, the boy’s father brought a nugget to the city and sold for three and a half dollars.

Maybe in what is happening to Baikal is not one attempt to snatch, but also a misunderstanding of his true value? Reflex unconscious vandalism? The exit from frustration, displaced aggression? Self -affirmation? The devil knows what was more in the behavior of the collective farmers during the years of the Soviet Bogosti, when the cabbage was fermented, covering the icon and installing oppression on it. Classing the gaps in the pigsty icons. There is a material motive, but it, of course, is not the main one.

By what, first of all, the motives of the vandals, capturing Rome, destroyed the great works of art. This is destructive behavior, but what is the basis of?

Is it possible for people to refuse a sincere delusion? Remember the Spanish grandmother, who took the restoal of the fresco of the "person". Two years later, experts saw the work - and gasped with horror, there are images on the Internet, they became a “fluffy Jesus” meme. Now this is called in fairness: "The joint work of the 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez and a pensioner from the 21st century Cecilia Himenes."

Who knows, maybe then, there will also be a full house of the joint work of the Creator, the Baikal Central Bank, En+, the Russian State Duma of the eighth convocation and that has the deadline for its legislature of the Federation Council of the Federation Council.