Father of the Fathers

The karate coach sought up boys for years. He was elected as a deputy, sponsored from the budget and awarded for patriotism

Since August 2023, Igor Gubaidulin has been in one of the St. Petersburg pre -trial detention center. The 64-year-old karate coach worked for many years in St. Petersburg schools, raised more than one generation of adolescents, received numerous awards from the state for the patriotic education of youth-and was twice elected municipal deputy from United Russia. Now he is accused of molestation of minors. “Cold” spoke with the bosses, colleagues and victims of Gubaidulin - and tells the story of how loyalty to the authorities and systemic corruption helped the suspect in pedophilia to become part of the St. Petersburg elite.

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In the winter of 2018, shortly before the New Year, 13-year-old Timofey (the name changed) came to the gym of his school for karate training. He and his friends in the section knew that this occupation was their coach Igor Mikhailovich Gubaidulin - the children called him just Mikhalych - would not spend the same as usual. A couple of days before, a friend of Timofey, who was engaged in the same coach, but at another school, said: Mikhalych had already conducted a New Year training in their section, and on it there were all sorts of innovations. But which, did not tell.

Coach Igor Mikhailovich - then he was 59 years old - and really surprised the pupils. He dressed himself as Santa Claus and began to hold competitions. “But the competitions were strange,” Timothy recalls. - We got up, the older boys, Mikhalych passed us, everyone had to get a note from the bag and make a task. And the tasks were: “Pinch the neighbor to the right for the ass”, “The neighbor’s kiss on the left on the cheek”. But we were small, 13-14 years old, we did not attach much to this. Wagged. "

Listen to an audio version of the text in the podcast "Cold":