On Sunday, Vladimir Putin accepted the resignation of the head of the Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleev, and appointed his deputy Sergei Tsivilev as interim governor. One of the last heavyweight governors stepped down after a fire in the Zimnyaya Vishnya shopping center that killed 64 people. Experts believe that the interim head of Kuzbass Sergei Tsivilev will manage to keep the situation in the region until the gubernatorial elections, he needs to "imitate the new Tuleyev" and not focus only on the fire in the Zimnyaya Vishnya shopping center, since there are other problems in the region.

From "People's Power" to Resignation

The fact that the governor of the Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleyev, had resigned, he said in a video message that was posted on the website of the regional administration. Mr. Tuleyev called his decision “correct, conscious, the only correct one”. “Because it is impossible to work as governor with such a heavy burden. It is morally impossible, ”the governor said, referring to the fire in the Zimnyaya Vishnya shopping center, which killed 64 people. Aman Tuleyev did not come to the scene of the tragedy, and called those who had gathered for the rally in Kemerovo “buzoters”.

In his address, he says that together with the residents of the region, “he has passed a long, very long way of life. From the Kuzbass, striking, sitting on the rails, knocking with helmets, hunger strike, strike ... to the Kuzbass building and the support of our state. " The leader of the United Russia faction in the State Duma Sergei Neverov, who was repeatedly elected from the Kemerovo region, said on Sunday that the name of Aman Tuleyev "is associated with an entire era in the life of the region and his contribution is enormous."

Aman Tuleyev is one of the last heavyweight governors. His political career has always been associated with the Kemerovo region and began back in 1990, when he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and to the regional Council of Deputies. For the first ten years of this career, he was considered one of the most prominent figures in the camp of the left. For example, in October 1993, he sided with the rebellious Supreme Council and created the regional opposition movement “Democracy. Tuleyev's block ". Mr. Tuleyev ran three times for the presidency of the Russian Federation, once withdrawing his candidacy in favor of the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov.

After the presidential elections in 1996, he was appointed minister of CIS affairs, and a year later, by a decree of Boris Yeltsin, he was appointed head of the Kemerovo region administration. In October 1997, he won the gubernatorial elections (received 95% of the votes). But then the political convictions of Aman Tuleyev began to gradually change. At the 1999 State Duma elections, Tuleyev was still on the list of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, but in Kuzbass he already supported Unity (the Unity and Fatherland parties established the United Russia party in 2001). In December 2003, in the elections to the State Duma, he headed the regional group "United Russia", which thanks to this won 52% of the votes in the Kemerovo region. All 35 deputies of the Council of People's Deputies of the Kemerovo Region were elected from the "I Serve Kuzbass" bloc, formed with the support of Tuleyev.

“Tuleyev was one of the most popular and successful governors for a long time,” says political scientist Rostislav Turovsky. According to him, the authority of the head of the region among the population was very high, he really controlled the mood of the electorate. For example, in the 1996 presidential elections in the Kemerovo Region, Gennady Zyuganov received the support of 561,000 voters in the first round (Boris Yeltsin won half as many - 363,000). And in the second round, this figure even increased: 704 thousand supported Mr. Zyuganov (567 thousand voted for President Yeltsin). For comparison: in 2004, when the governor linked himself with the ruling party, Nikolai Kharitonov, nominated by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, received only 11% in the region, and candidate Putin - 71.1%.

“However, in recent years, Aman Tuleyev began to surrender, and the entourage sought to seize power. His real authority was replaced in the elections by an administrative resource, although outwardly everything looked the same, ”notes Rostislav Turovsky. According to him, the main thing that Aman Tuleyev managed to do at the governor's post was the revenues from coal and metallurgical enterprises that go to the regional budget to be used for social needs: "This is what made the protest Kuzbass an island of stability."

However, the head of the apparatus of the Duma faction of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Nina Ostanina, calls the transformation of Kuzbass from a striking region into a constructive one “myth”. In 1993, Mrs. Ostanina acted as one of the organizers of the regional bloc of supporters of Aman Tuleyev "People's Power", but in 2010, after the accident at the Raspadskaya mine, which killed 91 people, they dispersed. “Back then, in 2010, everyone understood that he could not manage the region. He cleared the political field and controlled everything alone: ​​the economy, politics, the media. In this regard, the region can be compared with the Caucasian republics, ”Mrs. Ostanina told Kommersant.

During the leadership of the region, rumors have repeatedly appeared about the possible resignation of Mr. Tuleyev (the last wave was in the summer of 2017). However, the Kremlin has given the opportunity to finalize the governor for twenty years, as well as to choose a successor. However, the scenario with the successor to Tuleyev failed. For example, his first deputy, Maksim Makin, left his post in 2016 after law enforcement agencies began to inspect the Teploenergo company, where he worked for 15 years. Therefore, the center began to lean towards a candidate that is not connected with the region, notes Rostislav Turovsky.

Five months to promote

On Sunday, Vladimir Putin appointed Deputy Governor Sergei Tsivilev as Acting Governor of the Kemerovo Region. Sergey Tsivilev, general director and main owner of the Kolmar coal company (mines coal in the south of Yakutia), became vice-governor for industry, transport and entrepreneurship in early February. Even then, his appointment to the vacant post for almost a year was perceived as preparation for the replacement of Aman Tuleyev. Sources of Kommersant said that the new position of Mr. Tsivilev "with a high degree of probability is temporary before the governor's."

An Interfax source in the power structures on March 28 said that decisions on personnel changes in the leadership of the Kemerovo region would be made in May-June of this year after clarification of all the circumstances and causes of the fire. As Kommersant wrote on March 29, during this time the Kremlin was going to assess how Mr. Tsivilev is able to work in the region and find mutual language with various social and political forces of the region. In fact, Mr. Tsivilev received Sunday's appointment additional time to prepare for the elections: the election campaign will be announced in early June. “Unlike other interims, who are appointed, as a rule, a year before the elections, he has very little time,” Igor Ukraintsev, a deputy of the Kemerovo regional council from the LDPR, told Kommersant.

“Decisions (about the time of Tuleyev’s resignation. "B") could change several times - the dynamics was too high, - says political scientist Mikhail Vinogradov. - It was created by Tuleyev with their unsuccessful reaction, and Tsivilev with ambivalent behavior, and the federal center - already late with the reaction to mourning and not wanting to be late again. Let us recall that the first meeting of Sergei Tsivilev with the people turned out to be ambiguous. "Do you want to be promoted on the mountain?" - he said at a rally on March 27 to Igor Vostrikov, who lost his wife, three children and a sister in the fire. And at the end of the rally, he knelt down, asking forgiveness from the victims.

The fact that Sergei Tsivilev has been appointed as acting “will hardly help him to keep the situation in the region,” Nina Ostanina believes. “In vain he got down on his knees. There strong people who themselves have never been on their knees, ”she told Kommersant. The head of the government of Yakutia, Yevgeny Chekin, told TASS on Sunday that Sergei Tsivilev, while at the head of the Kolmar company, had achieved "serious results - both in business and in the implementation of social programs." Igor Ukraintsev says that “during the time that Sergei Tsivilev was a deputy, they practically did not see him in Kuzbass and did not know what he was doing.” this appointment, because Kuzbass has not ceased to be a difficult region ”. He added that the new leader must be a very powerful communicator and that the ability to communicate with people is a very important component for the first person in the field. “If in other regions you can maintain your authority in other ways, then in Kuzbass one cannot cope without the ability to communicate directly with people,” said Mr. Ukraintsev. On Sunday, the acting governor in a video message, in addition to promising "the strictest punishment" for all those responsible for the tragedy, said that "direct communication with people" is "the most important thing" for him.

Rostislav Turovsky has no doubts that before the gubernatorial elections, Mr. Tsivilev will be able to keep the situation in the region - he just needs to "imitate the new Tuleyev." The absence of alternative candidates in the region due to the cleaned-up political field should also play into the hands of the interim, the expert says. Nina Ostanina found it difficult to tell Kommersant whether the Communist Party of the Russian Federation will nominate its candidate in the elections. Rostislav Turovsky believes that Mr. Tsivilev should not focus only on the situation around the fire in the shopping center - there are other problems in the region, for example, environmental ones. In addition, the search for those responsible for the fire can drag the acting governor into conflict situation around law enforcement and supervisory authorities.

Sofia Samokhina, Ekaterina Grobman, Maxim Ivanov; Yulia Matyushchenko, Kemerovo

He can rightfully be called the main political heavyweight of the governor's corps. He sat in the chair of the head of the Kemerovo region, even when President Boris Yeltsin was at the helm of the country, and in the 90s he became famous for the fact that it was thanks to his efforts that it was possible to pacify the unrest of miners and prevent a social explosion. But are the positions of the governor Aman Tuleyev so strong today? What, in the end, can the louder rumors about the possible resignation of the "irreplaceable" lead to?

It is worth noting that the Kemerovo region should hardly have been included in the series of articles in Nasha Versiya about governors sitting in wobbly chairs. Aman Tuleev, a frequenter of all the top lines of the governor's ratings, can hardly be called a candidate for departure - there are no more problems in the Kemerovo region than in other regions of the country. Among them, they usually single out only the high crime rate, according to which the region occupies a leading position in the Northern Federal District, the weak investment attractiveness of cities and the decline in production, which has been characteristic of the entire Russian industry in recent years. Frankly speaking, this is hardly enough to recruit a potential retirement.

Meanwhile, it was this summer that rumors spread in the media about the possible imminent resignation of Aman Tuleyev. The reason is the state of health of the governor. Indeed, this year Tuleyev underwent a complex spinal surgery. A few months later he returned to work. However, Tuleyev's absence was not in vain. For the first time in many years, the seemingly unshakable rating of the oldest Russian governor began to slowly deflate. So, in April this year, in the "Kremlin rating" of the Center for the Development of Regional Policy, the region of Aman Tuleyev, it seems, fell into the problematic "orange zone". Alarm bell.

A reliable ally of the Kremlin

No wonder that in July, rumors began to spread intensively about who could become the successor of Aman Tuleyev in the region. Mayor of Nizhny Tagil Sergei Nosov and State Duma deputy from Kuzbass Dmitry Islamov were named among the main candidates. According to Kommersant, Nosov even began to get acquainted with the situation in Kuzbass in the summer.

“While Aman Tuleyev was not sick, he held the region with a firm hand, and therefore the federal authorities did not remove him. But when he fell ill, the question arose: can he manage the region? - says political scientist, head of the "Political Expert Group" Konstantin Kalachev. - Rumors about the illness of the governor of the Kemerovo region have been circulating for a long time, but they have been repeatedly refuted by people from his entourage. One thing is clear - he can only leave his post ”.

And it is true - the political positions of Aman Tuleyev in the region are very strong. Recall that in 2015 he won the elections, receiving the support of 96.7% of voters. And the next year, 2016, Tuleyev conducted an excellent Duma election campaign. The turnout for the elections to the State Duma in the Kemerovo region was then 86.8%, and United Russia, the regional group of which was headed by the governor himself, won 77.33% of the vote. It is interesting to note that the rest of the parties in the region did not even overcome the 10% barrier. In principle, there is no opposition in the Kemerovo region. Even in the form of a pocket-sized and manageable one, like the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

In this regard, Aman Tuleyev is obviously beneficial to the federal center in the governor's office. Someone who, and the heavyweight governor will be able to in the best possible way ensure the 2018 presidential campaign. Fortunately, there is already a positive example. In 2012, Vladimir Putin received 77.2% of voters in the Kemerovo region. Compare: the national average at that time was only 63.6%.

On this topic

According to media reports, at the end of July, the identification of the victims of the An-148 plane crash of Saratov Airlines will be completed, and the relatives of the victims of the tragedy will be able to take their bodies. The corresponding statement was made by the Orenburg governor Yuri Berg.

The problem is also that Kuzbass has historically been a rather problematic region for the country. Suffice it to recall the 90s with miners knocking on their helmets at the White House. By the way, the same Tuleyev managed to improve the situation in the region at that time. “Kuzbass is not a region where anyone can be sent anyhow. And everyone understands this. No one has forgotten how this region was shaking in the 1990s, ”says political analyst Viktor Ivanov.

Corruption scandals reached Kuzbass

The first alarm bell rang from the Kemerovo region at the end of last year. A corruption scandal erupted in the region at that time. As many as two vice-governors were involved in it. “Now in almost every region there is a case against a vice-governor or minister. Administrations are in limbo. The Kemerovo region has been out of trend for a long time, now its time could come, ”political analyst Alexander Kynev notes.

REFERENCE

The head of the Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleyev, is the oldest Russian governor. The first time he sat in the governor's chair back in 1997. Then in the elections he received 94% of the votes.

Recall that at one time Tuleyev also had presidential ambitions: he participated in the presidential campaigns of 1991, 1996 and 2000. It is noteworthy that back in 1999, Aman Tuleyev was in the ranks of the Communist Party, in 2000 he joined the Unity party. In 2003, he headed the regional list of United Russia, although the governor formally joined the ruling party only in 2005.

It is noteworthy that a corruption scandal broke out in the key industry for the region - the coal industry. The main defendants in the case were the head of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Major General of Justice Sergei Kalinkin and two of his subordinates. And also acting First Deputy Governor of the Region Alexander Danilchenko; and Vice Governor Alexei Ivanov, who oversees relations with law enforcement agencies. According to the investigation, the suspects tried to "squeeze" from the local businessman Anton Tsygankov his 51% stake in JSC Inskoy open pit mine. In the State Investigative Directorate of the ICR, the value of the company's shares, which the attackers tried to seize, was estimated at 1 billion rubles.

It must be said that there were indeed some problems at the Inskoy open pit JSC. In early 2016, when Anton Tsygankov became the owner of the controlling stake in the company, the company's debts were estimated at 12 billion rubles. Moreover, some of the creditors had already begun to lose patience and demanded the bankruptcy of the enterprise. The miners, who had been without pay for months, have already begun to organize strikes and protests.

The plight of the company, according to the investigation, was allegedly taken advantage of by those wishing to take possession of the company's shares. At the suggestion of local authorities, Tsygankov was even arrested, trying to force him to a deal, according to the investigation. As a result, the enterprise was supposed to go to another Novokuznetsk businessman, Alexander Shchukin, to whom, we note in parentheses, the law enforcement agencies also seem to have complaints. As the governor himself, Aman Tuleyev, stated at the end of last year, three criminal cases were initiated against Shchukin.

The governor was called as a witness

Another corruption scandal in the region happened in March this year. The former head of the region's transport and communications department, Petr Shikalev, is accused of large-scale fraud. According to the investigation, an official in the fall of last year, on behalf of a commercial firm, organized fake payment orders to pay for the delivery of a ton shaped pipes... At the same time, in reality, no supply contracts were planned to be concluded, and the proceeds were supposed to go into the pocket of Mr. Shikalev.

Of course, against the background of the upcoming presidential campaign, given the political weight of Aman Tuleyev, such scandals look like a trifle.

By the way, the fact that Tuleyev himself is confident in his political future is also confirmed by his statements regarding the scandal with the Inskoy open pit mine. As the governor said, the officials were simply “skilfully set up”, while, in his opinion, “nobody needs them for a hundred years and most likely a governor is needed”. By the way, in August the investigation planned to interrogate Tuleyev in this case as a witness.

And although serious personnel changes in the Kemerovo region may not yet be planned, the status of "untouchable" Tuleyev, it seems, is beginning to lose. “The best option would be to hold out until the presidential elections in the spring of 2018, because Tuleyev will ensure the result, and then you can go to rest,” says political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko.

In the area of ​​our attention

The newspaper "Nasha Versiya" has been monitoring the resignations in the governor's corps since the beginning of September, and also makes its own predictions.

In our articles, we talk about especially problematic regions where the resignation of governors is most likely.

We would like to remind that last week (No. 39 dated October 9, 2017) we predicted the resignation of the governor of the Omsk region. The head of the region left his post last Monday, exactly on the day of the publication of "Our Version".

In addition, we have already managed to predict the resignation of the governors of the Samara region, Primorsky and Krasnoyarsk territories.

In total, we note that 11 governors have left their posts.

In addition to the already mentioned their seats, the leaders of the Pskov and Ivanovo regions, the head of Dagestan, the Nizhny Novgorod region, the Nenets autonomous region, Oryol and Novosibirsk regions.

The governor of the Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleyev, said that he had submitted a letter of resignation to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. The reason he called the unbearable moral burden after the fire in the shopping center "Winter cherry". A video message from the outgoing governor, who led the region for two decades, was posted on Youtube his press service. Who will take his post is not yet clear.

"We all live through the terrible tragedy that happened in Kemerovo on March 25th. We lost 64 people, most of them children, our children. Each of us passed this through our hearts, all this horror, the grief of this catastrophe. Together with us, the whole of Russia grieves. and the whole world. Dear Kuzbass people, I did everything I could. I met with the families of the victims, tried to resolve issues of assistance. Once again, I offer my deepest condolences. But we must live, continue to live in order to preserve the memory of those whom we have lost ", - said Tuleyev. The governor also transferred his one-day earnings to the families of the victims, based on the 2016 declaration, it is 5724 rubles.

Tuleyev also said, addressing the residents of the region: "Dear fellow countrymen, we have traveled a long, very long life path together with you - from the Kuzbass striking, sitting on the rails, knocking with helmets, to the Kuzbass, creating and supporting our state. And all this was done by you. And I am immensely grateful. Quite honestly, as in front of an icon, I can tell you that in my work I have always been guided by the interests of our country, Russia and our region. " (Quote from Interfax.)

At a meeting with an initiative group in Kemerovo, which took place in the lobby of a local morgue after the fire, President Vladimir Putin, in response to a question about Tuleyev's possible resignation, urged not to rush to "appoint the guilty right now" for the incident. At the same time, RBC, citing sources close to the presidential administration, reported that the Kremlin had decided not to carry out the exemplary resignation of Tuleyev after the tragedy.

After the fire in Kemerovo, Tuleyev outraged many Russians with his behavior. First of all, the fact that he did not appear at the scene of the tragedy and did not come out to the Kemerovo residents who had gathered on March 27 at a spontaneous rally, demanding his resignation and the truth about the number of those killed. In addition, Tuleyev called the relatives of the deceased who were demonstrating "buzoters", "rocking the situation," and for the tragedy he apologized only to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Siberian Federal District, Sergei Menyailo, said that he would not comment on the decision of the Governor of the Kemerovo Region, Aman Tuleyev, to resign, RIA Novosti reports.

The fire at Zimnyaya Vishnya took place on March 25th. According to official data, 64 people, including 41 children, became victims of this emergency.

Tuleyev headed the Kemerovo region since July 1997, when he was appointed head of the regional administration. In October of the same year, he won the elections. He was re-elected, each time gaining at least 93% of the vote. Also, his region has consistently provided high results in the elections for Vladimir Putin and United Russia. In the March elections, Putin received more than 85% in Kuzbass.

Elections in the fall

The date for the elections of the governor of the Kemerovo region, which should take place in 2018 after the departure of the current head of the region, Aman Tuleyev, can be set no later than the first ten days of June. This was reported to TASS by the professor of the Kemerovo State University, political scientist Alexander Konovalov. The elections themselves, in his opinion, will be held on September 9th.

According to the law of the Kemerovo region on the election of the governor, posted on the website of the regional administration, the decision on the appointment of elections must be made no earlier than 100 days and no later than 90 days before voting day.

"The elections can be scheduled for September 9 ... If the resignation had taken place in late May - early June, then, of course, there would have been no backlash. And now, in my opinion, there is a very convenient opportunity for the acting governor to prove himself and go to the polls as a registered candidate, "Konovalov said.

Kuzbass ends the era of the reign of Aman Tuleyev. The resignation of the first deputy governor of the Kemerovo region, Maksim Makin, initiated by the security forces, is regarded as the beginning of a governor's election campaign in the region. Who will replace Tuleyev in his post? Will Kuzbass-Bashi allow themselves to choose their own successor? Or will he finally have to answer for the "protection" of the oligarchs and the collapse of the Kuzbass economy?

According to the CrimeRussia sources, the permanent leader of Kuzbass, Aman Tuleyev, will not be allowed to sit in his chair until the end of his fifth term. There have been talks for several years that the 72-year-old politician with failing health will be sent to an honorable pension. But this time there is reason to believe that they are not groundless. The Kremlin's dissatisfaction with the situation in the uncontrolled capital of the Kemerovo region has reached its limit, so the "years of stagnation" in the Siberian region may end. Save the all-powerful governor, whom Kemerovo residents have long called "Khan" and "Kuzbass-Bashi", can only be early presidential elections in Russia, about which a lot has been said recently. If they take place, Tuleyev will retain his seat, only so that the governor once again secures the required number of votes. But if there are no early elections, the Kuzbass khan will have to leave his post.

Our
reference

Aman Tuleyev was born in 1944. Formally, he has been in charge of Kuzbass since 1997, but has held various leadership positions in the region since 1990. One of the last political heavyweights of the Yeltsin draft with a federal background: he took part in the presidential elections in Russia three times, in 1996-1997 he managed to work as a minister for cooperation with the CIS countries in the Russian government. Becoming the governor of the Kemerovo region, he transferred the region to "manual control" and created original model socialism with many programs social support population. In 2015, he became the head of the region for the fifth time, using administrative resources to gain an absolute majority of votes in the elections - almost 97% with a turnout of over 80%.

For a couple of years now, the main candidate for the post of governor of the Kemerovo Region has been considered Secretary of the General Council of United Russia and Deputy Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Sergei Neverov. This politician has so far denied all media statements about his plans to become the governor of Kuzbass, claiming that he "does not have such ambitions." However, Neverov is too ideal a candidate for the head of Kuzbass for his formal resignation from this post to be considered final: he himself is a native of the Kemerovo region, a native of the mining environment, twice, in 1999 and 2003, was elected to the State Duma in a single-mandate constituency. And most importantly, the second person in United Russia will not pursue an independent policy and will be able to return Kuzbass to full control of the federal government. An indirect proof that Neverov himself is not averse to taking the reins is that he has already publicly intervened into the conflict between the worker Vyacheslav Kantemirov and the local oligarch Alexander Aristov, who owns the Kuznetsk Ferroalloys enterprise in the Kemerovo Region. Having interceded for the worker, Neverov made it clear that he had already started playing on Tuleyev's field and would demand that Kuzbass entrepreneurs work to their own standards.

Deputy Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Sergey Neverov

Earlier it was believed that Aman Tuleyev was so influential that the Kremlin would not dare to go into conflict with him and would allow Kuzbass-Bashi to choose its own successor in order to maintain control over the region in retirement. The main candidate for this role was considered Maxim Makin, the first deputy governor of the Kemerovo region, already a little tidying up the hands of the Kuzbass mines. Recently, however, Makin was forced to resign, accusing him of unreasonable overstatement of tariffs during the period when he headed JSC Teploenergo. A prosecutor's check was initiated against him, so Tuleyev had to to accept the resignation of his lieutenant governor. On September 18, Kuzbass-Bashi publicly announced that it would reinstate Makin in office in 15–20 days, when the inspection is over and will not yield any results. However, the time is up, and yet there is no question of Makin's return. Previously, all overcharging of tariffs, raider seizures of enterprises, offshore machinations and other illegal actions of the vice-governor did not attract attention of law enforcement agencies, but this time everything happened differently. Therefore, suggestions are growing louder that the matter is not in Makin, but in the Kremlin's desire to remove Tuleyev's likely successor in case of his early resignation. The constantly ill Kemerovo governor, who appears in his office for only 2-3 hours a day, actually retired and allowed Makin and his team to seize power in the region. This means that the check of the security officials indicates the beginning of an electoral campaign for the governor in the region.

Former First Deputy Governor of the Kemerovo Region Maxim Makin

For the first time in all the years of Tuleyev's rule, the security forces in Kemerovo generally began to raise their heads. So, in June this year, the law enforcement agencies of Novokuznetsk identified fraud with signs of embezzlement of budgetary funds in the MP NGTRO "Novo-TV". In the same month, the ex-deputy head of the administration of the Krapivinsky district, Ivan Arefiev, was convicted for 7 years in prison under Art. 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: he was found guilty of accepting a bribe and extortion on a large scale. At the end of May it was excited a criminal case after the collapse of the entrance of a five-story building in Mezhdurechensk. And at the same time the security officials criticized the "communal officials who failed to prevent the tragedy." The increase in the activity of investigators at all levels may indicate that in Kuzbass they decided to put things in order before the change of the governor.

It is possible that instead of calmly enjoying an honorable pension, Tuleyev himself will have to deal with law enforcement agencies. Recently, a lot of information about the corruption of the governor has appeared in the media. Many publications are based on testimony Jalol Khaidarov, who previously owned the Kachkanar mining and processing plant. These testimonies, which were received by the police in Germany and Israel, formed the basis of criminal cases in several European countries at once. And the Liechtenstein police after them conducted searches in the office of the "aluminum king" Mikhail Cherny and found out that Aman Tuleyev was authorized on the accounts of the companies belonging to him.

Jalol Khaidarov spoke about "raiding" and corruption in Kuzbass

Khaidarov's testimony says that Tuleyev received interest from the profits of Mikhail Cherny and the now deceased head of the Izmailovskaya organized criminal group, Anton Malevsky. It also explains in detail why and how Tuleyev received millions of dollars from Oleg Deripaska (the main shareholder of UC Rusal), Alexander Abramov (a major shareholder of Evraz) and Iskander Makhmudov (owner of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC), associated with Izmailovskaya "Organized criminal group).

“The whole story began with the fact that we did not have our own coal, and Iskander Makhmudov, trying to buy shares in Kuznetskugol, ran into the brothers Zhivilo and Alisher Usmanov. In this situation, the Zhivilo brothers took the side of Misha Cherny. Problems began when Misha Cherny tried to expand his coal business and met resistance from the Zhivilo brothers, because former governor Kemerovo region Kislyuk was on the side of the Zhivilo brothers. At this time, Misha Cherny, Iskander and his people began to buy up shares in other coal plants and enterprises. At this time, Mr. Abramov appeared, who supported Tuleyev, the Zhivilo brothers also supported Tuleyev (hereinafter - inaudible). He was waiting for who would be closer to power. As it turned out, Mr. Abramov was closer to power. And by the time Tuleyev was elected governor, there was a turning point in politics. At this time, Abramov introduced Tuleyev to Iskander. Iskander wanted me to get to know Tuleyev, since I had to supervise the work on the spot. I already had experience on the basis of contacts with Rossel, the governor of the Sverdlovsk region. Iskander introduced him to Tuleyev. Then Abramov said that Tuleyev needed to transfer $ 3 million for the election campaign. This conversation took place in my office on the embankment, not far from the Park Kultury metro station. After that, Abramov told Iskander that we are now partners and should bear joint expenses: "1.5 million from you, 1.5 million from us."

Investigator's question: What happened after?

Khaidarov's answer: During a meeting in our office next to the "Park of Culture" Abramov said that this would allow the group of Abramov and Cherny to work. In general, we can say that Alexander Abramov was the initiator of actions against the Zhivilo brothers. This meeting took place at the beginning of 1999, I cannot remember a month. By this time, the relationship of the Zhivilo brothers with Tuleyev and with Cherny began to deteriorate. The time has come when Tuleyev needed money. It was possible to reach agreements with him on the division of property in Kuzbass.

Investigator's question: What did you mean when you said "division of property"?

Khaidarov's answer: From my point of view, the following was meant: there were three groups working in Kuzbass. One of them, under the leadership of Abramov, was linked by partnership with Cherny in the Urals and was close to the governor Tuleyev. The second is the "Solntsevskaya" group, represented by Usmanov. The third group was the Zhivilo brothers, who did not belong to anyone. Since Zhivilo were the owners of enterprises of business interest for Misha Cherny, especially the NKAZ aluminum plant and the Kuznetsk metallurgical plant, as well as several coal enterprises, and since they did not want to work with Misha Cherny, then, of course, in such conditions, preconditions were created for division of the property of the Zhivilo brothers. Thus began the division of property of the Zhivilo brothers. It all started with the Novokuznetsk Metallurgical Plant in 1999. Tuleyev announced that the Mikom management company under the leadership of Mikhail Zhivilo is not coping with its tasks and a new management company is needed to meet the challenges of the time. The reason was simple: Abramov established contact with Tuleyev. Since he had already transferred part of the money to Kuzbass, he told Tuleyev that Evrazholding should operate instead of Mikom. In the end it happened. First, the court announced that the management company was not doing its job, then Tuleyev arrived at the plant, accompanied by his bodyguards and police, and ordered the general director to be detained for 10 days, as far as I remember. "

And here is another interesting piece of interrogation:

“In my presence, Iskander Makhmudov and Alexander Abramov, chairman of the board of directors of Evrazmetall (EAM), discussed the amount to be transferred to Tuleyev. Abramov said that he had agreed on everything with Tuleyev, that the first part of the payment should be $ 3 million. And that in exchange for this amount Tuleyev will support the seizure of all the Zhivilo brothers' factories in the Kemerovo region. That is, these are coal enterprises, plus the Novokuznetsk aluminum plant and the Novokuznetsk metallurgical plant. This conversation, during which, besides me, Abramov and Iskander were present, took place in our office with Iskander at the Park Kultury metro station in Moscow. In 1999, I don’t remember a month, I personally, on the orders of Iskander, gave a command to Nikita Atalulaev to transfer one and a half million dollars to a bank account, the number of which Abramov himself gave. The second half was to be transferred by Oleg Deripaska and, as far as I know, this amount was transferred. The idea ... was this: with the support of the Governor Tuleyev, to organize false bankruptcy at the Novokuznetsk aluminum plant, at the Novokuznetsk metallurgical plant with the help of the regional court, which is subordinate to Tuleyev, to recognize the Mikom company of the Zhivilo brothers, which manages this plant, incapable of running the enterprise. And this despite the fact that these enterprises were among the best enterprises in Russia in their field.

Investigator's question: What do you mean by the word "false bankruptcy"?

Khaidarov's answer: False bankruptcy is the deliberate bankruptcy of an enterprise by presenting it with fictitious credit debt. The technology of this process is as follows. The enterprise, in this case, the plant of brothers Zhivilo "Novokuznetsk aluminum smelter" (NKAZ), receives electricity from the regional power grid and, accordingly, pays for it every month. The Tuleyev administration retroactively increases the tariff for electricity, which the plant has already spent and has already paid for. That is, for example, if now is 2001, then the regional administration presents the plant's management with an invoice for 2000, which by that time had already been paid according to the previously existing tariff. And the management of the regional power grid declares to the management of the plant: "Either pay the bills, or we will begin the process of your bankruptcy." To the statement of the head of the plant that he has already paid the electricity bills for 2000, for example, the management of the power grid states: "We are mistaken, you need to pay extra", and the bill they present to the plant exceeds the amount already paid several times. The management of the plant cannot immediately pay such an amount, they declare that it is illegal and go to court. And the court is under the control of Tuleyev and decides that everything is legal. And then the regional energy network files a lawsuit against the bankruptcy of the plant, and the plant is declared bankrupt as soon as possible. According to this scheme, the bankruptcy of the Zhivilo brothers' Novokuznetsk aluminum plant in 1999 was played out.

And one more clarifying point from Khaidarov's testimony:

“Question of the investigator: You started telling the story of how Abramov and Iskander Makhmudov transferred $ 3 million to Governor Tuleyev. Can you tell us more about this, how it all started? Did Misha Cherny know that the money was being transferred to Tuleyev? Did he agree with this?

Khaidarov's answer: Misha found out about this after talking with Abramov, in my presence Iskander called Misha and said that Abramov had reached an agreement with Tuleyev and that the money needed to be transferred to the account indicated by Abramov. This money was intended for Tuleyev. Since this was the money of our business, and I was responsible for the financial side of our business, it was necessary to coordinate this issue with me, so I was present at the negotiations.

Investigator's question: Who exactly gave you the order to transfer money to Tuleyev's account?

Khaidarov's answer: Iskander gave me this instruction immediately after my conversation with Misha. He told me: “Translate!”, And I told Nikita to take the requisites from Abramov. Abramov said to Nikita: "Take the requisites from Andrei (illegible surname)." I don't remember Andrei, but he performed approximately the same functions under Abramov as Nikita under Iskander. I distinctly remember that Nikita Atalulaev transferred money from Pan American's bank account (inaudible) to Riga. Pan American is an American firm.

Investigator's question: Do you have a document confirming the transfer of money to Tuleyev?

Khaidarov's answer: Usually the procedure was as follows: I showed the transfer document to the person who was supposed to receive the money. In this case it was Abramov, and after that such documents were destroyed, so I don't have him with me. "

Indirectly, the veracity of Jalol Khaidarov's testimony is confirmed by other testimonies given by businessman Mikhail Zhivilo after leaving for the United States. What already wrote"The CrimeRussia", according to this businessman, Tuleyev received three million US dollars in bribes from the owners of the UMMC. Moreover, this money was spent through the firm Blonde Investments, affiliated with Makhmudov. The fact that both Khaidarov and Zhivilo independently named the same amount of bribes most likely testifies to the reliability of this information.

Governor of the Kemerovo Region Aman Tuleyev

The governor, whose results in the last elections could have been envied by North Korea, continues to actively interfere in the redistribution of property in Kuzbass. One of the fresh stories is with the Gramoteinskaya mine, which Tuleev personally ordered took from a foreign investor and handed it over to the local oligarch Alexander Shchukin. The Governor of the Kemerovo Region is always ready to zealously defend the interests of large corporations, especially those with which he has long-standing friendly relations. The Kuzbassrazrezugol company, which is controlled by UMMC and Evrazholding, which means that by the same Iskander Makhmudov and Alexander Abramov, he rendered a great service in the war for the Kiselevsky open-pit mine. In 2002 Tuleyev, in violation of all laws got up to the side of "Kuzbassrazrezugol" and did not allow the structures of the notorious businessman and politician Sergei Pugachev to enter the mines.

It is worth pondering what such loyalty to old friends is based on. The answer can be found by rereading the testimony of Khaidarov and Zhivilo. Apparently, just the ability to be friends helped Tuleyev to become the owner of 46% of the shares of the Yubileinaya mine. And the relatives of the Kemerovo governor, according to unofficial information, control the Cypriot offshores, where money flows from the sale of Kuzbass coal. Revenues from coal mining have been going into Cypriot assets for almost 15 years, from which the regional budget loses more than a billion rubles annually. Together with the "protection" of the oligarchs and expensive populist social projects, this has a fatal effect on the economy of the Kemerovo region. The budget of the region rich in natural resources has long become scarce. So, in 2014 the deficit was 10.9 billion rubles, in 2015 - 9.2 billion rubles, in 2016 - 3.9 billion rubles At the same time, the size of the state debt of the Kemerovo region is constantly growing. At the end of 2014, it was equal to 50.8 billion rubles, in 2015 - 54.3 billion rubles, now increased up to 81.3 billion rubles, on January 1, 2017 it is planned in the amount of 55.9 billion rubles, and on January 1, 2018 - in the amount of 66.7 billion rubles. This means that the region, even in the well-fed "zero" in many respects, lived at the expense of federal subsidies. In fact, the Kemerovo region has long been bankrupt. And in the new economic reality, it is much more difficult for the Kremlin to put up with the ineffectiveness of Tuleyev's management.

At the same time, in a region capable of reaching a surplus budget at the expense of coal alone, they continue to accumulate Problems. Some of the most relevant are in the housing and utilities sector. Two-thirds of residential buildings in Kuzbass have wear over 30%. 34 thousand people need relocation from the dilapidated and emergency housing stock. Arrears of wages, which have not been paid for months, are growing. The populist system of social benefits begins to falter. Then it turns out that "social bread" for the poor is baked from fodder grain of the 2nd category, which came to the Kemerovo region from France as humanitarian aid. Or even in the "social" loaves themselves will find larvae of beetles and caterpillars. Popularity among the population has always been Tuleyev's most reliable source of strength. And today, when it starts to fall, the position of the governor of the Kemerovo region before the Kremlin is no longer so unshakable. Best time it is difficult to choose to end the reign of Kuzbass-Bashi.

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I asked the president to accept his early resignation after a fire in the Zimnyaya Vishnya shopping center, which, according to official data, killed 64 people. " People's Governor Kuzbass ”, who led the region for 21 years, was not going to leave his post before the expiration of his term of office - 2020. He did not want to let go of power even when he was no longer able to stand up on his own. But the reason for leaving was not a physical illness of the elderly person. After the terrible tragedy, Tuleyev acted in such a way that it would be better to mournfully keep silent. tells what a long way in power the head of Kuzbass has come and why the real boozer is himself.

Bowed and left

Aman Tuleyev spoke about the reasons for his resignation in a video message and called his decision “correct, conscious, the only correct one”: “Because with such a heavy burden on the post of governor - well, it’s impossible, morally impossible”. And he wanted to join all the inhabitants of Kuzbass: "Each of us has passed all this through his heart, all this horror, the pain of this catastrophe ... Together with us, the whole of Russia, the whole world, mourns." According to the outgoing governor, he did everything he could: “I met with the families of the victims, tried to resolve issues with assistance. Once again, I offer my deepest condolences. But you have to live, continue to live, ”Tuleyev added for some reason.

The permanent head of Kuzbass, it seems, has just now found something to say. Last week he spoke in such a way that it would be better to be silent. He did not come to the scene of the fire - obviously, he simply physically could not walk even a few meters. In his administration, everything was attributed to safety: they say, the motorcade would not be able to travel to the emergency site and would interfere with fire brigades. "Yes, he should crawl, and not drive up in a motorcade!" - people were indignant. On Tuesday, March 27, when the president appeared in Kemerovo and began a meeting on the elimination of the consequences, Tuleyev could neither get up nor sit down without assistance - he was held by the hand, the presidential envoy in the Siberian Federal District.

But Tuleyev could speak ... and - began to apologize to the president. At that moment, residents of Kuzbass at a spontaneous rally demanded the resignation of the governor and refused to believe in the official data on the death toll. Shouts of “Murderers!” Were heard in the square, and Tuleyev continued to say strange things: about the opposition, which profits from “human misery,” about the fact that it was not the relatives of the victims who took to the streets, and the Buzoters had chosen the word for them. The broad gesture also looked absolutely ridiculous: the head of the Kemerovo region and his deputies donated one day's earnings to help the families of those killed in the fire.

Photo: Alexander Kryazhev / RIA Novosti

And finally he found the right words and the right gestures - he left his post and bowed. At parting, Tuleyev recalled: "We have come a long way from the Kuzbass striking, sitting on the rails, to the building Kuzbass, the support of our state." Indeed, in the two decades of his permanent rule in the region, a considerable path has been covered. The 73-year-old Tuleyev still has Soviet hardware experience behind him.

From communists to United Russia

The head of the Kemerovo railway in the late 80s, he was nominated as a candidate in the first presidential elections. He supported the Emergency Committee, which he did not forgive and subsequently appointed another person as the head of Kuzbass. He received this post only in 1997, amid the unrest of the miners. And he won an absolute victory - 94.5 percent of the vote. And it is worth noting that after 18 years the situation has not changed: in 2015, he was re-elected governor with the support of more than 96 percent of voters.

In general, failures in political career Tuleyev were rare. Residents of the Kemerovo region supported him, regardless of the post he was aiming for. He ran for president of Russia three times. In the 1996 elections, he withdrew his candidacy on the eve of the first round and urged voters to vote in support. In 1999, he refused to accept the Order of Honor from Yeltsin. He explained his demarche by the general impoverishment of the people: "I simply cannot accept the awards from the authorities, which have plunged the country into poverty."

Photo: Anatoly Kuzyarin / Dmitry Sokolov / TASS

At that moment, he is already preparing to create his own movement and run his candidates in the parliamentary elections. And the noisy story of the awarding supported the image of an unyielding fighter against the regime, who cannot be bought by handouts. However, in September 2000, Tuleyev accepted this award already from. From the ranks of the Communist Party, he migrated to the lists of "United Russia". Zyuganov subsequently sued, and he declared: "Tuleyev arranged a plowman in the Kemerovo region!"

Father of Kuzbass

The ability to get along with miners played such a role in the history of the Kemerovo region and Russia as a whole that the federal center was ready to follow Tuleyev's lead. In the summer of 1998, the miners of Kuzbass and Vorkuta, who were in distress due to months of salary delays, closed off for several weeks railways... Tuleyev introduced an emergency regime, but did not use force against the miners, moreover, he told the deputy prime minister responsible for unblocking the roads that the strikers' demands were legitimate and fair. As a result, part of the debts was paid off, the tracks were freed, and Tuleyev ended the so-called rail war.

The politician managed to pacify the miners in subsequent years. He quenched workers' protests following mine accidents in the late 2000s that killed hundreds. Tuleyev consistently defended the rights of the earners and did not hide that he was aware of the danger posed by them, sometimes resorting to unflattering comparisons. In 2015, for example, he banned any work in the Kuzbass mines during the New Year holidays: "A drunk in a mine, at mining, is the same terrorist." And in 2016, he defended the interests of workers "" who were threatened with mass layoffs. “It turns out that the workers are simply planning to drive out into the street with mortgages, loans, all payments, having reported with the beautiful phrase“ optimization of non-core structures, ”" the head of the Kemerovo region was indignant.

He has established himself in the region as a defender of the rights of the disadvantaged, miners, and even as a defender against terrorists. Tuleyev repeatedly took part in negotiations with malefactors. In 1991, being a people's deputy of the RSFSR, he helped free Masha Ponomarenko, who was taken hostage near Red Square, from a bus by offering himself in exchange for a girl. Ten years later, he took part in the neutralization of a terrorist who took a taxi driver hostage at the Kemerovo airport. In 2007, after telephone conversations between Tuleyev and a militia warrant officer Shatalov, who threatened to blow up a residential building and barricaded himself in his apartment, the Novokuznetsk security forces managed to neutralize the terrorist and take him alive.

For a long time, Tuleyev was loved, perceived in Kuzbass as a father, grandfather and did not want to let go. He used it. However, not everyone in the region was supportive of him: the local business had a lot of complaints. They made it clear to large holding companies that they need to share money with the region, to allocate for the social sphere. The authoritarian governor has always had a tough dialogue with unwanted entrepreneurs. Tuleyev generally openly approached conflicts, but positioned himself as a guarantor of stability in the region.

You must leave on time

Predictions about the resignation of Aman Tuleyev have been built for several years. Thinking about a possible successor to the oldest Russian governor, including because of the corruption scandals in his administration. At the same time, Tuleyev himself remained inviolable.

Such a colossus could only be dumped by health. And it bothered for a long time. Tuleyev underwent his first spinal surgery back in 2011. Six years later, German doctors performed a second operation. After her, a complication appeared - pneumonia. Due to a long absence in public and a prolonged vacation, rumors spread about an imminent resignation from office. But in 2017, the oldest Russian governor made it clear that he is not going to leave his seat either now or even in the next couple of years. He intended to keep his post until the end of his term, that is, until 2020.