President And His Oligarch

    On March 13, Russian news agencies have reported that our beloved President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin have left Moscow. That he will have mountain-skiing vacation in Khakassia, at Sayanogorsk. That he also intended to visit Sayano-Schuschenskaya GES (electrical power station) and “forest bungalow”. Unusually for Putin’s visits, that one to Khakassia was surrounded by a total absence of information, some kind of blackout. No journalists have been allowed to accompanying him, no television cameras, nothing. Then some speculation about bungalow in taiga have appeared in media. Some newspapers have expressed opinion that our President will visit haunting forest bungalow of Old Believers’ family in neighboring Republic of Tula, where such Russian VIP people as Mikhalkov, Shoigu, Pavel Borodin were vacationing in past years.
    On March 17, forced to return prematurely to Moscow because of hijacking incident at Medina Airport, President have appeared on television. He was looking bad: sunken eyes, soap-like skeen, actually he looked as a person who was weeping all night long. Or, otherwise he looked as a person who was drinking few days in the row. Anyway, that suffering look was appropriate to the moment, as three people were killed at Medina Airport. It seems that story of Putin’s mysterious vacation trip is close.
    But not for me. I have a questions to ask. First all some additional information to eXile readers. Sayanogorsk is a small workers’ settlement of about 30 thousand people, which consisted of eight thousand workers of Sayansky Aluminum Plant and numbers of their families. It is unhealthy place, very strange choice for vacation of Russian President, if only he wants to be sick of “flouroz”, aluminum workers professional disease, fragility of bones. It is no mountains in Sayanogorsk, place is flat, because it is steppe. Enisei River is in few kilometers, Sayano-Schuschenskaya Electrical Station is in about 12 kilometers distance. For mountain skiing, one should go or in deep south to tourist places such as camp of Snow Leopard, or otherwise go north to the mountain called Gladenkaya (Glossy, in English). So it is no mountain skiing in Sayanogorsk, sorry, Vladimir Vladimirovich. Skiing in Sayanogorsk might be only steppe-skiing under flouroz wind.
    As to the forest bungalow, yes that pleasure is available. One called “bath hosue” (“banya” in Russian) is located near village Bogoslovka. It is entertainment complex, locals say that even high-paid women liv there. Bath-house is a property of Colonel Alexei Lebed, governor of Khakassia. Lebed is also has a big motorboat on Sayano-Schuschenskoye Lake. Sometimes older brother Lebed Senior, governor of Krasnoyarksy Krai, comes here to a drinking session with his younger brother, who is always drunk. After Sayano-Schuschenskaya GES somewhere is located Mr. Oleg Deripaksa’s bungalow. Mr. Deripaska, 32 years old aluminum oligarch is actual master of Khakassia, because he is main stock-holder of Sayansky Aluminum Plant and proprietor of most businesses in Khakassia. Colonel Alexei Lebed is a puppet in the hands of Mr. Deripaska, to the point that Khakassia government consists entirely of people from Sayansky Aluminium Plant. In December 2000, Alexei Lebed was elected again to the governorship of Khakassia with an astonishing result—72%. Despite the fact that Lebed Jr. shows himself drunken in the public places, even at television interviews.
    So, it is no mountain skiing in Sayanogorsk, but apparently President Putin have been drinking with Lebed Jr. or with Deripaska, or with both of them. I doubt strongly that Putin was drinking with Colonel Lebed at his bath-house. No mutual interests. On the contrary, Mr. Deripaska is model New-New Russian manager, modern young shark of capitalism, the author of treatise named “Strategy of Russia in 21st Century”. Deripaska have addressed his treatise to Putin before elections of March 26, 2000. “Only Putin as possible moral leader of Reforms have a chance on success, reach, place in History. I want to call it ‘Mission of Putin’. In that fact, as it seems to me, is hidden an enigma (and an answer to enigma) of so-called Russian National Idea. [...] Mutual step should be done in order to meet each other from the both sides: of businessmen, and that of government,” says Deripaska in his treatise.
    So Putin have made a step to meet Deripaska. He was in Khakassia. But believe it or not, some news reports indicating that Lebed Junior wasn’t in Khakassia, during Putin’s visit. And Deripaska wasn’t in Khakassia, somewhere in Europe he was!
    I totally disbelieve those rumors. No Russian governor, no Russian oligarch would allow himself to be absent from his region during a Tsar’s visit. No Russian Tsar will visit a region in absence of first persons of region. An information about absence of Lebed and Deripaska from Khakassia during Putin’s visit looks troubling. It is blatant lie! Putin doesn’t want to make public his ties to young oligarch Deripaska because he, Putin, have declared a war to oligarchs. Putin is afraid that his rating will fall, if people will see that he is friendly with same oligarchs.
    Putin helps Deripaska to get hold of all Russian aluminum business. Last year Mr. Abramovich and Mr. Deripaska actually obtained a monopoly for producing aluminum in Russia. They created a holding company “Russian Aluminum” which involved also Krasnoyarsky Aluminum plant and Novokuznetsky Aluminum plant. Respectively were arrested main shareholders of both plants: Mr. Bykov in Hungary and Mr. Zivilo in Paris, extradition of Mr. Zivilo is demanded by Russian authorities.
    Mr. Deripaska have installed a very peculiar regime at Sayansky Aluminum plant. Every day the piles of penalty orders are distributed amongst workers. Telephone “line of trust” is available for everybody who wants for a reward of 400 rubles to denounce his fellow worker for some insubordination. Three absences for reason of sickness is enough to lose a job. Union leaders are in the pocket of plant administration. Workers say “In the ‘zona’ life is better.” (Zona is a hard-labor camp.) Despite closeness of Sayano-Schushensky Electrical Station, the streets of Sayanogorsk are in darkness. “We live here in the shadow of greatest electrical system in the world” is a local joke. Only one bank is distributing a salary payments to the eight thousand workers of aluminum plant. In the days of salary payments the screamigns of pain, the broken ribs, ripped off clothes, medical emergency cars, are reality of otherwise boring Sayanogorsk’s life. Jesus Christ, is Putin knows about htat? I bet he knows. That is why he was hiding his visit.