Newspaper "Popular Politics" 1.

POPULAR POLITICS

Alexei Navalny’s newspaper No. 1, 2014 navalny.ru

10 things about the Olympics you won’t hear on TV (p. 2)

Jennifer Lopez lives more modestly than United Russia politicians (p. 4)

PALACES OF UNITED RUSSIA POLITICIANS READ ON PAGE 4 →

Photos © Anti-Corruption Foundation, PhotoXPress, Reuters / Vostock-photo, ITAR-TASS, RIA Novosti

State Duma deputy: armed and very dangerous (6) Parade of hypocrisy (8) Earns a lot, does little (7)

QUOTE OF THE ISSUE "Even the dumbest deputy is smarter than the average citizen!" — Ilya Kostunov, United Russia

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Sergei Neverov, Sergei Prikhodko, Vyacheslav Volodin Richard Gere, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lopez

(small credit at the bottom of the page): Photos © Anti-Corruption Foundation, PhotoXPress, Reuters / Vostock-photo, ITAR-TASS, RIA Novosti

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10 things about the Olympics you won’t hear on TV

A place in the Olympic Village costs as much as a two-bedroom apartment in Moscow; the budget for the Sochi Games could have paid for five Vancouver Olympics; one of the contractors even has a family coat of arms. State television will never tell you these and other facts about Sochi 2014.

5 Vancouver Olympics for the price of one Sochi Games

THE SOCHI OLYMPICS set an all-time record for cost: including all infrastructure and loans from state banks, construction for the Games cost the state 1.5 trillion rubles. That amount could have funded five Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, or ten in Turin, Italy.

Officials are trying to pretend the Olympics were built with private money. But according to estimates by the Anti-Corruption Foundation, private funds made up less than 4% of the budget. The Games are being paid for with our taxes: all contractors borrowed money from the state-owned Vnesheconombank or Sberbank. VEB has classified 80% of those loans as "bad" — meaning they will either be delayed or never repaid at all.

(photo caption): Most Olympic facilities in Sochi cost 1.5 to 2.5 times more than comparable projects. © RIA Novosti

The most expensive venue was built by three of Putin’s friends

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A contractor with a coat of arms withheld workers’ wages

FORMER CONSTRUCTION MINISTER Yefim Basin built a hotel for the Olympic media center. The businessman — a former Soviet engineer and Russian construction minister — also happens to own an ornate family coat of arms bearing the motto "audacity and inspiration." In 2005, U.S. authorities auctioned off the mansion of disgraced Senator Randy Cunningham. His past achievements did not save him — he had flown fighter jets in Vietnam. Russia has nothing like that yet. For example, former minister Serov, accused of causing 56 million rubles in damage to the state, faces a fine of up to 100,000 rubles or three months in jail.

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A VIP helicopter was bought for Krasnodar officials

UNDER THE PRETEXT of medical needs for the Olympic Games, the governor of Krasnodar bought a VIP helicopter for €10.6 million, without any medical equipment. For that amount, it would have been possible to buy two Russian-made Ka-226 helicopters fully equipped for medical use.

The 2013 technical specifications for the supply of the "medical" helicopter contained no medical equipment whatsoever. They did not include provisions for loading injured people on stretchers, but they did include leather seats in the customer’s choice of color, carpets, climate control, and a cabinet with an iPhone mount. Instead of a red cross, the helicopter was painted with the coat of arms of Krasnodar Krai (region).

The tender itself was conducted opaquely: suppliers of Augusta helicopters complained that the specifications were tailored to a specific model, the EuroCopter E 145. Officials rejected the complaint. In the end, only one company took part in the tender, and the helicopter’s operating cost came to about 80 million rubles a year.

The Kuban governor’s son-in-law is building an amusement park

28-YEAR-OLD ROMAN BATALOV owns one of Russia’s ten leading grain exporters. The young businessman’s other stroke of luck was a contract for the Sochi Park entertainment complex worth nine billion rubles. Roman’s secret is simple — he is the son-in-law of Krasnodar governor Tkachyov (pictured). His father-in-law added Sochi Park to the Olympic construction program, even though the project has nothing to do with the Games and will not be completed by the opening. A co-owner of Sochi Park, Ryzhenko — a fellow native of Tkachyov’s — used to run the governor’s family company. Batalov was deputy director there and personally presented Vladimir Putin with the complex’s first guest pass.

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Secret palaces of United Russia politicians

The palaces of United Russia officials are worth millions of dollars. They would have had to neither eat nor drink for decades to afford them on their official incomes. © Anti-Corruption Foundation

(large photograph of a country estate numbered “1, 2, 3, 4, 5”)

An Anti-Corruption Foundation paraglider pilot photographed the country homes of senior United Russia members from the air. The officials carefully conceal their dachas, because their value exceeds the owners’ official incomes many times over.

(bottom photo: Dacha owner Volodin, Putin’s deputy chief of staff. © Reuters / Vostock-photo)

(small captions under the panorama): The palaces of United Russia officials are worth millions of dollars. They would have had to neither eat nor drink for decades to afford them on their official incomes. © Anti-Corruption Foundation

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An Anti-Corruption Foundation paraglider pilot photographed the country homes of senior United Russia members from the air. The officials carefully conceal their dachas, because their value exceeds the owners’ official incomes many times over.

The United Russia officials’ dachas are located in the village of Leshkovo, in the Istra District, 20 km west of Moscow along the prestigious Novorizhskoye Highway. This is an elite area: in 2013, ten times more mansions were sold on Novaya Riga than on Rublyovka (Moscow’s most famous luxury suburb). Leshkovo is guarded like a secret facility. Each dacha has a four-meter fence, cameras, and armed security around the perimeter.

The United Russia officials have plenty to hide. Deputy head of the Presidential Administration Vyacheslav Volodin and former United Russia secretary-general built a true palace (4): a pond the size of a football field, a helipad, a tennis court, and landscaped park ensembles with granite-edged flowerbeds. To the right is another United Russia official, Sergei Prikhodko, head of the Government Staff. His dacha (5) is larger than Red Square and, even by the most conservative estimates, is worth 235 million rubles.

Nearby, two United Russia State Duma deputies are also building for themselves. Construction is in full swing. Former Kuzbass miner Sergei Neverov, following the example of his senior colleague Volodin, is digging a large artificial pond (3). His neighbor Igor Rudensky is not digging any bodies of water, but has already put up a two-story mansion with an attic floor (2).

The only “businessman” among the dacha owners is former construction official Nikolai Ashlapov, who oversaw building projects for the APEC summit, where 15 billion rubles were stolen, according to the Accounts Chamber. Those statements did not stop Ashlapov from building a palace with a gallery of arches at the entrance and neatly arranged ponds (1). The estate resembles the home of a 19th-century American plantation slave owner.

Most of the dacha owners would have had to neither eat nor drink for decades to earn enough for their plots from their official incomes. For example, Sergei Prikhodko has been a government official since 1986. In addition to the palace, his family owns four apartments, three luxury foreign cars, and a motorboat. He has never officially explained where the money for this lavish lifestyle came from.

Only Sergei Neverov and Vyacheslav Volodin offered explanations for the origins of their money. Neverov said the 112 million for his estate came from his pensioner mother-in-law and from selling an apartment in Novokuznetsk. As for Volodin, the sale of shares in an oil-processing plant together with a former employer and nephew remains a mystery. Finally, Igor Rudensky cited business income earned 15 years ago. Why construction of the dacha began only three years ago, the officials did not explain.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation has sent petitions to the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General’s Office demanding an inquiry into the officials’ estates and the sources of their income. We will push for an independent and honest investigation and for those responsible to be punished.

(photo caption): A corrupt official’s mansion became a school for the poor

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Officials Catch Up with Hollywood

Popular Politics compared the homes of United Russia politicians and Hollywood stars. In sheer pomp, the mansions of Russian officials have caught up with the estates of the richest celebrities from the dream factory.

(photo preview: a row of portraits of famous figures and officials)

LAKE Vyacheslav Volodin dug an entire lake the size of a football field on his country estate (4), large enough for speedboat races or a romantic rowboat ride. The body of water, complete with a small island and bridges, is surrounded by neat pathways. Along the shore stands a long, low building resembling either a bathhouse complex or a guesthouse. Ponds of this size are found only at the homes of Hollywood’s wealthiest stars—for example, at Richard Gere’s $65 million estate in the Hamptons near New York. Usually, celebrities limit themselves to a swimming pool.

SPORTS COURT Along the edge of Nikolai Ashlapov’s property there is a field, most likely for mini-football (indoor-style soccer/futsal) (1). A sports court is standard for prominent Hollywood stars, who carefully maintain their fitness. Mini-football is not as popular in Hollywood as other sports. Tennis courts, for example, can be found at the homes of Celine Dion and Britney Spears, while singer Beyoncé and rapper 50 Cent have basketball courts.

(photo captions): Sandra Bullock’s house in New Orleans. © KADENA PIX / East News Richard Gere’s estate near New York. © Sotheby's International Realty

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They live almost like kings

They live almost like kings

(red box on the right) In terms of house size, United Russia politicians have caught up not only with Hollywood, but even with royalty. Now Russian officials lag behind them only in the size of their land plots.

MANSIONS

Sergei Neverov lives up to his title of a “modest miner”: he has the smallest house (3) among the dacha owners (614 sq m), roughly the size of Sandra Bullock’s home in New Orleans. But while Bullock prefers the Gothic style, Deputy Neverov seems to favor austere modernism with a fully glazed facade.

The most impressive palace in the Sosny cooperative belongs to Sergei Prikhodko. The home (5) of the head of the government staff is an entire architectural complex in which one could get lost. The house measures 1,580 sq m, not counting three separate buildings that look like guesthouses and servants’ quarters. That is one and a half times larger than Jennifer Lopez’s estate near New York (890 sq m), even though she earns $40–50 million a year.

(photo caption) Dacha owner Volodin, Putin’s deputy chief of staff. © Reuters / Vostock-photo

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How to stop officials’ illicit enrichment

How to stop officials’ illicit enrichment

In the West, if the value of an official’s property does not match their declared income and they cannot explain where the money came from, that is grounds for a criminal case. In 2005, U.S. authorities auctioned off the mansion of bribery-tainted Senator Randy Cunningham. His past service did not save him—he had flown fighter jets in Vietnam.

Russia has nothing like that yet. For example, former minister Serdyukov faces a fine of up to 100,000 rubles (about $1,100 at current rates) or three months’ arrest for causing 56 million rubles in damage to the state.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation has submitted requests to the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General’s Office, asking them to examine the source of the funds used for officials’ estates and dachas. We will push for an independent and honest investigation.

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Two United Russia deputies got into a fight in the State Duma

A deputy from Chechnya with a gold pistol beat up a fellow party member over uncomfortable questions.

Deputy Alexei Zhuravlev did not expect to be attacked right at work on the evening of December 3. And he certainly did not expect the attacker to be fellow party member Adam Delimkhanov. “After I asked, ‘What, is Chechnya not part of the Russian Federation?’ he sucker-punched me in the head, and I started defending myself,” Zhuravlev later said.

The fight ended because Delimkhanov’s gold pistol fell out. Zhuravlev backed down and changed his story. “Our conflict is over, we have reconciled, and we will continue working together. It was the right decision, a manly, serious, and correct decision,” the deputy said the next day.

Delimkhanov is Ramzan Kadyrov’s cousin. Kadyrov dispensed with FSB (Russia’s federal security service) bodyguards and had previously personally instructed his fighters to train Delimkhanov. Delimkhanov did not appreciate that interest.

(explanatory box on the right): How Delimkhanov got into the State Duma In 2011, he was elected from Chechnya on the United Russia party list. At the time, almost the entire population of the republic voted for the ruling party—99.5% of voters. This anomalous result was one of the reasons for protests across Russia against fraud in the State Duma elections.

(photo caption): The aggressive deputy Delimkhanov is Ramzan Kadyrov’s cousin. © RIA Novosti

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Porn, scandals, and stolen dissertations

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SKIP WORK State Duma sessions and votes, except for the most important ones, are held in a half-empty chamber. For example, in 2010 the law introducing a “zero blood alcohol limit” for drivers was passed by 88 deputies out of 450. Each of them voted for himself and four colleagues. The law was repealed in the autumn of last year, but deputies are still reluctant to attend sessions.

PLAY COMPUTER GAMES During Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency, tablet computers and games supposedly for work became fashionable among deputies. As parliamentary photo reports show, elected representatives often play games and browse entertainment websites during sessions.

WRITE WITH MISTAKES When Duma deputies do work, the quality of that work often leaves much to be desired. For example, in December 2013 LDPR deputies Elena Afanasyeva and Yan Zelinsky proposed banning migrants from speaking any language other than Russian while at work. They themselves made dozens of mistakes in the explanatory notes accompanying the initiative.

(small captions under the photo at the bottom): The French estate of the “most modest deputy” © maps.google.ru

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They earn a lot, do little

From September 2014, deputies’ salaries will be 420,000 rubles a month. For that money, they skip sessions or occupy themselves with unrelated matters while there.

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SLEEP DURING SESSIONS If deputies do not skip sessions, they sleep through them. In the photo is Gadzhimet Safargaliyev, head of the Duma Committee on Nationalities, who became known for claiming that Russia needs 70 million migrants to develop Siberia.

(below are blocks with deputies’ portraits and short captions): Alexei Mitrofanov, A Just Russia — Co-directed the 2005 pornographic film Yulia, about Ukrainian and Georgian politicians. Mitrofanov’s work caused a scandal, and the deputy himself was expelled from the LDPR. Nevertheless, Mitrofanov kept his parliamentary seat. He became a member of A Just Russia.

Andrei Isayev, United Russia — Together with his drunken aide, he caused a scandal on an airplane, for which they were removed from the flight. A recording of the incident appeared online, and under public pressure the deputy was stripped of his leadership posts in the party. He still sits in the State Duma and passes laws.

Ilya Kostunov, United Russia — Told journalists that “the dumbest deputy is smarter than the average citizen.” The 33-year-old United Russia member is responsible in the State Duma for combating hostile forces. Because of Kostunov, not a single corrupt official has been jailed, but he did release an erotic anti-corruption calendar.

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They earn a lot, do little (continued) / The Sweet Life

The Sweet Life The perks enjoyed by deputy Kozhevnikova would make colleagues in Europe and the United States envious. For example, our parliamentarians are entitled to an official apartment in central Moscow. In developed countries, such as Germany, there is nothing like that. In addition, our deputies are entitled to a pension of at least 25,000 rubles a month, four times higher than the ordinary one.

As in Europe Deputies’ salaries are among the highest in the world, unlike the incomes of ordinary citizens.

(on the right, infographic: “Duma deputies have more perks than their colleagues in Germany” — list of perks with check marks)

(photo captions of the chamber): A half-empty chamber is a common sight when laws are passed in the State Duma. © Vedomosti / Fotoimedia

Lunch for 20 rubles (article at bottom right of the page)

(photos/captions at the bottom of the page): Photo © ITAR-TASS, Gleb Shchelkunov / Kommersant, RIA Novosti, Facebook

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Words and Deeds (page 8)

Sergei Zheleznyak, deputy secretary of the General Council of United Russia: “I am convinced that patriotism must be part of our national strategy, and that all social and political developments today should be viewed through the concepts of unity and love for the Motherland.”

(caption): The chief patriot in United Russia, author of laws imposing draconian fines for protests and censorship on the internet, sent his daughters to study abroad, far from Russia’s collapsing education system. One of the deputy speaker’s daughters studies at an American school in Switzerland; the other attends Queen Mary University of London.

Sergei Mironov, head of the A Just Russia faction in the State Duma (lower house of parliament): “It is necessary to understand once and for all: family and children are not merely a private matter for individual citizens. The family is one of the most important pillars of the state. The connection here is direct: a strong family means a living and prosperous Russia.”

(caption): In November 2013, Sergei Mironov, an advocate of strong families, married for the fourth time. The 60-year-old politician’s chosen partner was 29-year-old St. Petersburg TV presenter Olga Radievskaya. In an interview about the wedding, his young wife said that she felt absolutely no age difference and that she and Mironov were completely alike in spirit.

Vladimir Pekhtin, former State Duma deputy from United Russia: “I love Russia because it is impossible not to love Russia. I am a Russian man, and like any Russian person, I love my homeland.”

(caption): Vladimir Pekhtin is confident in Russia’s great future, but just in case, he tied his own future to America. In 2007, the deputy, together with his son Alexei, bought an apartment and a plot of land in Florida. The apartment cost $540,000; the plot, $120,000. In 2012, Pekhtin bought his son another apartment in Miami for $1.275 million.

(small captions and photo credits): Photo © Vedomosti / Fotoimedia, ITAR-TASS

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Continued: Parade of Hypocrisy (beginning of the next spread)

(main headline): Parade of Hypocrisy

Russian politicians like to talk about patriotism and family. In practice, they live by very different values. Popular Politics selected six of the most striking examples.

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