The path of the head of Udmurtia - from “family” to prison. Political scientist Vasin: Ulyanovsk Governor Morozov’s statement about his intention to go to the polls is a signal to the Kremlin

Vladimir Putin dismissed the head of the Republic of Udmurtia, Alexander Solovyov, “due to loss of trust.” For the post of acting Alexander Brechalov was appointed head of the republic.

The detention of Solovyov by employees of the Investigative Committee became known on Monday, April 3. Yesterday, April 4, the governor was charged with committing two crimes under Part 6 of Art. 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (receiving a bribe on an especially large scale). According to investigators, during 2014-16, the head of the republic received from two companies constructing bridges across the Kama and Bui rivers, bribes in the form of money (139 million rubles) and a share in a commercial organization, estimated at 2.7 million, for assistance in obtaining extraordinary payment for work performed and obtaining licenses. By decision of the Basmanny Court of Moscow, Solovyov was assigned a preventive measure in the form of arrest for a period of 2 months. Solovyov himself declares his innocence. He asked the court to keep him under house arrest, but this request was rejected.

Yesterday, April 4, two presidential decisions followed. First, it became known about Solovyov’s removal from the post of governor “due to the loss of confidence of the President of the Russian Federation,” and later the head of state announced the appointment of the secretary of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation and co-chairman of the ONF, Alexander Brechalov, as the acting head of Udmurtia. Let us note that for the first time data about the approach of both of these events appeared on April 1 on the Telegram channel “Davydov.Index”.

Commenting on his appointment to Izvestia, Brechalov stated: “For me, the offer of the head of state to lead the Republic of Udmurtia is a challenge and a great honor. Thank you to the president for this trust.”

Speaking about his possible nomination for the post of head of the republic, he noted that “It’s too early to talk about elections”, but in principle this scenario is not excluded. According to State Duma deputy Andrei Isaev (ER), representing Udmurtia, it was the need to have time to nominate Brechalov that became the reason for such a “sudden” appointment: as a rule, between the dismissal of the governor and the appointment of an acting governor. Enough time has passed, and this time two decrees came out almost one after the other. Isaev explained this by saying that “elections will take place on September 10 - it was unreasonable to delay the appointment”.

Opinions on what will happen to the new acting positions. The heads of Udmurtia by posts were divided. More precisely, everything is clear about the place in the Public Chamber: the term of office of its current convocation is already running out, and Brechalov was not invited to the new composition. So for the remaining time, the RF OP will work without a secretary. But with the ONF there is no such clarity. On the one hand, according to the press service of the ONF, cited by Izvestia, the movement’s charter does not contain restrictions for the co-chairs of the central headquarters, due to which Brechalov would have to leave his post. Accordingly, he can theoretically remain a co-chairman. On the other hand, the position of acting The governor’s job is quite serious and requires a lot of dedication, and it is not a fact that he will be able to effectively combine the performance of duties in two areas at once. Brechalov himself understands this and does not exclude his departure from the leadership of the ONF: “I admit that after some time there should be a rotation. As the acting head of the republic, I must deal primarily with my direct responsibilities, and not with public work.” But he is in no hurry to name anyone his successor: “It would be wrong for me to name any specific candidates now.” The chairman of the federal executive committee of the ONF, Alexei Anisimov, spoke in approximately the same spirit, saying that there will be a rotation and a new co-chairman will be elected, but did not give a specific date for when this could happen.

As for the elections of the new head of Udmurtia, most likely they will still take place this year. At the moment, they have not been officially appointed (in all regions where heads will be elected, relevant decisions are expected around the beginning of June), but, according to the Chairman of the State Council of Udmurtia Vladimir Nevostruev, "deadlines missed" and there is still time to organize and hold elections on a single voting day on September 10. He recalled that elections to the State Council will be held on this day: “This is also affected by the election of the head of the republic. The deadlines have not yet passed - I think that this year it will be possible to elect the head of the republic on a single voting day.”

Observers note that if elections for the head of Udmurtia are scheduled for September 10, the region will face a difficult campaign. According to a Kommersant source in United Russia, these elections may turn out to be "no easier than in Komi", due to the population's low trust in government. The head of the Communist Party faction in the State Council of Udmurtia, Vladimir Chepkasov, thinks almost the same way. In his opinion, a republic is expected "interesting choices": “Now the appointment of any local figure associated with the current elites would not lead to changes. A new person, fresh blood is needed, since the hopes that the residents had when Solovyov arrived were not justified.”

It is worth noting that in addition to the personnel and “election” aspects, this story can be considered in one more plane. A representative of the ONF was appointed acting head of the republic. Of course, this has already happened twice (let us remember the appointment of acting governors Andrei Bocharov in the Volgograd region and Alexander Bogomaz in the Bryansk region), but the case with Udmurtia is unique in its own way, because this time the appointee was one of the top leaders of the “front”. In fact, this can be regarded as a kind of “curtsy” to the movement, a serious expression of confidence on the part of the president, and this looks especially relevant on the eve of the 2018 presidential elections.

Appointment of Alexander Brechalov to the post of acting The head of Udmurtia is commented by political scientist, head of the “Political Expert Group” Konstantin Kalachev: “This appointment can be called political, because Brechalov is, of course, a politician. Moreover, a politician who has made a career fighting the shortcomings of the existing management system, but within the framework of the same system. Now he has a great opportunity to show in practice how everything should work .<...>In general, the elite of Udmurtia needed a shake-up, and now they will get it. The republic needs a development driver. Apparently, there are assumptions that Brechalov, with his excellent relationships with everyone, can become such a driver.<...>Brechalov can turn Udmurtia into a model region, where he will try to build a management system as efficiently as possible."

Rector of the Institute for Educational Development, member of the Public Chamber of the Udmurt Republic, member of the regional headquarters of the ONF Vladimir Baimetov calls Solovyov’s resignation both an expected and unexpected event: “When Alexander Solovyov was appointed acting head of the region in February 2014, the population took it positively. Everyone expected not only economic changes, but also changes in personnel policy.<...>Unfortunately, during these two years he was unable to satisfy the expectation of change, so the people were in the mood for change.<...>In this sense, the fact that Solovyov will not be the head of the region is an expected event; only the timing was discussed, and there were active rumors that he had already written a letter of resignation of his own free will with an open date, but I would like to emphasize once again: such a development of events would result in the filing of charges , imprisonment and deportation to Moscow - few people expected.
The appointment of Alexander Brechalov was in line with the trends in the appointment of acting governors in other regions, the only difference is that Brechalov has nothing to do with Udmurtia. Of course, if he had a desire, he could get acquainted with the regional agenda, but again from the point of view of the Popular Front, Support of Russia and the Public Chamber. In this sense it is a strength. The weak side, it seems to me, is its certain isolation from the industrial component. After all, Udmurtia is an industrial region.<...>It is not yet clear how much he will be able to rely on local elites and build relationships with them - this is the first question. The second question is how far it will satisfy the mood of the masses. Everything will depend only on him.<...>I think we need to wait, literally within the next two weeks the movement vector will be visible."

Deputy of the State Council of Udmurtia Alexey Vakhrushev positively assesses Brechalov’s appointment: “The change of power in the republic is an expected event.<...>Everything was leading to the conclusion that sooner or later the leadership of Alexander Solovyov would end.
We pin our hopes on the new acting governor Brechalov, first of all, that the promises voiced by the previous head of the republic will be fulfilled.<...>I think that with his arrival the Udmurt Republic will have prospects for a good future. I am sure that Brechalov has enough experience and knowledge that will help him find a common language with local elites and representatives of national associations.<...>He has a lot of work to do, but together with the deputy corps and the government of the republic, Brechalov will cope with all the tasks assigned, I have no doubt about that."

Well, something like this.

Full version of the material with detailed expert comments

Our correspondent Vladimir Vorsobin tried to figure out why Alexander Solovyov was actually arrested [video]

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PIZZA OF ALEXANDER THE THIRD

There is a law in Russia: the new tsar is obliged - and with all his might! - be the opposite of the old. Appearance. With speeches. With gestures. With all my guts. So that the subjects, God forbid, do not get confused.

Even if you are the ruler of Udmurtia and rule for only three days.

I’m sure that’s why we and the new Udmurt governor Alexander

om Brechalov we are not sitting in his main office, under a standard portrait of Himself, but we are huddled at the table of a small pizzeria in the town of Sarapul under the radium Leps. The governor bravely bites into his pizza. For video cameras. Taking pictures with the waitresses. And here he is walking through the town, jumping over Udmurt puddles with sparkling boots.

(“Come on, let’s go, everyone, I’ll treat you to pizza!” Brechalov winks at the journalists in a familiar way, and the whispers of random Udmurts rush around: “Ah-ah, this is the same one who was sent from Moscow...”)

Brechalov, of course, is not wearing a boring suit and an old-fashioned tie, like the previous governor, but hiking trousers and a khaki jacket (not cheap, by the way, the military style, which, although it was begging to be paired with ankle boots, would be too much). And most importantly, Alexander Vladimirovich is 43 years old, not 66...

Brechalov had just landed in Izhevsk. Instead of ex-governor Alexander Solovyov arrested and taken in handcuffs to Moscow...

An elderly, conservative man, suspected of bribes...

Brechalov, in his biography, is the complete opposite - the head of the Public Chamber, co-chairman of the headquarters of the Popular Front, who fought in the regions against unreasonable spending by officials. His project “Honest Purchases” revealed dubious tenders on Sakhalin, which (as Brechalov says) led to the arrest of the local governor Khoroshavin. Political scientists once called Brechalov “the most promising politician of 2016.” But either because of personnel changes in the Kremlin, or, on the contrary, for his fashionable anti-corruption fervor, the prodigy was sent to Udmurtia.

And Brechalov frightened the locals in front of me with the capital’s sophisticated words. And “crowdfunding” and “revitalization”.

You better tell us - did you bring bread? - the men in the abandoned village grinned.

No bread?! Can you imagine?! - shouted the impressed governor at the meeting.

“You are good, kind, smart people,” he convinced Sarapul officials. - Let's work in a new way. For people!

The officials did not object. Yes please! And they looked at the new boss with devotion... With that nationwide readiness for any changes, with which, I remember, they looked into the mouth of the progressive governor Nikita Belykh (who also loved democracy and camouflage).

In parting, I asked the governor:

- Do you know what nickname the officials here have already given you?

Which? - Brechalov was wary.

- Alexander the Third.

“The previous ones were also Alexanders,” I say. “I don’t think they see much difference in you all.”

I’ll try to make sure they see... - Brechalov winced.

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Governor of Udmurtia in a pizzeria. The new head of Udmurtia Alexander Brechalov visits a pizzeria in the city of Sarapul Vladimir VORSOBIN

And I looked at the youthful, fresh governor and wondered if he knew what really ruined the arrested Solovyov. Does he understand why he is Alexander the Third...

I also thought that this story was primitive, like 140 million in a suitcase for the governor (according to the investigation). But it turned out...

BUSINESSMAN OF SAND QUARRY

On the very first day in Izhevsk you are filled with fierce anger towards the arrested governor. By the way, this is another Russian rule...

I remember a year ago, after the arrest of the head of Komi Gaizer, I spent a long time looking in Syktyvkar, teeming with eyewitnesses of his atrocities, for a person who would dare to say something good about him. It’s the same story in Udmurtia. A couple of hours of communication with the local elite paints a seemingly clear picture.

So, the former head of Udmurtavtodor, Senator Alexander Solovyov, unexpectedly for everyone, became governor in February 2014. According to one of his close associates, the quiet Alexander Ivanovich suddenly “came out of demons.” “Grandfather is going crazy.” Alexander Vasilyevich decides that “he is the king here.”

Considering that since 1979 Soloviev has been firmly in the road business, he makes a natural and, as it turns out, fatal decision. Throw the lion's share of the republican money into repairing and building roads. Fortunately, his youngest daughter Yulia Bashkova is the Deputy Minister of Road Construction of the region. The eldest, Evgenia Sirik, is the owner of enterprises involved in the development of gravel and sand quarries.

By the way, it was about the governor’s eldest daughter that there were not very pleasant rumors in Udmurtia.

Everything was not enough for her! - says one of the officials, listing a dozen stories when the Sirik business empire, consisting of shops and quarry enterprises, diligently took advantage of the successful situation - “dad-king”.

Fortunately, her common-law husband is the head of Avtodormostproekt OJSC, through which almost all design work was carried out in the republic.

So in Udmurtia, a hasty family business has become rampant, understandable (if you put your hand on your heart) to every official - how can you miss the chance to provide for your great-grandchildren?

Fellow villagers and friends of the governor gathered with plates at the “road pie”, having occupied all the positions in the ministry of any kind. Moreover, cash flows were traditionally concentrated in the hands of one of them (the irony of fate here) - the namesake, namesake and, as they say, a distant relative of the governor - Alexander Solovyov. Who received the nickname Soloviev-Little.

It is known that the future governor (Soloviev-Bolshoi) and Malenky had been doing business together for a good dozen years.

Because of which, by the way, they tried to initiate a criminal case against Bolshoi at the beginning of the 2000s.

That’s why the younger Solovyov was also busy with the construction of the ill-fated bridge across the Kama, for which the governor was arrested.

The little one was the first to be arrested for the bridge. Still in the fall. He eventually surrendered the Bolshoi, talking about 140 million rubles allegedly transferred to the governor in 2014 - 2016.

According to the investigation, Alexander Solovyov, for this money, was supposed to make “extraordinary and immediate payment for the work performed from the federal and regional budgets, the allocation of licenses for the geological study of the subsoil area and for their exploration, as well as the extraction of sand and sand-gravel mixture.”

And everything seems to be reliable. And the fate of the Solovyovs is as clear as a tear.

“ON THE TUNDRA, BY RAILWAY...”

But one inconspicuous detail alarmed me.

It’s not even that half of Udmurtia didn’t believe the investigation’s version (unlike the elite, who handed over the former governor right away, the common people, by inertia, continue to see him as a countryman rather than a villain).

And it’s not that the stolen millions were never found during the search. Mastering them correctly is a matter of technique...

I was interested in the words of Presidential Envoy Babich during Brechalov’s meeting with the deputies.

It could, of course, have been done differently (this is about the arrest of the old governor. - Author), he noted. - But we acted according to the law. That is a serious achievement of power.

And then Babich praised another ex-governor who ruled Udmurtia before Solovyov, Alexander Volkov, for the agro-industrial complex, for urban planning... They say that the managers here are normal, but the corrupt official Solovyov has wormed his way among them. Happens.

And I remembered the words of one of the local construction “subchiks” (subcontractors).

Soloviev didn’t change anything,” he was surprised at the anti-corruption hype. - As it was under Volkov, 10% of kickbacks remained the same. Alexander Vasilyevich simply removed the Volkovskys and installed his own. Since this all started…

ALEXANDER THE FIRST

Let's take a walk back 10 years, to be clear, into the past. The reign of Alexander Volkov was a whole era for Udmurtia - 19 years (1995 - 2014). Typical, by the way, for the first Russian governors. In the 2000s, a monetary and oil rain fell on the regions, which gave different results. For example, in the capital of Udmurtia, as, by the way, in Grozny, Saransk, Yoshkar-Ola (the list goes on), construction has bloomed beautifully. Volkov built the famous Izhevsk Zoo with a “governor’s” statue of a wolf at the entrance. Circus. Agriculture has revived.

And it would seem that the governor is good. And they respected Volkov, almost like Solovyov later, but for some reason Moscow became worried. Investigators began visiting Izhevsk frequently, and the press grumbled, calling Udmurtia one of the most corrupt republics.

And it turned out that the scheme of this apparent well-being is ours, every day. Russian. First, the Prosecutor General’s Office issued an order to Volkov “for violating laws on civil service, as well as the procedure for placing orders for government needs.”

And a year before the resignation, searches began in the case of the “family” distribution of budget funds to support the local agricultural industry.

But then they treated the “feeding troughs” with understanding, they did not imprison anyone, but simply dismissed the “eternal governor.” And so suddenly that there was no time to search for something new. Solovyov’s candidacy appeared by chance: the former road worker and speaker of the local Legislative Assembly was completing his term as a senator, where Volkov sent him into an honorable but offensive exile. And the career of a road foreman, which was heading towards sunset, suddenly rushed to the stars.

Soloviev, having accepted Volkov’s republic, did not change anything in it. He simply turned the money from the agricultural industry and urban development into his “family.” From other people's children to our own.

He immediately removed the “Volkovsky” minister of road construction. And in Udmurtia, full-scale construction of roads began.

ALEXANDER THE SECOND'S MISTAKE

But here Solovyov lacked bureaucratic flexibility. Before the elections, he made too many promises to influential people - he promised high positions in the local government and parliament. And I forgot. Former paratrooper and road worker Soloviev distributed posts like brothers. Old friends, relatives. That is, with his own hands he organized an influential front against himself - those deceived went to work in federal structures. It was from there, I am sure, that Moscow received the first alarming signals about the unlucky Udmurt leader.

The crisis has let the governor down even more. The good old Udmurt system of kickbacks, swollen with oil money, endured the all-Russian lack of money very hard.

The system worked like this - there is a state enterprise “Udmurtavtodor”, to which the republic gives almost all the money for construction,” says the head of one of the local construction companies. - “Random” people are not allowed to participate in the auction. Then the money is scattered among contracts. Those are under subcontracts. At each stage, in order to obtain a subcontract, there is a 10% kickback. As a result, the company, in order to pay a bribe to the official, saves on road construction. This is not tragic if the customer has enough money, and the amount of the contract allows him to withdraw the profit, give a bribe, and build it for a C grade. But when road budgets across the country began to be ungodly squeezed, the rollback system began to malfunction.

The situation was complicated by the fact that the suppliers of building materials were also “family” people and wanted fierce profits - with the rights of masters.

As a result, the money for new roads in Izhevsk was stolen so indefinitely that they began to fall apart the very next year, along with the governor’s rating.

But the local road inspection, subordinate to the “family” ministry, simply turned a blind eye to this.

HOW PUTIN TOOK SOLOVIEV

But even this was not fatal for Solovyov until he made one decisive mistake, without which he, I am sure, would still have led Udmurtia. And even in the survival ratings it would remain in the good category.

Are there many such governors in Rus'?! Yes, there are a dime a dozen such governors!

In Izhevsk they know that it wasn’t even “the bridge over the Kama” that was shot by Solovyov. And the head’s fantastic self-confidence.

The grandiose construction project was started under Volkov. Moreover, it was a very bold project - the first construction of a bridge in Russia under a concession. Part of the money is from Moscow, part from Izhevsk, the rest from a private investor.

The bridge here is really very necessary - it not only saved time (otherwise it would be a hundred kilometers long detour), but also connected the deeply unhappy town of Kambarka, cut off by the river, with Udmurtia.

Its residents are historically angry at the state. The salary is 15 - 20 thousand to get to the “mainland” - either a “two hundred ruble” ferry, or a full gas tank to Izhevsk and back. (The officials here are also abnormally angry. As the local press writes about the latest mayor: “The official beat up his fellow countryman and threw a handful of coins in his face. So Kambarka,” the journalist ends the news, “has lost its head again.”)

“We live like monkeys on an island,” growl the local men, who have attended a rally against... the bridge a couple of times.

350 rubles for one way travel?! - the town literally screamed with indignation when it learned about the plans of the “concessionaires”. - So, if you drive across the bridge to work, you have to give your entire salary to some bastards?!

That is, the very idea of ​​a rich “concession” in the middle of impoverished Russia was explosive. Well, when the local men who were contracted for construction were abandoned without paying their salaries, the fame of the “bad bridge” spread throughout the region. For Solovyov, the decisive catastrophe was already approaching.

The main “concessionaire” Alexander Abramovich Zabarsky, for all his good connections in Moscow, had a troubled reputation. For example, the construction of a bridge by his campaign in Nadym ended in a scandal - the audit discovered additions to the cost of the work by as much as 2 billion rubles.

But in Udmurtia, things were going even worse - a bridge of nosebleeds had to be donated before the arrival of the President of Russia in Izhevsk. That is, by September 20, 2016.

But already in the spring of that year it became clear that everything was going to hell.

Underfunding on the part of the concessionaire is almost 2 billion rubles, reported the local Minister of Transport Vakhromeev. - The salary debt of Zabarsky’s company to the builders is 80 million rubles.

Construction has stopped. Workers begged Zabarsky to give back the money he had earned.

“Dear Alexander Abramovich, your employee of the Tyumen branch of Mostostroy-12, Oleg Aleksandrovich Yamkovoy, a 6th category installer, is addressing you,” a worker writes to him on a construction Internet forum. - I haven’t seen my salary since September 2, my vacation pay since March 2016. I have nothing to pay for my daughter’s education, nothing to pay off the loan, nothing to pay for utilities, electricity and water are turned off, my salary arrears are 95,500 + vacation pay 60,000, please give me money, I’m not asking for too much, give me what I earned! »

Where did the billions go - the question, you see, is already boring (according to the investigation, Zabarsky, for example, handed over 140 million to the governor). The instinct of self-preservation is more relevant here - what to show the president?

Udmurt builders still remember the bustle a month before Putin's arrival. When they were painting, they made markings and laid asphalt at the same time. When the arrived students jostled around the bridge in a daze, not understanding why they were brought here. When officials called subcontractors and begged, swore, conjured, promised to pay - if only they would return to the construction site.

And then a blow in the back - the state examination does not accept the bridge. They say that someone replaced reinforced concrete structures with metal ones. Well, that is, according to the old scheme, another billion was stolen as usual.

But even here the situation could still be saved...

Governor Soloviev is making a decisive stupidity, says one of the subcontractors for the construction of this bridge. - He doesn’t call the presidential administration, doesn’t apologize for missing deadlines, doesn’t ask to reschedule the president’s visit. Soloviev brazenly decides that if Putin opens the bridge, then the state expert will automatically sign all the papers. And all problems will be solved. But the administration did a good job...

The President did not cancel his visit to Udmurtia. He finally arrived on September 20th. Only, as they say, he did not shake hands with Governor Solovyov at the airport. And the fake opening of the bridge was no longer on the visit program. But the head of the Udmurt Ministry of Internal Affairs did not leave Putin a single step.

And a month later, I’m sure, especially on the road builder’s professional day, Solovyov-Menenky was arrested. Six months later it was the Bolshoi’s turn.

A native of the ONF, Alexander Brechalov justified the president’s trust and won the election for the head of Udmurtia. More than 78% of voters voted for him. The turnout in these elections was more than 34%.

Co-chairman of the central headquarters of the ONF, Alexander Brechalov, who until recently was assessing the work of regional heads and criticizing governors who were unsuccessful in carrying out presidential orders, was himself elected head of a subject of the Russian Federation - the Udmurt Republic. For this, the “front-line soldier” needed 78.01% of the votes, which he received based on the results of counting 95% of the ballots.

Together with Brechalov, four more candidates participated in these elections, the votes between them were distributed as follows: the candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Vladimir Bodrov - 8.81%, the Right Russia Farid Yunusov - 4.89%, the LDPR nominee Timur Yagafarov - 3.19%, and the representative CPSU Andrei Ivanov collected only 2.48%.

The turnout in the elections in Udmurtia was more than 34%.

Let us recall that Putin sent Brechalov to the governorship of Udmurtia in April 2017, after the previous head of the republic, Alexander Solovyov, was fired due to loss of trust.

We also note that on the same day as the election of the head of the republic in Udmurtia, voting took place for deputies of the State Council of the new convocation. First place was predictably taken by United Russia, with 63.11% of the votes. 15.04% and second place in the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. The LDPR has 8.96%. “A Just Russia” scored 6.69%. “Rodina” and “Communists of Russia” were unable to overcome the five percent mark.

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President Vladimir Putin's proposal to promote Russian environmentally friendly goods to the foreign market, voiced in his message to the Federal Assembly, was supported by Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Ilyukhin. The head of Kamchatka put forward the idea of ​​promoting these products through duty-free shops at airports. According to Ilyukhin, such a sales and promotion channel will significantly expand the reach of consumers and will significantly increase the interest of potential business partners in high-quality Russian products. “Duty-free stores are one of the most stable sales channels, and local organic products and products from wild plants are an excellent calling card of any region,” says Sergei Korshunov, head of the Union of Organic Farming.

Deputies of the Ulan-Ude City Council rejected the demands of the head of Buryatia Tsydenov

The demand of the head of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, to dismiss the deputy of the Ulan-Ude City Council, Yuri Badanov, was rejected by the city parliament. Political scientist Nikolai Vasyutkin believes that, despite the refusal of the deputies, Tsydenov continues to control the situation in the city council, and the precedent with Badanov has no political background. At the same time, Vasyutkin talks about the difficult political situation in rural areas, where Tsydenov’s team does not have sufficient leverage.

Yesterday, FSB officers detained the head of Udmurtia, Alexander Solovyov, and today the official was already taken to the capital to the Investigative Committee. A criminal case was initiated against the official for bribery.

As investigators established, Alexander Solovyov received 140 million rubles for immediate payment from the state budget for work related to the construction of bridges across the Kama and Bui rivers in the Republic. According to media reports, the most likely successors to Mr. Solovyov could be the chief federal inspector for the region, Dmitry Musin, or the head of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, and the head of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, co-chairman of the ONF, Alexander Brechalov. FSB officers sent Alexander Solovyov to the capital on a morning flight so that the official could be interrogated and hear the accusations before the Investigative Committee. According to witnesses, Alexander Solovyov was the last passenger on the plane and he was brought there when all the passengers were sitting in their seats. Eyewitnesses report that a car of FSB officers drove up to the plane and escorted Alexander Solovyov on board in handcuffs with a bag over his head. The official was flying to Moscow accompanied by FSB officers; as soon as the security officers arrived in Moscow, the first thing they did was disembark the official from the plane, and only then did the rest of the passengers get off. At the moment, the interrogation of Alexander Solovyov is underway; after completion, he will be charged with receiving a bribe by an official holding a public position in the Russian Federation on an especially large scale (Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). As we found out, today the investigators will appeal to the Basmanny Court of Moscow with a petition to arrest Alexander Solovyov and send him to a pre-trial detention center. Law enforcement officials found that in the period from 2014 to 2016, Alexander Solovyov received about 139 million rubles from representatives of various organizations that carried out construction work on bridges and crossings across the Kama and Bui rivers. For all this, Alexander Solovyov had to provide immediate payments for the work performed from the Federal and regional budgets, which were issued for the geological study of the subsoil site. Let us note that the Udmurt authorities have not yet commented on the detention of Alexander Solovyov. Prime Minister of Udmurtia Viktor Savelyev is currently holding an urgent meeting with the heads of local governments. This was announced by the press secretary of the head of the Republic; at the moment, there is no official information from representatives of the region. It is important to note that Alexander Solovyov is already the fourth governor who has become a defendant in a criminal case. Let us recall that in the spring of 2015, the governor of the Sakhalin region, Alexander Khoroshavin, was arrested, who was also accused of abuse of office; in the same year, the head of the Komi Republic, Vyacheslav Gaizer, was arrested; in the summer of 2016, the governor of the Kirov region, Nikita Bely, was arrested, accused of corruption. crimes. Let us recall that Governor Alexander Solovyov became the head of Udmurtia in 2014 after the next term of office of the President of the Republic Alexander Volkov expired. Until this moment, the official worked as the speaker of the Republican State Council. Before Alexander Solovyov came into politics, his fate was connected with Udmurtavtodor. We also note that in the elections Alexander Solovyov received 84.84% of the votes, and in the State Duma elections in 2016, the United Russia party in the region gained 50.5%.

UFA, April 4 - RIA Novosti. On Tuesday morning, Udmurtia lost its governor, Alexander Solovyov, who had led the region since 2014. The events that led to this developed rapidly: in the morning it became known that Solovyov was detained on suspicion of bribes worth 140 million rubles, and already at lunchtime, Russian President Vladimir Putin removed him from office due to loss of trust.

Not at work. Detained.

At about 8.40 Moscow time, the administration of the head of Udmurtia only noted Alexander Solovyov’s absence from work and stated that the prime minister would hold the meeting in his place.

But after about half an hour, the official representative of the Investigative Committee, Svetlana Petrenko, told reporters that Solovyov was suspected of receiving bribes worth 140 million rubles and was taken to Moscow for investigative actions. It later became known that he had been charged.

“Alexander Solovyov has been charged with committing two counts of crime under the article “Receipt of a bribe by an official holding a public position in the Russian Federation on an especially large scale,” Petrenko said.

"Unexpected and unpleasant"

“For me, this (detention - ed.) came as a surprise. A number of governors have recently changed jobs, but for this to happen... It’s unpleasant both for him and for the republic,” Alexander Volkov, a senator from Udmurtia and the former head of the republic, told RIA Novosti.

The first secretary of the regional branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Bodrov, agrees with him, pointing out the possibility of reducing the investment attractiveness of the region in connection with what happened.

“First of all, it is unpleasant for all residents of Udmurtia. Last year, the investigation was carried out by the Deputy Minister for Roads, several heads of municipalities were detained. And everyone has the impression that our region is unfavorable. What kind of investment attractiveness of the republic can we talk about after this? There are unpleasant feelings now all residents, but apparently there were prerequisites for the arrest of the head,” Bodrov told the agency.

The question of a new head of the region is still open

The Kremlin has not yet named a possible candidate for the post of head of Udmurtia after Solovyov’s detention. However, experts believe that a new appointment will take place in the near future. In particular, Volkov thinks so - in his words, “there should be a person on the farm.” The senator noted that the region faces many urgent challenges, including the need to prepare to combat flooding.

According to Bodrov, Udmurtia should be headed by a person who knows and understands the economic situation in the region, but at the same time is not connected with local businessmen.

“Udmurtia is actually quite an interesting territory, there is a defense enterprise here, agriculture is well developed... We need a person who understands all the intricacies of the republic, understands its economy. If this is an outsider, then, as usual, personnel leapfrog will begin in the government, which does not always have a positive effect on work. But at the same time, I would like to see a leader who is not connected with the local business elite, because such a connection, as time shows, leads to corrupt results,” the agency’s interlocutor explained.

The media is circulating information about the possible appointment of Alexander Brechalov, co-chairman of the central headquarters of the All-Russian Popular Front (ONF), secretary of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, to Udmurtia. However, he himself has not yet commented on these rumors.

The bridge will open

Meanwhile, the government of the republic does not intend to change global plans due to the resignation of the governor. In particular, we are talking about the opening of a bridge across the Kama and Bui rivers, planned for the summer of 2017.

“Representatives of the regional authorities see no reason to believe that the construction of the bridge can stop because of the investigation; the bridge will be completed by the deadline - this summer. In fact, it is already functioning, the working movement is open there, it is free for now. There are people left to open the bridge work only to strengthen the coastline, to restore beauty in order to officially launch the bridge crossing,” a source in the administration of the head of Udmurtia told RIA Novosti.

The project “Construction and operation on a toll basis of bridges across the Kama River and the Bui River near the city of Kambarka” has been implemented since 2013 on the basis of a public-private partnership under a concession agreement between the government of the Udmurt Republic and Regional Investment Company LLC. The total cost of the project is 13.9 billion rubles, of which 10.1 billion rubles are funds from a private investor. The bridge crossings under construction and the approaches to them are expected to be used on a commercial basis.

The agency's interlocutor noted that investor funds in the amount of more than 10 billion rubles have already been invested in construction, which will allow the project to be officially launched within the expected time frame.