Biography of Pavel Astakhov
Pavel Astakhov is a prominent lawyer and politician, former Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights (successor: Anna Kuznetsova). His name is known far beyond the professional community, he participated in many high-profile cases and earned the reputation of one of the best lawyers in Moscow. His activities as a TV presenter are noteworthy and interesting: “The Hour of Judgment,” “The Astakhov Case,” as well as numerous legal columns in other programs made him a real television star. Pavel Astakhov made national legislation understandable and accessible to a wide audience, increasing the legal literacy of the population and explaining many complex issues of law enforcement practice.
Pavel Astakhov: guarding children's safety
Navalny got to the bottom of Astakhov’s son, raised materials about his happy childhood
He continues to comment on the death of Maxim Kuzmin and insist that children have nothing to do in America. And blogger Alexei Navalny continues his campaign against Astakhov himself and tells how the ombudsman made good arrangements for the future of his own son. Opposition activist Alexei Navalny continues to publish compromising materials regarding Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov and his family. He cites the words of the Ombudsman that America is his second homeland and points out that his child studied in the States. Now, according to Navalny, Astakhov’s son is employed in the Presidential Council for Modernization.
Navalny strikes back. In his LiveJournal today he published new data about the attitude of Pavel Astakhov and his relatives to the United States.
The oppositionist took this step after the Commissioner for Children’s Rights wrote about the propaganda war and denigration of Russian reality. At the same time, the Ombudsman noted that “slander of government officials and manipulation of facts are long-known techniques of the enemies of Russia.” Also attention was drawn to the message that “Closed since 01/01/13. in the Russian Federation, the “business of exporting children to the USA” is desperately resisting. Too much of a tasty morsel was taken away.”
In response to this, Navalny gives an interview in which Astakhov literally declares his love for the United States. “The University of Pittsburgh Law School has become my second alma mater, and the United States is my second homeland,” says the letter of gratitude that the ombudsman previously left at the university.
In addition, Navalny provides an interview and photographs from the magazine “7 Days”, in which the Commissioner for Children’s Rights explains why his wife decided to give birth to her last child in Nice. Here are photos from the Cote d'Azur. Astakhov then told the magazine that the decision to give birth was made spontaneously: “we were on vacation in Nice, Svetlana felt great, swam in the sea almost until the last day - we decided to stay here, besides, the doctor banned air travel at this time. Pavel Astakhov declared to himself: “I travel here to the Cote d’Azur almost every weekend, otherwise, I’m afraid the baby will get weaned from me.”
Navalny also draws attention to the fate of the official’s children. In an interview with the magazine “Elite of Society,” the son of the ombudsman, Anton Astakhov, tells how he studied for a year at an American school, what he studied in London, and why he didn’t like it at Oxford.
At the moment, “the son of the patriotic Astakhov has suddenly been employed closer to budget money - in the Presidential Council for Modernization and Innovation,” Navalny reports in his blog. There is confirmation on the website that the position of deputy executive director is filled by the son of Pavel Astakhov.
Pavel Astakhov did not want to comment on this information and how his son was employed today. His press secretary recommended contacting Anton. But his phone number was not on the Modernization Council website; he did not respond to my request for an interview on Twitter. He said there was no time to answer.
Childhood and youth of Pavel Astakhov
The future famous lawyer was born into an ordinary Moscow family.
His father worked in a printing house, and his mother was a teacher. Pavel was connected with the law enforcement environment only through his grandfather, who was a prominent security officer and worked with Vyacheslav Menzhinsky for a long time. The future lawyer spent his childhood and adolescence in Zelenograd. He studied well, but after graduating from high school he did not go to college. Instead, Pavel went to serve in the border troops. Here, on the border with Finland, Pavel spent two years, during which he established himself in his future life path. At the end of his service, Astakhov decided to remain in law enforcement agencies and entered the Higher School of the KGB of the USSR.
Pavel Astakhov in childhood and now
Pavel recalled the following about this period: “I immediately liked it there [at the KGB school]. Interesting people around, interesting teachers, interesting subjects. The specialty itself is interesting. It was a completely special department, counterintelligence; everyone called it thieves. For example, the son of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Estonia and the son of the chairman of the KGB of Azerbaijan studied with us.”
After graduating in 1991, Pavel began practicing as a lawyer, but soon decided to continue his studies and in 2000 moved to America, to Pittsburgh, where he entered the master's program at a local university. Subsequently, the lawyer spoke extremely flatteringly about studying in the United States, calling the United States “his second homeland.”
Lawyer career of Pavel Astakhov
Since 1991, Pavel Astakhov has participated as a lawyer in many high-profile trials. In the early nineties, he worked for a short time in Spain, but gained the greatest fame in Russia.
Pavel Astakhov has been practicing law since 1991
Among his clients were many famous politicians (Luzhkov, Stepashin), as well as stars of Russian show business (Kristina Orbakaite, Philip Kirkorov, Arkady Ukupnik, Lada Dance, Soso Pavliashvili and many others).
In 1995, Pavel Astakhov represented in court the interests of Valentina Solovyova, the notorious founder of the Vlastilina financial pyramid. Five years later, during the trial, the lawyer defended another “great schemer” - Vladimir Gusinsky.
Astakhov: writer and TV presenter
In 2004, Pavel Alekseevich made his debut on television as the host of the program “Hour of Judgment,” which subsequently gained wide popularity both in Russia and abroad.
Thanks to this show, Astakhov became known outside the legal community. In 2005, the RBC media holding named Astakhov “Person of the Year,” Fr. In 2007, the Russian Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship awarded him the title “Russian of the Year”. The “Hour of Judgment” program itself was awarded a number of prestigious awards. “Hour of Judgment” with Pavel Astakhov The lawyer interrupted his work on it two years later, having started working on another show - “Three Corners with Pavel Astakhov,” which, like “Hour of Judgment,” was aired on the Ren-TV channel. Subsequently, the famous lawyer participated in a number of other projects, among which the most famous were the programs “The Astakhov Case” and “On Juvenile Affairs.” In addition, Pavel Alekseevich worked for some time at City-FM radio, where he hosted a legal program.
Pavel Astakhov is the star of many legal TV shows
In 2007, Astakhov also made his debut as a writer, presenting the novel “The Mayor” to the public. Subsequently, many works by the author of a legal and artistic nature appeared on the shelves of Russian bookstores. His novel “Raider” received particular love from readers, which is distinguished by an abundance of criticism concerning the activities of the Main Investigation Department of Russia and the Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate. In 2011, this novel was filmed, although before that it almost cost the lawyer his career.
How Pavel Astakhov built his career
A petition addressed to Vladimir Putin demanding the resignation of the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights, Pavel Astakhov, collected over 150 thousand votes on the website Change.org. The reason for it was a strange, to say the least, question the ombudsman asked one of the victims of the Syamozero tragedy: “Well, how was your swim?”
Subject: Compromising evidence
Astakhov himself now claims that this was not at all inappropriate cynicism, but a special psychological technique, but the public does not believe it. What can you do, such is the reputation of the defender of children. I still remember his essentially approving statements regarding the marriage of a 57-year-old Chechen policeman to 17-year-old Kheda Goilabieva and his words about “wrinkled 27-year-old women.” However, this is only what remains in rumors, and there were so many scandals before. “Our Version” decided to take a closer look at the life path of the child defender.
If Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol had lived to this day, the personality of the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights would probably have inspired him to write a new novel. After all, what a breadth of nature, what a rich biography! Khlestakov and Chichikov had to be invented out of my head, but here you just take it and put it on paper. Who was it that thought that a statesman was being impudently compared to notorious literary swindlers? Nothing like that - we just remember what happened to Astakhov in the past. And the story, as you know, is no reproach to the young man.
Advocate
There is little reliable information about the distant past of Astakhov. In the press you can find references to the fact that among his ancestors there was a Cossack chieftain, who became one of the prototypes of the heroes of “The Quiet Don,” or the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, or a certain high-ranking security officer, almost the right hand of Menzhinsky. Perhaps that is why young Pavel, after completing his military service, chose the path of a law enforcement officer, enrolling in the KGB Higher School. Or maybe not for that reason - working in the main intelligence service of the country automatically made her associates the elite of the elite, and Astakhov, if you believe the memories of his school teachers, even in his teens was distinguished by a certain narcissism. Alas, the collapse of the USSR ruined the young lieutenant’s career at Lubyanka. Probably realizing that there was nothing more to catch here, Astakhov submitted a report on his dismissal from the authorities.
For three years, the KGB school graduate pushed around in business, practicing law, until in 1994 he joined the Moscow Bar Association.
As they say, a good lawyer differs from a bad one only in that he knows how to sell himself more expensive to his client. In this regard, Astakhov had it all - a representative appearance, competent speech and a willingness to take on the most high-profile cases.
So, in 1995, Astakhov acted as a defender of the founder of the Vlastilin financial pyramid, Valentina Solovyova. Many Russian stars suffered from the actions of the swindler, which is why the press closely followed the progress of the case. Astakhov willingly gave comments, thereby securing publicity for himself.
However, real fame came to the lawyer in 2000, when he unexpectedly found himself defending the American Edmond Pope, who had recently been detained by FSB officers while trying to obtain military secrets. You can still find dirty rumors saying that Astakhov was not allowed into the espionage process for nothing. They say that there are no former security officers, and by that time the lawyer had not yet had a diploma from a KGB school graduate covered with house dust... In general, it is difficult to say that Astakhov made a good impression with his defense of Pope’s interests, but an unforgettable one - that’s for sure. As the trial drew to a close and it came to the lawyer's presentation, everyone was preparing to hear a convincing speech with evidence of Pope's innocence. However, instead, Astakhov read poetry of his own composition. “Russians are rich in soul, honestly believing/Looking into the eyes of the creator/They are ready to forgive more than once, not twice./So, maybe enough/Innocently convicted and crucified?/Wake up, I ask you, from the sleep of madness,/The dream of lawlessness. I call! They say that even the guards guarding Pope were stupefied by this, so that the spy could be quietly taken out of the hall. But the court, having recovered from the shock, slapped the American with 20 years in prison.
On this topic
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Pavel Priluchny released his first music video
Today the popular actor Pavel Priluchny made his debut as a singer. He posted a music video for the song “Daddy Is Near” on his YouTube channel, which he dedicated to his children.
Astakhov himself subsequently presented the story with Pope as his success. He even confidently assured that the Fox studio was going to shoot the film “The Life Story of Pavel Astakhov” with Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich in the lead roles. The latter, according to him, even flew to Moscow, hoping to negotiate, but Astakhov categorically said no, and the actor flew to his America with nothing.
TV head
However, Astakhov himself soon set off across the Atlantic to study for a master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. The university website still contains an article by its graduate from Russia, in which he admits: “I never forget that Pittsburgh Law School became my second alma mater, and the United States was my second homeland.” In those years, making such statements was still useful and profitable.
However, his stay in the United States led to the fact that Astakhov began to be forgotten in Russia. Therefore, having returned to Moscow, he began to build bridges with familiar journalists, in particular with Elena Masyuk. The TV star, as Profile magazine wrote, had problems with a neighbor who destroyed her apartment - Astakhov volunteered to help. And for free, asking only 2 thousand dollars a month for your assistant. However, in the end, according to the publication, Astakhov refused to protect Masyuk’s interests, and then she completely found out: the lawyer’s assistant received only $100, and one could only guess where the remaining $1,900 went. “I think Astakhov was never a lawyer in the truest sense of the word. He did not protect the interests of his clients, but represented the interests of his loved one,” Profile quoted Masyuk as saying.
Astakhov's further existence turned out to be connected with jurisprudence only partially. Very soon he became known to the country as a TV presenter - Astakhov hosted the programs “Hour of Judgment” and “Three Corners with Pavel Astakhov” on REN TV. Formally, they looked like educational projects aimed at increasing the legal literacy of Russians. “But the former editor of the Hour of Judgment program, Alexander Gritsenko, said that “hundreds of thousands of dollars were swirling around one filming,” wrote The New Times.
Regular appearances on TV made Astakhov a real star. He flashes at social parties, his white-toothed smile never leaves the pages of glossy magazines. However, the glamorous 2000s are soon coming to an end. New times were coming in which real success was associated with service to the state. In general, “everyone ran - and I ran...”.
Political figure
In November 2007, Astakhov announced the creation of an all-Russian movement “For Putin”. At this time, the presidential elections were just approaching, in which Vladimir Putin, according to the Constitution, could not participate. However, Astakhov proclaimed that the national leader must still continue to lead the country: “We choose the owner of the house? Here too we propose to choose the host country.”
As you know, Putin refused to violate the Constitution despite all his advisers - Medvedev became president. Because of this, the Astakhov initiative lost its meaning, but the main thing was done - it was noticed. Soon Astakhov received an appointment to the Public Chamber, and in the winter of 2009 - to the indescribable surprise of the public - the post of Commissioner under the President of the Russian Federation for Children's Rights.
Who knew before that there was a post of children's ombudsman in the country? But the new commissioner took up the matter much more energetically. In a short time, Astakhov traveled all over the country, terrifying the directors of orphanages, schools and boarding schools. The slightest violation immediately entailed angry statements from the ombudsman, whose words were picked up by the journalists accompanying him. However, incidents of an international scale attracted Pavel Astakhov’s special attention. It was he who ultimately acted as one of the initiators of the law banning foreign adoption. Which, given the numerous suspicions that the ombudsman’s family lives on the French Riviera, caused a particularly sharp reaction from opponents of the law and a joke: “Pavel Astakhov saved Russian orphans by sending his own children to the West instead.”
Specifically
What is most curious is that formally it is even difficult to understand what exactly Pavel Astakhov is responsible for. As MK wrote, the ombudsman does not receive citizens; it is even impossible to contact him directly with a letter. In mid-February, Tyumen resident Evgeniy Reshetnikov tried to personally meet with the commissioner. A father with many children waited for several hours for the ombudsman at the regional government building, where Astakhov arrived on his next visit, intending to tell how he lives with three children in a dilapidated house. However, the capital's commissioner refused the meeting. “Frost,” he explained with a smile, briskly running to the car.
Political activities of Pavel Astakhov
In the first years of Vladimir Putin’s presidency, Astakhov actively criticized Russia’s judicial and law enforcement system, noting that the prosecutor’s office only “blindly fulfills the wishes of the authorities.” However, in 2007, unexpectedly for everyone, Pavel Alekseevich led the all-Russian movement “For Putin”. The lawyer and TV presenter justified his decision with a number of legal changes in the life of the state and society. Pavel Astakhov - Causes of corruption in Russia At the end of December 2009, Pavel Astakhov took up the post of Commissioner for Children's Rights. After the expiration of his mandate in 2012, Vladimir Putin extended Astakhov’s powers for a three-year period.
Member of the Public Chamber
Astakhov's reformatting did not go unnoticed. In 2008, he was elected a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, where he joined the Commission on Communications, Information Policy and Freedom of Speech in the Media, as well as the Inter-Commission Working Group on the Organization of Expert Activities of the Public Chamber.
It was then that he first became involved in the problems of children, taking part in the development of the “Concept of state policy in the field of spiritual and moral education of children in the Russian Federation and the protection of their morality.” Despite the fact that the Concept was criticized even by pro-government media, Pavel Alekseevich’s diligence was appreciated, and already in December 2009 he was appointed Commissioner under the President of the Russian Federation for Children’s Rights. The powers of a member of the Public Chamber of Astakhov were terminated.
Personal life of Pavel Astakhov
Since 1987, Pavel Astakhov has been married to television producer Svetlana Astakhova. It was she who led the process of creating a number of her husband’s programs (“Hour of Judgment,” “Astakhov’s Case,” “Three Corners”). At the moment, the couple has three children - Anton (born 1988), Artem (born 1993) and Arseny (born 2009).
Pavel Astakhov with his wife
It is worth noting that the personal life of the famous lawyer has long been the object of criticism from Russian and European media, as it often found itself at the epicenter of various scandals. Thus, the press often exaggerated the fact that the Astakhov family owns prestigious real estate on the southern coast of France. The youngest son of a lawyer was born in an elite Cannes clinic; The baptism of little Arseny took place in the Archangel Michael Church in Cannes.
The eldest sons of Pavel Astakhov
In addition, there are often reports in the press about expensive parties that Astakhov’s eldest sons, who currently hold positions in their father’s government apparatus, throw in Nice at regular intervals.
Family happiness of Pavel Astakhov
At the beginning of 2013, a French human rights organization insisted on banning the Astakhov family from entering France. After which they decided to move from Nice to Monaco.
In 2012, Anton Astakhov almost went to jail in connection with an accident in the center of Moscow. Then, while intoxicated, the son of a famous lawyer collided with a passing car in his Audi 5 Series.
Small house in the Moscow region
By the standards of his star neighbors, Pavel Astakhov’s estate is quite small. Its area is only 250 square meters. m. The compact layout made it possible to comfortably arrange a cozy corner for everyone. On the ground floor there is a traditionally decorated spacious living room, where the whole family likes to gather. The second floor is occupied by several bedrooms, as well as a human rights activist’s office, a dressing room and a huge bathroom.
According to Pavel Astakhov, while a couple does not have children, they can live in a metropolis, but with the advent of offspring, it is best to move outside the city. This is very educational for a growing child; the child will see for himself how apples grow on trees, vegetables and berries in the garden, and if there are living creatures, children will learn that chicken eggs are not made in the shopping center, but are laid by a chicken. Such experience in a child’s development is simply priceless.
The façade of the house is decorated with tiles; the classic version of metal tiles was chosen for the roof. Snow-white window structures act as a decorative element. Pavel Astakhov did not hide the estate behind a blank fence and chose a more elegant version of the fence made of ornate forging.
Modest mansion of a famous human rights activist
Pavel Astakhov now
Since 2012, Astakhov has positioned himself as an ardent opponent of the adoption of Russian orphans and refuseniks by foreigners. So, in December of the same year, Astakhov supported the corresponding bill.
Pavel Astakhov’s position has its critics
In 2020, Astakhov spoke approvingly of the upcoming wedding of the 57-year-old head of the Chechen police department Nazhid Guchigov and 17-year-old Kheda Goilabieva: “In the Caucasus, emancipation and puberty occur earlier, let’s not be hypocrites. There are places where women are already wizened at the age of 27, and by our standards they are almost 50. In general, the Constitution prohibits interfering in the personal affairs of citizens.”
In February 2020, Astakhov refused to admit a father with many children from the Tyumen region, whose family was facing eviction from their home.
On June 30, 2020, the media reported that Pavel Astakhov resigned from the post of Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights. His departure was primarily associated with an incorrect statement made by the ombudsman at Astakhov’s meeting with a girl who survived the tragedy in the Syamozero camp (“Well, how was your swim?” asked Astakhov).
The information was officially confirmed only in September 2020. On September 9, Pavel Astakhov, returning from vacation, was relieved of the post of ombudsman with the wording “at his own request.” After his dismissal, Astakhov and his family moved to Pskov.
Pavel Astakhov with his wife and children in Izborsk
Uncle Pasha - Ombudsman
On Friday, September 9, Pavel Astakhov left the post of Commissioner for Children's Rights. On September 8, the last day of his more than two-month vacation, he celebrated his 50th birthday. According to media reports, a replacement was selected for Astakhov: the head of the Penza executive committee of the ONF, Anna Kuznetsova, became the new children's ombudsman. “Lenta.ru” recalled the main milestones of Astakhov’s almost seven-year work as the chief defender of children in Russia.
For many experts and ordinary people, the appointment of a famous lawyer and TV presenter to the newly established post of children's ombudsman in December 2009 came as a surprise. His predecessor, Alexey Golovan, worked for only a few months; before that, he was Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Moscow for seven years.
However, Astakhov more than made up for his lack of experience in the area he supervised with activity. In two years, he visited 82 of 83 regions, inspected a total of more than 1,000 orphanages alone, and there were also hospitals, correctional centers, and juvenile colonies. The Ombudsman showed himself to be a tough leader when he fired employees and directors of institutions not only for gross violations, but, for example, for playing cards found on children.
“I became a different person,” said Pavel Astakhov himself. “The glamorous lawyer that I, in my own worldview today, once was, is a thing of the past. When you see so much childhood misfortune, grief, tears, your soul cannot help but change.”
To a large extent, Astakhov was helped by the image he earned on television. They listened to his words. Perhaps the fact that he was the most recognizable and “fair judge” in the country, albeit a television one from the “Court Hour” program, played a role.
Pavel Astakhov
Still from the TV show “Hour of Judgment”
“I think that Astakhov ended up in this position by accident: he was a well-known media figure, he spoke smartly, and he was also a lawyer,” political scientist Evgeniy Minchenko told Lenta.ru.
By the way, Astakhov was never involved in protecting children, but he always emphasized that as a lawyer he worked in the field of family law for 16 years.
However, not everyone believes that Astakhov “has become a different person.” Many note that his style of behavior and communication reveals his commitment to the role he chose in the past. At various times, Lenta.ru's interlocutors from among politicians and public figures noted Astakhov's cynicism and arrogance, which could not but affect the quality of his work.
“Recently, he has been behaving not like a children’s ombudsman, but like a businessman - impudently, arrogantly, not as befits a civil servant in such a high and responsible position, who must protect children and restore their violated rights,” said Lente.ru. MP Jan Zielinski.
Pavel Astakhov with his wife
Photo: Maxim Blinov / RIA Novosti
Perhaps the most striking episode in the career of children's ombudsman Astakhov was the adoption of a law banning foreign adoption, named after Dima Yakovlev, who died in an American adoptive family. In December 2011, Pavel Astakhov stated that he was opposed to international adoption and appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a proposal to ban such a practice. A year later, the president signed the “Dima Yakovlev Law,” and Astakhov was perhaps the most active lobbyist for this bill.
“In American society - in particular in the justice system - there is an established myth that Russian orphans are degenerates who are susceptible to two syndromes: lack of affection and drunken conception syndrome,” Astakhov said. — Take the Craver case, when Vanechka Skorobogatov was beaten to death by her adoptive parents. The psychologist then said: “The boy is uncontrollable, the boy is a Russian orphan, they are all genetic freaks, he beat himself to death.”
At the same time, Astakhov participated in the preparation of an agreement between Russia and the United States on the issue of adoption, signed in the summer of 2011. The document obliged Americans to act through accredited agencies, and not independently, which is why the procedure for adopting Russian children by US citizens has become significantly more expensive.
For Russian orphans, especially for disabled people with severe pathologies, the “Dima Yakovlev Law” was bad news. They were not very actively adopted before, but with the introduction of the ban, this practice stopped altogether. Russians are extremely reluctant to take in children with serious and incurable diseases, and they only had hope for treatment and at least some kind of well-being in foreign families.
Pavel Astakhov meets seriously ill children from Donbass at Vnukovo airport
Photo: Valery Melnikov / RIA Novosti
However, just a couple of years after the ban was introduced, the statistics of Russian adoptions, in particular of disabled children, began to climb. Astakhov cheerfully reported on a widespread improvement in the situation and promised further changes for the better. However, this statistics turned out to be disingenuous. Russian “adoption” differs from foreign adoption in that in Russia a child does not become a member of the family - he is taken under guardianship, concluding an agreement with the state and receiving funds for maintenance from it. Statistical reports say: “Russians have become more active in taking disabled children into their families. In 2012, 971 children were accommodated, and in 2013 there were already 1,465 such children, that is, 51 percent more.” An “arranged” child can be returned at any time, which, unfortunately, is what happened.
It has gotten to the point where for some adoptive parents it has become a means of earning money. Family orphanages appeared, where 10-15 children were kept, including disabled people. Parents received financial assistance that was good for the regions, and their children worked on family farms. If one of the foster children showed disobedience and caused a lot of trouble, he was returned to the orphanage.
At the same time, the overall statistics looked positive: the number of orphans in orphanages was decreasing, as was the number of orphanages themselves. The latter simply united.
The now former Russian ombudsman is also known for his colorful and controversial statements.
In the story of the wedding of 17-year-old Luiza Goilabieva and the head of the Nozhai-Yurtovsky District Department of Internal Affairs of Chechnya, Nazhud Guchigov, Astakhov spoke about the characteristics of Caucasian women: “In the Caucasus, emancipation and puberty occur earlier, let’s not be hypocrites. There are places where women are already wrinkled at 27 years old, and by our standards they are under 50.”
The Ombudsman said there was no need to worry about early marriage at all, unlike early sexual activity. According to Astakhov, even Romeo and Juliet “dreamed of getting married, and not of having an intimate relationship.”
Astakhov does not allow children to be spanked or put in a corner, but he points out the difference in cruel treatment and strict upbringing. “We know that the greatest - Pestalozzi, Ushinsky, and Makarenko - used different methods: they not only patted people on the head, but used rather harsh and severe methods,” the ombudsman said.
The Children's Ombudsman sometimes made very harsh comments on certain emergency incidents involving children and adolescents. For example, he offered to give a “Darwin Award” to a 13-year-old girl who almost lost her leg after she entered the territory of the zoo in Barnaul on April 10 this year to tease a tiger . Lenti.ru"
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Vladimir Putin and Pavel Astakhov
Photo: Mikhail Metzel / RIA Novosti
After the tragedy on Syamozero in Karelia, where 14 minors vacationing in the camp died during a rafting on June 18, Astakhov, at a meeting with the surviving teenagers, asked: “Well, how did you swim?”
These words, which instantly spread across the media, caused a storm of indignation. “The phrase, rudely taken out of a general, extremely complex psychologically and morally conversation with the victims, does not convey the nature of this conversation at all,” Astakhov later wrote about this.
On June 24, the website change.org began collecting signatures for the resignation of the ombudsman (currently 159 thousand people have signed). Astakhov responded sharply to this initiative: “Are we now going to express public opinion on American websites? A large number of electronic bots go there, there is no need to register there,” he emphasized and added that he would respond to the petition with further work in his post.
However, already on July 1, after a serious (as he himself put it) conversation with Vladimir Putin, Astakhov submitted his resignation.
There is a version that, in addition to a wave of popular anger, the dismissal may be due to suspicions of a conflict of interest between the ombudsman and his son Anton, who bought an 8.5 percent stake in the Regional Development Bank in 2014. This was followed by Pavel Astakhov’s announcement about the opening of an account there for donations to Ukrainian refugees.
