A big scandal erupted in the Urals. In the city of Asbest, a 21-year-old Egor Alexandrinson of a deputy of the local city duma from United Russia Dmitry Alexandrin and the candidate for deputies himself, publicly nasty girl volunteers, calling them “dirt”. The incident was noticed in the federal leadership of the party, and now the political career of the Alexandrins is in question. However, it seems that United Russia was more interested not in justice, but in the desire not to lose the Sverdlovsk region in the elections.
The emergency that stirred up the Urals happened on August 18. Then a video appeared on social networks, filmed by one of the members of the Asbest city automobile club (its members are involved in helping drivers, and at the same time fix various problems with the roads). “A subscriber contacted us at AutoClub with a request to help solve the problem with a failed sunroof. I and other administrators of the AutoClub went to the place where on the way back we met a big man who began to behave in a boorish way. For example, he said to Denis: “Shut your mouth and smoke calmly.” To the question: “Why do you talk to adults like that?” came the answer: “I talk with dirt as I want, and I talk. Sit in your bucket and have …. th on …. out of here so I don’t see you here again.” And this is a candidate? Daddy’s son does not need to run for deputies, but at least work on his behavior, ”wrote VK user Lenuska Vasenina.
Master of the city
Video in which a young man who looks like a candidate for the city council of the city of Asbest Egor Alexandrina, talking down to potential voters, instantly flew around the Web, causing an understandable reaction. Aleksandrin did not deny his participation in the incident, instead going on the offensive. The position was designated by his father Dmitry Alexandrin – the current deputy of the City Duma and a participant in the current elections scheduled for September 11. In his statement to the press, he admitted that his son should not have spoken in this way. Then he proclaimed that the heir was the victim of a political provocation. “Competitors from another party, they are aggressive in Asbest. Therefore, they follow us everywhere, follow us, even track us down by cars for provocations. Shout “crooks, thieves.” Of course, he is still young in this regard, he could not restrain himself.– Dmitry Alexandrin explained, noting that his son was “in a difficult situation.”
The provocation version looks implausible. Observers indeed note in Asbest a strong political confrontation between United Russia and representatives of other parties, moreover, quite systemic, and not oppositional. There is a reason for this: according to the results of the last elections, the local United Russia parties failed miserably, which is why the majority in the Duma was won by the communists. Therefore, now the local branch of the United Russia is trying to prevent a repetition of the former shame, for which they will certainly have to answer to the party leadership. So, Asbest’s United Russia members have already tried to remove candidates from the elections from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the New People through the courts. In general, there is something to be nervous about, especially considering that Alexandrin Sr. is not just a deputy, but is included in the leadership of the party branch. Another question is what kind of attitude on the part of voters he largely provided himself. In December 2020, an incident occurred at a meeting of the City Duma. During the discussion of the city budget, representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and A Just Russia began to resent the incomprehensible spending. In particular, questions were raised about the expediency of allocating 14 million rubles for the purchase of 40,000 free cinema tickets for city beneficiaries, while the entire population of Asbest is 56,000 people – the deputies noted that the money would be better spent on resettlement of emergency houses. As the deputy-Just Russian said Evgeny Shabanovoutraged by the questions of political opponents, Dmitry Alexandrin took away his phone, threw the device out the window, and then hit a communist woman in the face Natalya Krylova.
The investigation of the incident lasted three months – the departments transferred materials to each other, and only after Krylova held a picket in Moscow in front of the building of the Investigative Committee, the case was nevertheless taken to court. However, the local judge did not consider it, considering the provided evidence insufficient. After that, many felt that they were simply afraid to quarrel with Alexandrin. After all, he holds the position of production management director at PJSC Uralasbest, a city-forming enterprise and one of the largest asbestos producers in the world. In such conditions, it is easy to feel like the owner of the city.
Good for everyone
However, this time, as they say, “didn’t work.” The governor of the Sverdlovsk region personally drew attention to the antics of Aleksandrin Jr. Evgeny Kuyvashev. “I watched a sensational video with Yegor Aleksandrin, where he calls his voters “dirt”. I don’t think he has anything to do.”, he wrote on Telegram. After that, the regional branch of the United Russia immediately announced that Dmitry Aleksandrin was resigning from the post of deputy secretary of the city branch of the United Russia, and Yegor Aleksandrin was withdrawing his candidacy from the elections. The federal party members also reacted to the successful resolution of the conflict.
Well, the situation has been resolved, but in this case, it is not only the desire of United Russia to restore justice that is visible behind this. The fact is that on September 11, along with the election of deputies, the election of the governor will also be held. At the same time, the position of Yevgeny Kuyvashev is not so simple. The Communists openly stated that they consider the battle for the Urals to be the key one in the current elections, putting up against Kuyvashev in this regard Alexandra Ivacheva – a young, but well-known in the region deputy of the Legislative Assembly. At the same time, support for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in the region has been growing in recent years, the Communists successfully hold second place in all elections. It is not surprising that Yekaterinburg and Moscow are nervous. Apparently, this explains the media fussiness of Yevgeny Kuyvashev, who in recent months has suddenly begun defiantly positioning himself as a defender of the Sverdlovsk residents, regardless of their views and positions. Then he argues with Anatoly Wassermandeclaring that in Yekaterinburg “the craving for homosexuality is flourishing”, then he reasoned with the leavened patriots who forbid schoolchildren to sing songs Zemfira and throwing out of libraries a book about Stalin’s repressions. And last week he even defiantly spoke about the detention of the ex-mayor of Yekaterinburg Evgeny Roizman, who is accused of discrediting the army – Kuyvashev explained that he deserves “justice and respect.” Criticism of Alexandrin, whose last demarche was ignored by the governor, fits perfectly into this row. As well as speeches of party bosses. Here the post of governor is at stake – why feel sorry for some deputy of the City Duma! That’s just how much voters will appreciate the governor’s attempts to present himself as a “good cop” and get elected for the third time in a row.
As for Yegor Aleksandrin, he eventually withdrew from the elections. The fact of insult so far remains without legal consequences. Be that as it may, this is another obvious stain on the reputation of United Russia, which cannot be easily removed.
By the way
The publication “Our version” recalls other high-profile cases of rudeness of United Russia.
- In 2015, a deputy of the Sverdlovsk Legislative Assembly Ilya Gaffner said: “Products have risen in price? We need to eat less!” After the scandal reached the federal level, he was expelled from the party.
- In 2018, the Minister of Social, Demographic and Family Policy of the Samara Region Marina Antimonova stated that the state should not “support everyone.” There was no punishment.
- In 2018, a deputy of the Omsk City Council and a major businessman Alexey Provozin stated that the budget should not spend money on large families. In Moscow, having learned about this, they ordered the regional political council to sort it out. Provozin was criticized and forced to apologize.
- In 2018, head of the Department of Youth Policy of the Sverdlovsk Region Olga Glatskikh told the youth that “the state owes you nothing” and “did not ask you to give birth.” Evgeny Kuyvashev called her words incorrect. Later, Glatskikh resigned and was appointed deputy director of the sports palace in Yekaterinburg.
- In 2019, deputy of the Volgograd Regional Duma Gasan Nabiev stated that poor citizens themselves are to blame for their financial situation, and low pensions are received by “parasites and drunks.” He was expelled from the party, deprived of the status of a deputy, and his son ceased to be a judge – he was found to have a second citizenship.