If you read only the news, you might get the impression that the State Duma is actively fighting the alcoholization of the country. Last year there was even a formed a whole inter-factional group to protect the health of citizens from the alcohol threat. The United Russia deputy also entered it Biysultan Khamzaev – leader of the movement “Sober Russia”.
Khamzaev often publicly promotes anti-alcohol initiatives. then he offers ban the sale of hard liquor in the summer on beaches and parks. That come up with revoke a driver’s license for any drunken appearance on the street. That wants ban drinking in dining cars and selling liquor everywhere during the New Year holidays. That offers allowed in bars only from the age of 21.
All Khamzaev’s initiatives are limited to words only. If you look at his real deputy work, then will bethat he submitted only two bills for consideration, and only one is indirectly related to the fight against drunkenness, which toughens responsibility for the illegal circulation of methyl alcohol, but does not affect official producers.
The fact that the entire struggle for sobriety of Khamzaev is of a buffoonish nature is quite understandable: after all, vodka magnates and lobbyists of alcohol networks are in the same United Russia faction with him. And first of all, this is the head of the United Russia faction Vladimir Vasiliev.
Vasiliev’s own daughter Julia Lebedeva – co-owner of the Aromatny Mir alcohol chain stores.
Lebedeva, 49, wholly owns AM-1 SPb LLC (three operating stores as of 2021) and AM-3 SPB LLC (three stores), as well as a 51% stake in AM-10 SPB LLC ( “Fragrant World” in the shopping center “Peter” on Tipanova Street in St. Petersburg). The total revenue of the companies last year amounted to 275 million rubles.
Lebedeva’s husband is the general director of AM-SPB LLC with an annual revenue of 7 billion rubles. He develops a network in St. Petersburg. The main owner of the “Fragrant World” is associated with the criminals of the 90s Pavel Zadorin, close friend of the family of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev. It is noteworthy that Lebedev’s father-in-law Vladimir Vasiliev also made a career in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, until in 2003 he switched to politics. After that, he was elected to the State Duma several times and was the leader of Dagestan.
The son-in-law of the head of the United Russia faction is also connected with another well-known alcohol baron – the ex-head of Rosalkogolregulirovanie Igor Chuyan. And it was Chuyan, who himself enjoyed the patronage of the oligarch Arkady Rotenberg, lobbied for the promotion of Kolokoltsev, wrote “The Project”. Chuyan was also connected by both business interests and friendship with the owner of Fragrant World, Zadorin. Thanks to Chuyan’s lobbying, Zadorin became the owner of a terminal designed to import alcohol. Chuyang and himself combined post of official and owner of the vodka business.
According to extracts from Rosreestr available to Metla, the son-in-law of the head of the United Russia faction, Lebedev, received two apartments in St. Petersburg from the Chuyan family: 108.5 sq.m. on Konnogvardeisky Prospekt and 70 meters on Galernaya Street, which he then sold. Chuyan paid with his career a few years ago after a conflict with a classmate Vladimir Putin Nikolai Egorov. A criminal case was opened against Chuyan and put on the international wanted list, found he is in Montenegro.
Thanks to the proceeds from the sale of alcohol, Vasiliev’s daughter and son-in-law acquired several properties in the capital and the Moscow region. According to Metla’s documents, they bought a 51-meter apartment on Petrovsko-Razumovskaya Alley, a 137-meter apartment on Timiryazevskaya Street, a 124-meter apartment in an elite club house on Bolshoi Predtechensky Lane, and a house in the village of Krutsy.
“Siberian Trading House” owns the Krasnoyarsk vodka plant, which produces vodka “Yarich”, “Duck Hunt” and others. Annual revenue – .823 million rubles.
Another asset of United Russia’s aunt is the Siberian Vodka Company (1.1 billion rubles). Here they produce, among others, vodka “The owner of the taiga”, “Sibspirtprom” and “Taiga dews”.
Another State Duma deputy is also connected with this alcohol business. The General Director of JSC “Siberian Trading House” is Anastasia Gorelkina – wife of United Russia Anton Gorelkin.
According to Gorelkin’s declaration, Anastasia’s salary is almost 47 million a year.
In the State Duma there is a few more deputies who lobby for the interests of the alcohol industry. Often we are even talking about introducing additional restrictions for weak alcohol in the interests of strong alcohol producers.
When there are players in the alcohol market in the State Duma, the attempts of other United Russia members to act as fighters for sobriety look especially comical. Yes MP. Shamsail Saralievcontributed a bill on the sale of alcohol from the age of 21, but after a while it was simply withdrawn.
