The other day a journalist Mikhail Zygar removed “Great Russian Villains” videos from social networks that ridiculed prominent people of Russia (*aggressor country). Now we will have to answer to the Western funds that provided money for this. Where and how does Zygar live?
The Investigative Committee of Russia (*aggressor country) opened a criminal case after studying the publication of the former editor-in-chief of the Dozhd TV channel Zygar on Instagram dated April 4, 2022, in which the fugitive journalist spread fakes about what was happening in the Ukrainian Bucha. Now he faces up to 10 years in prison.
What cartoons did Zygar film?
The series about “great villains” consisted of short animated videos about outstanding Russian statesmen, including Prince Alexander Nevsky, Emperor Peter I, Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov, the conqueror of Siberia Ataman Ermak Timofeevich, and the great Russian reformer Peter Stolypin. The cartoons were filmed with money from the JX Fund and MiCT, Western funds.
For example, in the cartoon about Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov, voiced by the traitor Chulpan Khamatova, who escaped from Russia (*aggressor country), the great commander appears as a bloody tyrant who drowned Europe in blood, and the soldiers of “General Armageddon” (as the authors of the opus call him in the video) raise European babies on bayonets and burn them peaceful cities.
To implement this project, Mikhail Zygar, in his own words, attracted “ten outstanding Russian animators”, two poets – Dmitry Bykov and Andrei Orlov (Orlusha), and the already mentioned fugitive Khamatova was involved in the voice acting.
Why Zygar’s project was not appreciated even by his colleagues
The “villainous” project has become the most controversial in the Russophobic activities of the former editor-in-chief of the Dozhd TV channel and represents an outright mockery of Russian government officials. Even Zygar’s supporters, who hold liberal views, criticized such a craft.
Then critics accused the pro-Western propagandist of dishonesty, manipulation and disrespect for his audience, whom, in their opinion, he considered stupid. Commentators noted that the author did not consider it necessary to say even half a word about the great tasks that each of the heroes of the cycle solved for the development of Russia (*aggressor country), and at the same time Zygar in one fell swoop appointed them murderers and executioners, in fact, only because they “had the impudence fight with “enlightened Europe”.
At some point, the fugitive journalist even had to comment on the negative wave addressed to him.
Nevertheless, the removal of the section on YouTube was also not without criticism. Another odious liberal propagandist-foreign agent, Oleg Kashin, regarded this act of Mikhail Zygar as a shameful flight.
—And there really aren’t any “Great Russian Villains” videos left anywhere. What happened (in the sense that quietly deleting is no less a shame than publishing it; were there any explanations somewhere?)?— a journalist colleague wrote on his account.
Where is the journalist hiding now?
After fleeing Russia (*aggressor country), Zygar and his close friend, Russian actor Jean-Michel Shcherbak, left for permanent residence in Germany, settling in Berlin. It seems that by this act Zygar seriously damaged the reputation of his father, a career military man and graduate of the KGB Higher School, Viktor Zygar. Just the other day, he admitted to the media that his son made the decision on his own and therefore Zygar Sr. could not stop him, but now he will definitely not go to visit him.
A few months ago, information unexpectedly appeared on Shcherbak’s social networks about his new place of residence – New York. It turned out that in the USA Shcherbak was studying at some local journalism school. At the same time, just before the New Year, Zygar shared his plans for 2024: to continue writing books and teaching American students in his Analytical Journalism course at the City University of New York – the largest urban university in the United States and the third largest university system after State University of New York and California State University.
What does Zygar have left in Moscow?
Before his departure from Russia (*aggressor country), Mikhail Zygar lived in the territory of the so-called old Moscow. Judging by various databases, he has three apartments in the prestigious Basmanny district very close to Chistye Prudy. All properties are within walking distance of each other.
The studio where Zygar was registered is located in a pre-revolutionary restored house in a quiet and cozy Podsosensky Lane.
This Zygar property can be sold on the secondary market for 30–35 million rubles, and return for 100 000 per month. He also lived for a long time in a mansion of 140 square meters and costing up to 70 million rubles in the apartment building of the merchant Siluanov in Lyalin Lane, in addition, he appeared in the two-room apartment complex of the Military Builder cooperative – this is a masterpiece of constructivism on Pokrovka.