Just after the presidential elections the political arena of Archangelsk developed rapid succession of events. 6 March released was Alexander Donskoi, the disgraced ex-governor of the town. 9 March the Kremlin’s press office published the information that Vladimir Putin had proposed to the Archangelsk regional assembly the candidature of Ilia Mikhalchuk to be vested with powers of the head of regional administration. That meant that Donskoi’s major opponent – governor Nikolai Kiselev – actually had fallen from power. Along with that, no experts had named Mr. Mikhalchuk as a probable contender for the regional head’s chair. We asked Alexander Donskoi to give his comments.      

Q: First they said in Archangelsk that “Kiselev will jail Donskoi” and then that “Kiselev jailed Donskoi”. Was it really so?

A: We shouldn’t speak about Kiselev as a man who was acting on the basis of his own intention. The problem is deeper. It’s well known that I came in conflict with the President’s Authorized Representative Ilia Klebanov after I announced about my presidential ambitions. The other thing is that, of course, it was Kiselev to steer the administrative steamroller coming over me. He gathered the working meetings of the regional enforcement agencies and made statements about “billion ruble” corruption in the mayor’s office. As a result I have had almost eight months behind the bars and the worse thing is that I had to resign. I just realized I wouldn’t be allowed working properly whatever decision was taken by the court.   

Q: In your opinion, what was the role of so called “pincers video” in the decision taken by the Kremlin?* 

A: Well, on the one hand, that video recording was published as far back as July 2007. After that I was put to prison while the governor Kiselev headed the Duma election campaigning headquarters of United Russia. His term there is coming to the end at the moment. On the other hand, the policy by Kiselev had caused a lot of displeasure by many local deputies long before the “pincers” scandal.  

Q: It is known that you were acquainted with Nikolai Kiselev long before he became the governor and you became the mayor. After your getting engaged in politics, did your opinion about him change anyway?

A: It’s clear that now many will become very brave and shout something like “I knew it would be so”. I wouldn’t like to join those common ranks and I would prefer to keep to myself my personal opinion about this man. What is more important, he was a bad business and industrial manager. The regional administration headed by him took away from Archangelsk the managing functions of control over the land assets and roads reconstruction. As a result, both these vitally important directions are in the state of stagnation at the moment. The title industry of Archangelsk region – industrial forestry complex – is facing a deep crisis. The national project “Affordable housing” has failed completely. I spoke about this and many other things openly at all levels. Concluding, the governor’s performance is so poor that it was noticed even in the Kremlin.   

Q: Why “even”?

A: Because generally the Kremlin doesn’t show much interest to what is going on here. This was the reason why I began the “presidential” epopee ended up in my going to prison.

Q: Among publicly known people in Archangelsk you’ve been the first to support the nomination of Ilia Mikhalchuk to become the new head of the region. Why did you do it?

A: Ilia Philipovich is much more of a manager than of a politician. He is strong-willed and competent. The most important thing is that he is supported by Moscow and he is equidistant from all groups of influence in our difficult region. I’m convinced that Mikhalchuk will be able to make local elites work and not fight with one another. 

Q: How do you estimate his chances for becoming the governor?

A: I reckon that he will be approved unanimously in the regional assembly. This is good news in terms of perspectives for Archangelsk. Being in the prison and just after being released I always stressed that only a man having federal support would be able to govern our town effectively. It’s clear that now such a mayor will be someone supported by Mikhalchuk. The town will receive money from federal budget for development of communications and distribution pipelines and for construction of the new housing. And that money will not be stolen; it will be invested in the right way. For me personally, nomination of Mikhalchuk has been the most pleasant news since my release from prison.  

Q: Why?

A: Too many believed that the candidacy of Kiselev would be proposed for the second term, or if it were not Kiselev it would be a similar to him figure. 

Q: Aren’t you daunted with trail of scandals Mr. Mikhalchuk left the city of Yakutsk with?

A: I have had a similar experience. When you have independent attitude and when you are not afraid of anyone, it’s easy to have similar problems. The scandals about Mikhalchuk, related to his professional activities, are to be credited to him. This is the sign of his strength, not weakness.

Q: What shall we expect to happen to Nikolai Kiselev?

A: He will be ok. He will have a tranquil and well provided for life of an old age man here in the North or maybe in Moscow.

* 9 July 2007 the website of Archangelsk mayor office published a video recording where a man looking like the governor Kiselev received money from a man looking like director of Severgas Vladimir Gudovichev, and hid the money into an envelop holding it with an improvised “pincers” made up with two pencils. The prosecutor’s office has not disproved the authenticity of that video so far.  

Interview done by
Sergei Koltsov