In February of this year, Vladimir Putin met with his trusted representatives at Moscow State University. The RTR TV channel showed this meeting in full detail.

There were many faces. Most of them are not familiar to us, and we, in fact, did not strive to get to know them. And even more so, how do we know whether everyone present there is “trusted”?

As it turned out, not all. Some were in the university hall by special invitation. The camera lingered on one of these VIPs - very briefly, just for about two seconds. Neither in Moscow nor in thousands of other cities where the meeting with the president was broadcast, this person remained unrecognized. But her person was immediately recognized by the residents of Primorye: their fellow countryman Vladimir Nikolaev, a well-known crime boss in the region nicknamed Winnie the Pooh, appeared on the TV screen in front of them.

Informed sources claim that Mr. Nikolaev paid one hundred thousand dollars to enter the meeting with Putin and show his face on television for two seconds.

If so, I wouldn't be surprised. Because Winnie the Pooh has money. And considerable ones.

Vladimir Nikolaev is a young man, barely over thirty. But, as a popular song from the prison repertoire says, “he managed to do a lot of things.”

His youth came at the dawn of perestroika. Vladimir was then engaged in boxing and hand-to-hand combat, and made a living by taxing the first commercial tents. After a short time, Nikolaev and his scumbag friends found themselves under the wing of the famous Vladivostok authority Sergei Baulo (nickname Baul).

Baul and his organized crime group looked after not only Nikolaev, who even then, having some roundness in the shape of his face and other parts of the body, received the nickname Winnie the Pooh. Local businessman and now the governor of the Primorsky Territory, Sergei Darkin, also walked near Baul, and in the same circles he received the nickname Seryoga Shepelyavy. However, we will return to Mr. Governor later.

Winnie the Pooh quickly gained points, gaining authority. True, this authority was of a very specific nature. The “old-timers” of the organized crime group began to complain to Baul about Nikolaev: even they, hardened in battles and zones, did not like the unbridled cruelty of Winnie the Pooh. Baul was persuaded to rein in the “presumptuous boy.” It is possible that Nikolaev’s career would have come to an end here, however - just at the right time - a happy event happened for him. In 1995, Baul died under mysterious circumstances. He went underwater with scuba gear, but did not swim out and was found at the bottom with a cut hose.

The funeral took place in Vladivostok on a merchant scale. Almost all the leaders of the Primorye criminal world honored them with their presence. One of the funeral directors was the future governor Darkin. He was then captured by a video camera: here he is in charge of the removal of the coffin from the drama theater; surrounded by “brothers” with shaved heads, he watches the funeral ceremony; without hiding his tears, he lowers the coffin with Baul’s body into the grave...

I don’t know whether Mr. Nikolaev was at that funeral. I suppose it was. But I know that as soon as Seryoga Shepelyavy sat in the governor’s chair, crime poured into the coastal government. Every sixth candidate for the regional Duma - according to an investigation undertaken by my Primorye colleagues - is personally known to both Darkin and the prosecutor. Moreover, he is known for the same “exploits”.

After the death of Baul, the organized crime group was headed by Igor Karpov (nickname Karp). But he was also killed three years later, and the future governor Darkin married Karp’s widow. By the end of the 90s, Winnie the Pooh led one of the most influential criminal groups in Primorye. And he himself also “grew” a lot: from Baul he received several shops, a hotel, and most importantly, shares in several fishing companies. One of them - OJSC “Pacific Directorate of Fishery Exploration and Research Fleet” (TURNIF) - Nikolaev owns almost solely, and the other company, ROLIZ, is jointly owned by Mr. Darkin.

Winnie the Pooh's safety is ensured by armed guards - with PM pistols and pump-action shotguns. According to local law enforcement agencies, if necessary, Nikolaev is able to put at least 300 people “under arms.” He also has executors of “special assignments”: one of these specialists is engaged in kidnappings, the other is in the elimination of competitors. There are also the necessary connections: with the local riot police, SOBR and Organized Crime Control Department. Finally, with Darkin. Although in this case it is still unknown who is “protecting” whom: Nikolaev’s Darkin or vice versa.

The time had come to think about big politics. And Winnie the Pooh thought.

* * *

First of all, he became a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the region. I think that given his resources and Governor Darkin’s love for purely specific gentlemen, this was not difficult.

In the meeting, Mr. Nikolaev showed himself quickly and gloriously. He proposed - as a legislative initiative - not to cancel the benefits of enterprises for paying property taxes. True, his fellow deputies hinted to him: they say, there is already a federal law, signed by Vladimir Putin, on the abolition of preferential categories. But this did not stop Winnie the Pooh, since it was mainly about enterprises owned or controlled personally by Mr. Nikolaev. In very specific terms, he continued to insist on discussing his proposal, and when the meeting still did not heed, he promised to “take the dissenting deputies to the sea, hang stones around their necks and drown them.”

So that the threat did not look too abstract, Winnie the Pooh attacked one of the dissenters with his fists, hit his mother, and ended the negotiations quite affectionately: “If you get on the podium again, I’ll kill you!”

It is true: deputies are nervous people. This is their job. In the State Duma, for example, not such “negotiations” still happen. But then everything somehow resolves, and the calmed down deputies peacefully go to drink tea. Or whatever they drink in such cases.

However, Winnie the Pooh's colleague in the Legislative Assembly became worried for some reason. I wrote a statement to the Prosecutor General and the FSB, and also - to the heap - to the meeting committee on rules

I found where to go! The General Prosecutor's Office is far away, and the local, coastal one, for some reason turned a blind eye to Mr. Nikolaev's pranks all these years. And the FSB is unlikely to help: not so long ago, the head of the FSB Directorate for the Primorsky Territory, General Kondratov, who was seen in all sorts of unseemly behavior, was transferred to Moscow (later, however, by decision of Vladimir Putin he was dismissed), and with his son, Ruslan Kondratov, Winnie the Pooh has common business matters. As for the rules committee, this is completely funny, because Mr. Nikolaev is a member of the above-mentioned committee.

Meanwhile, Winnie the Pooh’s colleague took the promise to “dunk” quite seriously. He has every reason for this.

Our information

Nikolaev Vladimir Viktorovich, born in 1973, Vladivostok.

Leader of an organized crime group. Characterized by a high degree of aggressiveness in the desire to expand the sphere of influence, financially independent. Basic enterprises: TURNIF and Vladivostok Meat Processing Plant companies. In December 2001, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Primorsky Territory, after which he took measures to expand the scope of his business.

On September 21, 1995, at the Frunzensky District Department of Internal Affairs of Vladivostok, a shootout was registered in the area of ​​the Olympiets sports complex, as a result of which Mr. Demyanenko L.T. received a gunshot wound. V.V. Nikolaev was the main suspect.

In January 1998, V.V. Nikolaev, using a firearm, wounded the owner of the Terneylesstroy company, Leonid Ivlev, in the leg.

In February 1998 Nikolaev V.V. together with his henchmen, while in the office of the Terleylesstroy company, he extorted 300 thousand US dollars and caused bodily harm to Mr. Vasiliev (criminal case No. 877321).

In July 1998, the Vladivostok City Internal Affairs Directorate opened criminal case No. 887122 against V.V. Nikolaev. on the fact of a death threat to the director of the Olympian sports complex, Efremova T.Yu. and causing bodily harm to the Chairman of the Committee on Physical Education and Sports of the Primorsky Territory Administration Chikin M.P. After spending one year and three months in a pre-trial detention center, by the decision of the Pervorechensky District Court of Vladivostok, V.V. Nikolaev was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, but was amnestied and released in the courtroom.

Despite such a “track record,” in official documents Winnie the Pooh confidently states: he was not put on trial or investigated.

The last time (my information may be out of date) a criminal case was opened against him under the article “Rape”. At the Soyuz Hotel, which he owned, Nikolaev did not let E.A. Bochkareva leave her room for almost a day and, at the end of his sexual fun, raped her at gunpoint.

The case did not go to court: a few days later, the gray-haired girl came to the police department and took back her statement.

It would seem that with such “baggage” the path to big politics is closed, and forever. Well, Winnie the Pooh finally got into the Legislative Assembly, apparently using his thin wallet and the special favor of his friend and companion - Governor Darkin. However, Nikolaev clearly claims more and does not hide his claims. He wants to be mayor. However, Mr. Darkin is not enough here; strong political support is needed.

And Winnie the Pooh got it.

* * *

Last fall, the high party leadership of United Russia visited Vladivostok. Here, the authorities, in a solemn atmosphere, presented the “ED” membership card to Mr. Nikolaev. Winnie the Pooh, however, became not some ordinary member, but the head of the Primorye branch of the ruling party.

It seems that Governor Darkin assigned this role to him. He is also a member of United Russia. Last spring, having familiarized himself with the plan sent from Moscow to “strengthen the ranks” of regional cells, Mr. Darkin nominated his friend to the post of local party boss. And the party leadership of “ED” approved this nomination.

Well, okay: Seryoga Shepelyavy certainly knew what he was doing. What about the leadership of United Russia? And what about the “uncompromising fight against crime”, which (the fight) is still prioritized by the former Minister of Internal Affairs, and now the Speaker State Duma and the leader of “ED” Mr. Gryzlov?

By the way, a similar case with “leading party cadres” is not the only one among United Russia. For example, at their congress, Alexander Khabarov (nicknamed Sasha from Uralmash), well-known in certain circles, was present as an honored guest from Yekaterinburg. After which, inspired by such support, Mr. Khabarov nominated himself for mayor of the Ural capital.

Winnie the Pooh is also eager to become mayor. It is possible that this place was promised to him as a reward for the successful campaign for the elections of United Russia members to the State Duma. However, Mr. Nikolaev successfully failed the campaign: if on average in Russia the party in power gained 37% of the votes, then in Primorye it was only 27%.

By the way, there is also a certain pattern here. At the beginning of last year, the mayor of Magadan Karpenko unexpectedly lost the election, who - to his misfortune - enlisted the support of United Russia. Moreover, he lost to a man who was not even theoretically considered as a possible opponent. Then two candidates from “ED” failed at once: in Ryazan - Colonel of the SVR Morozov and in the Arkhangelsk region - Efremov. The latter lost completely with with a devastating score- his competitor received one and a half times more votes. And already this year residents Altai Territory preferred pop artist Mikhail Evdokimov to “United Russia” Alexander Surikov.

Was it really United Russia's support for these candidates that turned voters away from them? And was it not because the party in power lost its triumph in Primorye because the residents of the region did not really like the fraternization of one of its leaders with Mr. Nikolaev, a man with a rich, but by no means cloudless past? After all, they, the residents, did not support Mr. Darkin unanimously: only 15% of voters voted for the current governor of Primorye.

Despite all this, the Primorye branch of “ED” recently received an official letter from the Central Committee (!) of the party. The letter warmly approves and supports the nomination of Mr. Nikolaev for mayor of Vladivostok.

So all is not lost for Winnie the Pooh.

* * *

Among almost two dozen candidates for the post of mayor of Vladivostok, three are considered realistic. This is the current head of the city, Mr. Kopylov. During his mayorship, he was not noticed in anything - except for several scandals with assault; as they say, no harm, no good. During his recent visit to Moscow, Mr. Kopylov complained to the capital’s journalists about the dominance of crime in Primorye and Vladivostok. We sympathize.

Next comes the former mayor of Vladivostok, Mr. Cherepkov. Viktor Ivanovich is a well-known personality: “psychic of the 6th category” and “interlocutor of the Cosmos”; being on vacation, he likes to appear in a women's swimsuit from time to time.

And finally, a very possible future mayor, Mr. Nikolaev, about whom we now know something. He has already started his election campaign.

One Sunday, workers appeared in a densely populated Vladivostok microdistrict and began cutting down trees and uprooting bushes. Indignant residents immediately came running. The workers explained: they say, we are acting on orders from the city administration - we are leveling the site for the construction of garages. The residents became even more agitated, and a fight was brewing. And then a television camera appeared, and immediately after it - Mr. Nikolaev. The future mayor, of course, took the side of the protesting electorate, and since strong guys of recognizable appearance loomed behind Winnie the Pooh, the workers chose to retreat.

The next day, city authorities hastened to assure citizens: they did not send any workers to that microdistrict, because no one even thought of building anything there. But it was already too late - the night before the scandalous story was broadcast on local television, and its main character was, of course, Mr. Nikolaev.

Under his auspices - about which Vladivostok residents were immediately notified - pollock began to be sold in the city at a price significantly lower than the market and store prices. The pollock had a “smell”; some of those who tried the Winnie the Pooh fish ended up in the hospital with poisoning. But elderly pensioners, who do not even have enough money for food, were still touched by such “concern.” Do we need to ask who they will vote for in the mayoral elections next month?

Speaking of fish. Mr. Nikolaev and Governor Darkin are the uncrowned fish kings of Primorye. Their kingdom is not very large, but profitable. Where does the profit come from? Yes, that's it.

Two fishing enterprises, apparently (according to rumors that abound in Primorye) owned by Messrs. Darkin and Nikolaev - the companies TURNIF and ROLIZ - have at their disposal 9 fishing vessels. Last year, a quota of two and a half thousand tons of pollock was allocated to each of them. For comparison: collective farm “ Pacific Ocean” in the same year received permission for each of his 11 vessels to catch 113 tons. At the same time, taxes on the collective farm turned out to be twice as high as on the above-mentioned private companies.

Did you catch the difference? Collective farm fishermen have long felt it.

By the way, these quotas and taxes, proposed by none other than Governor Darkin, were approved by high Moscow authorities, among whom there is a certain Mr. Arsentyev, a co-owner (together with Darkin and Nikolaev) of one of the fishing companies. It is said that Mr. Arsentiev enjoyed the special patronage of former Prime Minister Kasyanov. Apparently, the greyhound puppies delivered to Moscow from Primorye in exchange for gigantic quotas and light taxes were very thoroughbred.

* * *

Most recently, as local media reported, while magnificently celebrating his 30th birthday, Mr. Nikolaev, nicknamed Winnie the Pooh, received a significant gift from his authoritative colleagues: a key cast from pure gold with the coat of arms of Vladivostok. Therefore, the “brothers” are sure that their man will be the mayor.

Remember, at one time we greatly lamented the fact that the mafia was striving for power, and in some places it had already merged with power. In Vladivostok, the mafia is the power.

And there it’s not far from Moscow. Moreover, the connections have been established for a long time.

P.S. Two days ago, on June 7, at 12 noon in the city of Ussuriysk, a well-known Primorsky businessman, deputy of the city Duma, 52-year-old Yuri Yemets, was publicly shot in the back.

He was the creator and general director the famous company “Ussuri Balsam”. A crystal honest and sometimes even naive person, Yuri Yemets has repeatedly spoken out against the dominance of Messrs. Darkin and Nikolaev in the region. Not so long ago his company was bankrupt, now he himself was killed - with a bullet with a displaced center of gravity, fired from a machine gun. The Yemets took a long time to die: an hour and a half. According to eyewitnesses (they are ready to confirm this in court), he last words were: “Darkin and Nikolaev killed me.”

As MK learned, twice recently Vladimir Putin at his meetings blamed the “competent authorities” for the enormous level of criminalization of the Primorsky Territory, even by our Russian standards. However, nothing changes. On the contrary: judging by recent events, the situation is getting worse. The same Vladivostok, where Mr. Nikolaev-Winnie-the-Pooh is impatiently waiting for the mayor's chair, seems to die out with the onset of darkness - residents are afraid to go out...

Perhaps the “vertical of power” has bypassed Primorye?

They say that one of the oldest and most respected Russian governors, Sergei Darkin, was also very respected in some other circles - but under the name Serega Shepelyavy. And his close friend was a gentleman named Winnie the Pooh. All this has been talked about for almost ten years. But Darkin was first elected governor of Primorye, then he became the first governor who was appointed governor after the cancellation of the elections, then he was reappointed.

All these years, at every opportunity, Darkin was reminded that he was not just Seryoga, but also Lisping, he found himself in one or another murky story, but nothing could push him out of the governor’s post. But we must understand that Primorye is a place that is practically no longer Russia. When we have day, they have night - and vice versa. Our steering wheel is on the left, and theirs is on the right. We have Tajiks, and they have Chinese. A resident of Vladivostok may end up in Moscow for some other matter, but a Muscovite can only be brought to Vladivostok by a difficult fate.

Therefore, power in the region was personified not by the Kremlin or Putin, but by Governor Darkin. And when in the last elections " United Russia“I received a completely disastrous percentage here, this was not related to the Moscow Crooks and Thieves, but to my local Lisps, Winnie Poohum and other fairy-tale characters. If Darkin managed to get a result that was at least somewhat close to the national average! Nobody asked him for the Chechen 99 percent, but even 35 percent is no good.

Can you imagine how many actually voted for this party, if even with all the overt and secret efforts it received only a third of the votes? After such, if I may say so, a victory in the elections, Sergei Mikhailovich, better known as Shepelyavy, no longer had any chances.

It is a pity that he will never be able to complete preparations for the APEC summit. It seems that the entire time of his reign was devoted to preparations for this event. Year after year, when asked when the region would begin to develop normally, people were told that Primorye had been entrusted with the high mission of hosting the summit, and for the sake of three days of protocol meetings, sand and air castles had been built there for years. And it would be nice if they still built normally - otherwise it’s a complete theft and behind schedule.

But this Manilovism would continue to be built. And they would have tolerated an indecent person as governor as much as they wanted, but Darkin made an unforgivable mistake. He flew over the elections like plywood over Paris. After that, all that remained was to dispose of this governor. But note that Darkin is just resigning, and no one will figure out whether he is really Lisping or whether the journalists are all lying, whether everything was really stolen in Primorye, including oxygen, or at least carbon dioxide was left behind. He's just going on vacation. Long and honestly deserved.

Darkin, Sergey

Deputy Minister regional development Russia

Deputy Minister of Regional Development of Russia since July 2012, former governor of Primorsky Krai (from June 2001 to February 2012). Founder and director of the Roliz enterprise, former president Bank "Primorye" In 2002, he was accused by the author of the “Moment of Truth” program Andrei Karaulov of having connections with the criminal world, but proved his innocence in court.

Sergei Mikhailovich Darkin was born on December 9, 1963 in the town of Bolshoy Kamen, Primorsky Territory. Then the Darkin family moved to the city of Artem. In Artem, Darkin went to school; He graduated from school in the village of Vesely Yar, not far from the village of Rakushka. In 1980, he entered the Far Eastern Higher Marine Engineering School named after Admiral Nevelskoy (DVVIMU) at the Faculty of Maritime Transport Management. While studying, he worked in the port as a dock worker, then as a sailor.

In 1985, he graduated from college with honors and, having entered graduate school at the Far Eastern Military Aviation Museum, remained at the Department of Economics of Maritime Transport and Maritime Law as the head of the laboratory. After graduate school, he worked at the Vladivostok sea trade port as a stevedore, shift supervisor of the first cargo area, and in 1989 became deputy director for organization at the Dalleasing joint-stock company.

In 1991, Darkin created and headed the enterprise "Roliz" ("Russian Leasing"), he led it for 10 years - until he was elected governor of the Primorsky Territory). In the first years, the company was engaged in the construction of ships, then the main direction of its activity became fish production.

In 1998, Darkin registered Spetsbusinessgarant LLC in Moscow with a specialization in trade (he was its sole founder). In the same year, he headed the board of directors of the bankrupt Ussuri Oil and Fat Plant. By 2001, the position of the enterprise had changed significantly: Primorskaya Soya OJSC, created on the basis of the plant, entered the Club of the largest taxpayers of Primorye.

In December 1998, Darkin became president of Primorye Bank. In 1999 he graduated from the Far Eastern state academy Economics and Business with a degree in Finance and Credit, Economics.

In 2001, when the former Primorsky governor Evgeny Nazdratenko accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to move to the post of chairman of the State Fisheries Committee, Darkin expressed his intention to run for the post of governor of Primorsky Krai. By official version, Darkin's candidacy was put forward by the labor collectives of several fishing vessels.

On May 27, 2001, Darkin won the first round of gubernatorial elections - 24 percent of voters voted for him. In second place was a State Duma deputy Federal Assembly RF Viktor Cherepkov with 19 percent of the votes, in third place is the Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in the Far East federal district Gennady Apanasenko with 14 percent.

The morning after the first round of elections, Darkin went to Moscow to meet with the President of Russia. On June 17, 2001, Darkin won on the second morning: 40.17 percent of voters voted for him. On June 25, 2001, Darkin took the oath at an extraordinary meeting of the Primorsky Territory Duma and officially took office as governor of Primorye.

In June 2001, rumors appeared that entrepreneur Darkin was closely connected with the criminal environment. One of the Vladivostok newspapers, citing sources in law enforcement agencies, even reported that among local bandits, Darkin is allegedly known under the nickname Darych. The Primorsky Territory Internal Affairs Directorate issued an official statement that it did not have any information compromising Darkin.

In 2002, several TV journalist Andrei Karaulov’s “Moment of Truth” programs, which aired starting in February, cited facts of Darkin’s participation in dubious commercial transactions. On April 24, the program showed video footage from the early 1990s, which, as Karaulov explained, captured a party with the participation of well-known Primorye crime bosses and Darkin (and the party participants addressed Darkin as “Seryoga Shepelyavy”).

The governor stated that the compromising footage in Karaulov’s program was assembled from several private video recordings of various events, and filed a defamation lawsuit against Karaulov and his program with the Leninsky District Court of Vladivostok. On September 18, 2002, in order to secure the claims of the head of the region, the Leninsky District Court banned the re-broadcast of the program of April 24. And on October 8, 2003, the court ruled that Darkin’s accusations of connections with the criminal world were untrue. As compensation for moral damage, Karaulov had to pay Darkin 300 thousand rubles (the plaintiff demanded compensation in the amount of 1 million rubles). Karaulov did not admit his guilt and expressed his intention to challenge the court's decision.

On January 22, 2005, after another personal meeting with Putin, Darkin approached him with a question of trust. The head of the administration of Primorye was the first of all regional leaders to take advantage of the right granted by the governor to the new law on changing the procedure for electing heads of subjects Russian Federation. This law came into force on January 1, 2005. On January 31, 2005, Putin nominated Darkin to give him the powers of governor of Primorye.

On February 4, 2005, the legislative assembly of the Primorsky Territory vested Darkin with these powers for five years. During the secret ballot, 35 out of 36 deputies present at the meeting voted for Darkin. Immediately after the announcement of the election results, Darkin took the oath to the Charter of Primorye.

In April 2005, Darkin banned Vladivostok from being considered the capital of Primorsky Krai, rejecting the regional law “On the status of the city of Vladivostok - the administrative center of Primorsky Krai.” According to the governor, giving the city the status of a capital would significantly burden the regional budget, from which the city was already receiving “significant support” (after receiving the appropriate status, the city administration would have the right to leave at least 10 percent in the city budget - that is, approximately 400 million rubles - from the total amount of your income).

In September 2005, Darkin, for the first time in all his years as head of the region, harshly criticized the actions of the federal government and the State Duma. At a visiting meeting of the budget committee of the Federation Council, the governor of Primorye said that although, thanks to the measures proposed by the Duma and the government, the cost of utility services to the population in Primorye will increase by 30 percent, this will not improve the situation in the region’s housing and communal services complex due to rising prices for petroleum products. Darkin also condemned the State Duma’s decision to introduce a transition period as part of the implementation federal law number 131 "O" local government", emphasizing that this decision could lead to chaos in the governance of the region.

In November 2005, Darkin took the side of car owners protesting against a hidden increase in prices for used Japanese cars. Mass protests then took place all over Far East. The governor of Primorye promised to protect the interests of residents of the region and strongly recommended that representatives of the automobile business express their dissatisfaction in a civilized way, that is, by turning to the courts. As a result, duties on used foreign cars were never increased.

In the same 2005, Darkin became a laureate of the Russian National Olympus award, receiving the title “Governor of the Year”.

In January 2006, Darkin promised to take personal control of the investigation into the circumstances of the fire in the Prostroyniproekt building in the center of Vladivostok. As a result of this fire on January 16, nine people died. Witnesses to the incident claimed that fire escapes were moved to the windows of the burning premises in which ordinary bank employees were located only after all representatives of its management had been rescued. On January 21, an unauthorized rally took place in Vladivostok, the participants of which demanded that the authorities conduct an objective investigation of what happened and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Soon after, criminal charges were filed against 11 people in connection with the fire in the building. The prosecutor's office charged them under a number of articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: Article 219 ("violation of fire safety rules"), Article 292 ("negligence resulting in the death of people"), Article 293 ("official forgery") and Article 318 ("use of violence in relation to a representative of the authorities"). In August 2006, prosecutors closed the case against the firefighters, and all defendants arrested as part of the investigation were released on bail. By the end of October 2006, the trial in their case had not yet been completed.

On October 19, 2006, deputies of the Dalnegorsk City Duma approached Darkin with a request to introduce gubernatorial rule in the city of Dalnegorsk until the next election of the city mayor. This request was made in connection with the murder on the morning of the same day of one of the candidates for head of the city administration - Dmitry Fotyanov, representing the United Russia party. Deputies of the City Duma considered this murder to be political, and State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov shared the same opinion. Meanwhile, the regional election commission came to the conclusion that there are no legal grounds for introducing gubernatorial rule and canceling the second round of elections.

Darkin did not respond to the proposal to introduce gubernatorial rule. At a meeting with representatives of the Dalnegorsk public, he only stated that he was taking the murder investigation under personal control. In addition, he told reporters that in connection with the murder of Fotyanov, the head of the Dalnegorsk Internal Affairs Directorate, Sergei Guchenko, had been dismissed, and the head of the city’s criminal police would perform his duties.

In October 2007, Darkin headed the regional list of United Russia candidates in the Primorsky Territory in the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the fifth convocation. After the party’s victory, he, as expected, refused the deputy mandate.

In April 2008, after First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev won the presidential elections held in March 2008, information appeared in the media that Darkin could be dismissed. On May 14, 2008, a few days after the inauguration of the new president, Darkin was summoned for questioning by the prosecutor's office of the Primorsky Territory in connection with the investigation in Vladivostok of a criminal case about illegal privatization in the region, initiated against the acting head of the Primorsky regional branch of the Federal Property Management Agency Igor Meshcheryakov. A search was carried out in the governor's house and office (according to sources " Russian newspaper"in the security forces, at the same time searches were carried out in three other offices (the location of the offices and the names of their owners were not reported).

The next day, the governor was hospitalized with a diagnosis of a pre-infarction condition. However, he stayed in the Vladivostok hospital for just over a day, after which he left the medical facility in a wheelchair, which was loaded into an ambulance. Sources close to the head of the region reported on May 15 that after this the governor went to Moscow to undergo a course of treatment at the Central Clinical Hospital (CDB), and then at the Barvikha sanatorium near Moscow. According to another version, Darkin flew to Moscow to “resolve important issues”: according to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, as of May 19, Darkin was not admitted to the Central Clinical Hospital, and the publication’s source in the Moscow Department of Health noted that he was not hospitalized in hospitals run by the metropolitan government. During Darkin's absence from the region, his duties were assigned to the first vice-governor Alexander Kostenko.

On May 31, 2008, law enforcement agencies of Primorye conducted a search in the office of the Vladivostok ZAO Roliz, the former head of which was Darkin, and on June 4 of the same year, law enforcement officers, as part of an investigation into a case of illegal privatization, seized documents from the commercial bank Primorye, a large a stake in which belongs to the governor’s wife, local drama theater actress Larisa Belobrova. However, already on June 7, the leader of the Primorye United Russia party, who is the vice president of Active Marine Fishing Base Management Company LLC, which includes Roliz CJSC, Petr Savchuk made a statement that the search in Darkin’s former company was not related with politics. “The people who carried out the search could have apologized, since their actions damage the reputation of the company and the people who work here,” he added. On June 14 of the same year, Darkin returned to Vladivostok. Two days later he resumed his duties.

In accordance with President Medvedev's initiative, according to which all government officials were required to declare their income and the income of their family members, Darkin also submitted information about his income and the real estate he owned. According to the declaration published in June 2009, the governor of Primorye did not own real estate (except for a state dacha with an area of ​​792.5 square meters) and cars. In 2008, he earned 2,041 thousand rubles, and turned out to be 70 times poorer than his own wife Larisa, who received an income of over 145 million rubles (at her main place of work 337.5 thousand rubles, from bank deposits - 12,253.6 thousand rubles and from securities - 132,649.3 thousand rubles). Darkin's wife was also named as the owner of an apartment, a plot of land, a dacha (498.5 square meters) and two cars. Information about her bank deposits and shares was not published. According to published data, the governor’s income for 2009 increased by only 366 thousand rubles, while Darkin’s wife earned 540.58 million rubles in the same period. The sources of income were not specified (according to the governor’s press secretary, they were “generated through wages, sales of shares and dividends received").

Darkin, as noted by the media, has repeatedly stated his readiness to “continue working” as governor. In January 2010, President Medvedev proposed that the Legislative Assembly of the Primorsky Territory consider Darkin's candidacy to vest him with the powers of governor for the next five-year term. In the same month, Darkin was once again confirmed as head of the region.

In February 2012, Darkin was sent into early retirement by presidential decree with the wording “at his own request.” On March 16, 2012, the Legislative Assembly of Primorye at an extraordinary meeting approved Vladimir Miklushevsky as the new governor of the region.

By government order of July 19, 2012, Darkin was appointed Deputy Minister of Regional Development of Russia Oleg Govorun.

In May 2010, by decision of the Vladivostok City Duma, Darkin was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city. At the same time, Mikhail Robkanov, President of Vladivostok Sea Commercial Port OJSC, and retired Rear Admiral Yuliy Geraskin were awarded a similar title. However, in the same month, a group of Vladivostok residents submitted an appeal to the City Duma and the city prosecutor’s office, in which they challenged this decision - on the grounds that when it was made, nine points of the “Regulations on the title “Honorary Citizen of the City of Vladivostok”” and the “Rules of the Duma” were not observed city ​​of Vladivostok". At the same time, the authors of the appeal invited Darkin, Robkanov and Geraskin to take the initiative to review the decision to award them the title of honorary citizens of the city. Chairman of the City Duma Valery Rozov did not accept the applicants' claims. He stressed that there is no procedure for reviewing selected honorary citizens - “there is no corresponding provision.” He called the composition of the electoral commission “ideal,” and accused those who wrote the appeal of distorting articles of “municipal documents.” Governor Darkin's reaction to what was happening was not reported.

According to official income information for 2010, Darkin earned 3.5 million rubles, and his wife Larisa Belobrova - 1 billion 72 million, becoming the richest of the wives of Russian governors. In January 2012, the media published information that the governor’s wife was a co-owner of the Nakhodka Active Marine Fishing Base (she owned 75 percent of the shares of Dalinvestgroup CJSC, which controlled the enterprise). The vice-president (since 2009) and then the general director (since 2011) of NBAMP, the largest fishing company in the Far East, was the governor’s brother Oleg Darkin).

Darkin is married for the second time and has three daughters. The youngest was born on April 18, 2001 - the day Darkin was registered as a candidate in the gubernatorial elections. Darkin enjoys volleyball, scuba diving, fishing, hunting.

Materials used

Former governor of Primorye Darkin was appointed deputy minister of regional development. - Gazeta.Ru, 24.07.2012

Former governor of Primorye Darkin became deputy head of the Ministry of Regional Development. - BFM.ru, 24.07.2012

Primorye was headed by Miklushevsky. - Interfax, 16.03.2012

Governor of Primorye Darkin resigned. - RIA Novosti, 28.02.2012

Maria-Louise Tirmaste. Sergei Darkin resigned early from his post as governor of the Primorsky Territory. - Kommersant-Online, 28.02.2012

Darkin's wife is a co-owner of the largest fishing company in the Far East. - Business FM, 18.01.2012

Surname: Darkin

Name: Sergey

Surname: Mikhailovich

Job title: Governor of Primorsky Krai

Biography:

Sergei Darkin was born on December 9, 1963 in the town of Bolshoy Kamen, Primorsky Territory. In 1985 he graduated from the Far Eastern Higher Marine Engineering School named after Admiral Nevelskoy (DVVIMU), and then graduated from graduate school. Worked in the Vladivostok sea trade port.

In 1989 - Deputy Director for Organization at the joint-stock company Dalleasing.

In 1991, he created and headed the Roliz (Russian Leasing) enterprise, managing it until his election as governor of the Primorsky Territory.

In 1998, he headed the Board of Directors of a bankrupt enterprise, the Ussuri Oil and Fat Plant.

In December 1998, he became president of Primorye Bank.

In 1999 he graduated from the Far Eastern State Academy of Economics and Management with a degree in Finance and Credit.

On February 6, 2001, the former governor Evgeniy Nazdratenko resigned. At the same time, he supported Darkin in subsequent elections.

On June 17, 2001, during the repeat elections for the governor of the Primorsky Territory, he gained greatest number votes.

On June 25, 2001, he took the oath at an extraordinary meeting of the Duma of the Primorsky Territory and officially took office as governor of the Primorsky Territory.

On January 22, 2005, after a meeting with Vladimir Putin, I asked him about trust.

On January 31, 2005, Putin nominated him for the post of governor of the region. By decision of the Legislative Assembly, he was re-appointed to the post of governor of the Primorsky Territory.

On January 5, 2010, President Dmitry Medvedev proposed Darkin's candidacy for approval by the parliament of the Primorsky Territory as governor.

According to official income information for 2010, Darkin earned 3.5 million rubles, and his wife earned 1.7 billion rubles.

Married for his second marriage to local drama theater actress Larisa Belobrova. He has three daughters.

Source: Wikipedia

Dossier:

In June 2001, during the elections for governor of the Primorsky Territory, rumors appeared that one of the candidates, businessman Sergei Darkin, had previously been closely associated with the criminal environment. The media reported that among local bandits Darkin was allegedly known under the nickname Darych. However, the Primorsky Territory Internal Affairs Directorate issued an official statement that it did not have any information compromising Darkin.

In 2002, several TV journalist Andrei Karaulov’s “Moment of Truth” programs presented facts of Darkin’s participation in dubious commercial transactions. Video footage from the early 1990s was shown, in which, as Karaulov explained, a party was captured with the participation of well-known Primorye crime bosses and Darkin (the party participants addressed Darkin as “Seryoga Shepelyavy”).

The governor stated that the footage compromising him had been mounted and filed a lawsuit for the protection of honor and dignity with the Leninsky District Court of Vladivostok. On October 8, 2003, the court ruled that Darkin’s accusations of connections with the criminal world were untrue. As compensation for moral damage, Karaulov had to pay Darkin 300 thousand rubles.

Source: Kommersant, 09.10.2003

On January 22, 2005, after another personal meeting with Putin, Darkin approached him with a question of trust. The head of the administration of Primorye was the first of all regional leaders to take advantage of the right granted by the governor to the new law on changing the procedure for electing heads of constituent entities of the Russian Federation. This law came into force on January 1, 2005. On January 31, 2005, Putin nominated Darkin to give him the powers of governor of Primorye.

Source: Vedomosti, 02/01/2005

In September 2005, Darkin, for the first time in all his years as head of the region, harshly criticized the actions of the federal government and the State Duma. At a visiting meeting of the budget committee of the Federation Council, the governor of Primorye said that although, thanks to the measures proposed by the Duma and the government, the cost of utility services to the population in Primorye will increase by 30%, this will not improve the situation in the region’s housing and communal services complex due to rising prices for petroleum products. Darkin also condemned the State Duma’s decision to introduce a transition period as part of the implementation of Federal Law No. 131 “On Local Self-Government,” emphasizing that this decision could lead to chaos in the management of the region.

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, September 27, 2005

In November 2005, Darkin took the side of car owners protesting against a hidden increase in prices for used Japanese cars. Mass protests then took place throughout the Far East. The governor of Primorye promised to protect the interests of residents of the region and strongly recommended that representatives of the automobile business express their dissatisfaction in a civilized way, that is, by turning to the courts. As a result, duties on used foreign cars were never increased.

Sergei Darkin is a famous Russian politician and statesman. In 2000, he served as governor of the Primorsky Territory for ten years, and until recently was the federal minister of regional development. Currently holds the post of President of the Pacific Investment Group. He has been involved in high-profile political and criminal scandals more than once.

Biography of the politician

Sergei Darkin was born in the town of Bolshoy Kamen in the Primorsky Territory. He was born in 1963. Graduated high school No. 1 in the city of Artyom, after which he entered the Far Eastern Higher Marine Engineering School, which was named after Admiral Nevelsky. The hero of our article received a graduate diploma from the Faculty of Maritime Transport Management. In parallel with his studies at the university, he worked in the port as a sailor and docker.

After graduating from college, he entered graduate school at the Marine state university, and then to the Far Eastern State Academy of Management and Economics.

Entrepreneurial activity

During perestroika, Sergei Darkin took up entrepreneurial activity. In 1989, he took one of the leadership positions in a joint-stock company called Dalleasing, then headed the Roliz enterprise, remaining in this position until he won the gubernatorial elections. Darkin's company was engaged in the construction of ships, and over time its main activity became fish production.

The eldest son Oleg and Sergei Mikhailovich Darkin grew up together. Together they founded the company Roliz. In 2000, he left for permanent residence in the Czech Republic, from where he recently returned.

In 1998, the hero of our article began to lead the board of directors of the Ussuri Oil and Fat Plant, which by that time had already gone bankrupt. The enterprise was revived; today it produces soybeans; the company is one of the largest taxpayers in the region.

In 1998, Sergei Darkin became president of Primorye Bank. His assets are so great that even after entering politics, he was repeatedly recognized as the richest official in Primorye. After leaving public service in 2014, he returned to business and created PJSC Pacific Investment Group, which he headed as president. The company's activities are aimed at attracting investment in the Far Eastern region.

Victory in the elections

A landmark year in the biography of Sergei Mikhailovich Darkin was 2001, when he decided to go into politics. The former head of the region, Yevgeny Nazdratenko, resigned, supporting Darkin.

On May 27, a high turnout was noted at polling stations in the region, with more than 73.5 percent of voters turning out. In the first round, it was not possible to identify a winner. At the same time, Darkin took first place, receiving almost 24% of the votes; State Duma deputy and ex-mayor of Vladivostok Viktor Cherepkov also went to the second round, lagging behind by almost 4%.

In the second round, voter turnout was almost two times lower. Darkin received 40% of the votes, and his opponent received a little more than 24. At the same time, 33% of residents of the Primorsky Territory voted against all candidates.

Three years later it became known that Darkin joined the United Russia party. This happened the day before the hero of our article decided to turn to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a question about trust. The head of state nominated him for the post of governor. Deputies of the local Legislative Assembly supported it almost unanimously (Darkin received 35 votes out of 36). This was the first precedent in Russian politics after the abolition of popular elections of regional heads. Governor Sergei Darkin became the first appointed rather than elected head of the region in Russia.

For the third term

In 2010, President Dmitry Medvedev proposed that the regional parliament approve Darkin’s candidacy as governor. This time, 31 deputies voted for extending the powers of the head of the region, only one was against it.

True, Darkin’s third term was overshadowed by criticism from the localities. At the end of 2011, during a Direct Line with Vladimir Putin, the governor was criticized live by one of the local businessmen. Then the Prime Minister noted that he would take into account this criticism addressed to the head of the Primorye administration. At the same time, Vladimir Putin added that the problem in the region is not only with corruption, but also with a high proportion of crime in all areas, which is more than in any other region of Russia.

Darkin's resignation was not long in coming. In February 2012, Dmitry Medvedev approved the dismissal of the Primorye governor with the official wording for health reasons and at his own request.

Head of the Ministry

At the same time, Sergei Mikhailovich Darkin did not fall into disgrace. Within a few months, he received the post of Deputy Minister of Regional Development of the Russian Federation.

He worked in this post until September 2014 (until the department was abolished).

At the center of criminal scandals

In the Primorsky Territory, Darkin has more than once found himself at the center of criminal scandals. The first rumors about his involvement in the mafia structures of the city appeared back in 2001, when he was just elected governor. In particular, one of the local publications, citing its own sources in law enforcement agencies, reported that Darkin is well known among the local criminals, he even has his own nickname - Darych.

In 2002, Andrei Karaulov, in his author’s program “Moment of Truth,” showed footage of Darkin surrounded by local crime bosses. The mafiosi addressed the governor as Seryoga Shepelyavy. Almost immediately after the program aired, Darkin categorically denied all these rumors and even filed a lawsuit against Karaulov, in which he demanded to protect his dignity, honor and business reputation. In 2005, the Vladivostok district court satisfied the claim.

But the scandals did not end there. In 2007, on the air of the program “Saturday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov,” State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein, known for his human rights activities in the field of compliance with environmental legislation, directly asked the Primorye prosecutor Alexander Anikin about what kind of fight against corruption in the region he could talk about, if the first person in the region is Sergega Shepelyavy.

Initiation of a criminal case

In the spring of 2008, Darkin became a defendant in a criminal case. A search was carried out in his house in connection with the investigation against the head of the territorial department of the federal property agency in the Primorsky Territory, Igor Meshcheryakov. Tom was charged with large-scale fraud and sent to jail.

During the search, a safe with documents was seized from Darkin. Immediately after this, the governor was urgently hospitalized. The investigation's attention to him was not limited to this. A search soon followed in the office of the Roliz fishing company, which Darkin had previously led. By 2008, its co-owner was Sergei Darkin’s wife Larisa Belobrova.

Investigators seized electronic and paper media of important, in their opinion, information that related to the commercial activities of the enterprise. However, specific charges were never brought against Darkin.

Personal life

Darkin's wife is an entrepreneur and famous domestic actress. In 2002, she was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Russia.

She is mainly known for her work in theatre. On television she starred in two seasons of the series “Detectives” (second and fourth). In 2009 she performed main role in the drama “Footprints in the Sand” by Sergei Stepanchenko. Belobrova played a couple in love with Igor Vernik, who broke up many years ago, and now met again to understand how much they love each other.

Belobrova is also an entrepreneur. She has shares and bank deposits in Primorye Bank, which Darkin gave her when he became the head of the region.

For the hero of our article, marriage with Larisa became the second. His first wife is Irina Golovizina. They have a common daughter, Anna. From Bolobrova, Sergei has a daughter, Yaroslav. Sergei Mikhailovich Darkin is also raising his daughter Svetlana, who was born to Larisa in her first marriage.