From the courtroom: a self-styled descendant of Ivan the Terrible lays claims to the Moscow Kremlin

At worst - at least the Faceted Chamber and the Terem Palace.

Julia Suntsova

On September 2, the Moscow Regional Court rejected the complaint of a resident of Krasnogorsk near Moscow, who demanded to establish his relationship with the Grand Duke of Moscow and All Russia Ivan IV the Terrible.

Valery Kubarev's lawsuit has been considered since October 2019, first in the Krasnogorsk City Court, then in an appeal to the Moscow Regional Court. The corresponding proceedings No. 2-1717 / 2020 (2-8258 / 2019;) ~ M-5979/2019, No. 33-21807 / 2020, although not officially recognized as state secrets, the parties involved in the case are not disclosed in the electronic card files, the texts of the decisions have not been made public...

In the operative part of the decision, the judge of the Moscow Regional Court, Judge Vladimir Voronko refers to the conclusion of the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Moscow Kremlin” on the impossibility of carrying out a molecular genetic examination of the remains of Ivan the Terrible. The decision of the Krasnogorsk City Court on the impossibility of satisfying the plaintiff's claims was upheld.

Valery Kubarev asks to call himself, if possible, the Grand Duke of All Russia. He explained to Novy Izvestia that he was demanding from the court the appointment of the exhumation of the Russian tsars and princes of Rurikovich, buried in the Kremlin cathedrals for a forensic molecular genetic examination of Y- chromosomes. He needs research to prove the fact of kinship with Ivan the Terrible.

What for? The "Grand Duke", answering this question, gives three motives: scientific and social, everyday and property.

“First, as a man of science, by establishing kinship, I would like to confirm the hypothesis that the Rurik family did not dry up with the death of the son of Ivan IV in 1591. In addition, it is important to prove that the Rurikovichs are from the Upper Volga region, from an ancient autochthonous tribe, and not newcomers from Scandinavia or Northern Europe. Secondly, I am a relative of Ivan the Terrible, and everything connected with this is our family history. I would like to look after the graves of my ancestors, use all the titles that are due, and have the appropriate legal status. And finally, property rights. Neither the Romanovs, nor the Bolsheviks, nor the current Russian Federation should have any ownership rights to these objects at all. Why should our family give away the Kremlin for use, if my ancestors built all this stuff? Why, at the same time, the ROC, FSO, executive authorities use all this property, on what basis do military army parades go there? If you cannot return everything, then at least give the Faceted Chamber to our Foundation - to the descendants of the Rurikovichs, who are 107 people all over the world, give it back, ”“ Grand Duke ”Valery Kubarev explains his goals in court.

At the disposal of NI - the decision of the court of first instance on the claim of Kubarev Valery Viktorovich on the establishment of kinship. Category 2.215 - Cases of the mouth facts having legal. value -> Other about the mouth. facts having legal. value.

The professor's key evidence in the process is his own research based on the books "Genealogical tables on the history of European states" and "Genealogy of Rurikovich", during which, in his opinion, he established that he is a direct relative of Ivan IV the Terrible, currently buried in Tsarskaya tomb of the Archangel Cathedral.

Since the plaintiff cannot, in accordance with the procedure established by civil procedural legislation, according to the Family Code of Russia, confirm the fact of kinship with the Rurik dynasty, he went to court.

Due to the lack of relevant and admissible evidence of kinship with Ivan Vasilyevich, at the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture, his lawyers sent appropriate inquiries to the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Moscow Kremlin”, GKU MO “Central State Archives of the Moscow Region”. But the plaintiff's answers were not satisfied and he decided to turn to Themis.

Interested persons FGBUK "State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve" Moscow Kremlin, the Ministry of Culture, State Unitary Enterprise "Ritual" did not appear in the court sessions.

In response to the lawyer's inquiries of the Moscow City State Budgetary Institution, the "Central State Archives of the City of Moscow", reported that it stores documents on the history of Moscow and the Moscow province only from the second half of the 18th century, including documents with certificates of birth, marriage, death (until 1917 of the year). The documents of the registry office containing information on the registration of acts of civil status after 1917 are in the archives of the registry office at the place of registration of the event, in connection with which the search for documents about all relatives (ancestors, descendants) of Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich (Grozny) from the 15th century to the present time according to the documents of the archive is not possible, the judge quotes the answers of the instances.

In response to a similar request, the GKU MO "Central State Archives of the Moscow Region" reports that the documents of the Moscow province until 1917 were not deposited in the archive, therefore, provide information about whether Valery Viktorovich Kubarev is related to Ivan IV Vasilyevich (Grozny), buried in the Tsar's tomb of the Archangel Cathedral, is not possible.

FGBUK "State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve" Moscow Kremlin "reported that it does not have information about the relationship of Ivan the Terrible with Valery Kubarev.

FGBUN "Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences", in turn, replied that "does not have information about the state and form of the remains of Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich (Terrible)", buried in the altar of the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

FKU "Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts" writes that with the death of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, there were no direct descendants of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

During the court hearings, the applicant applied for a forensic molecular genetic examination and, in order to check the relationship, asked to compare the remains of Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible's father, Vasily Ivanovich, and Dmitry's son, with the DNA of Prince Ivan Ivanovich Kubensky, whom the applicant considers his ancestor. The remains of Ivan Vasilyevich (Grozny) himself, according to the plaintiff, are in a deplorable state.

Kubarev Valery Viktorovich also told the court that for scientific purposes and establishing the fact of kinship between the Moscow tsars Rurikovich and the Golden Horde, it is also necessary to study the DNA of the Kazan khans resting in the Kremlin - Peter (Kuydakul), Alexander (Utemish-Girey), Simeon Bekbulatovich.

In addition, the plaintiff asked to examine the DNA of the tsars and emperors Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, Peter I and Peter III, who, in the applicant's opinion, are close relatives to him, and to compare them with the Rurikovichs follows from the text of the court decision.

In addition, Kubarev insisted on the need to investigate and compare all the available female line of the Ivan the Terrible family with the female line of Prince Kubensky.

Judge of the Krasnogorsk City Court Alla Shemelina, after listening to the views of the parties, examining the evidence presented, came to the conclusion: “There are no legal grounds for the appointment of a forensic molecular genetic examination and the satisfaction of this application”, since the applicant did not provide evidence “confirming the relationship of Valery Kubarev with someone from royalty".

In addition, the Moscow Kremlin, which includes the Cathedral of the Archangel, is included in the State Code of Especially Valuable Cultural Heritage Sites of the Peoples of the Russian Federation and, by virtue of 73-FZ, are under state protection, the judge said. In the interests of the present and future generations of the multinational people of the Russian Federation, it is undesirable to dig out the altars of the Kremlin cathedrals once again.

But the professor, and former entrepreneur Valery Kubarev, is not going to dwell on the second refusal judgment. He told Novy Izvestia that in order to become akin to the tsar, he would reach Strasbourg. The courts' verdicts are politically motivated, he concludes...