Roman Putin presented the President Putin Support Committee

Novye Izvestia asked political scientists who and why needed to create this new project.

Victoria Pavlova

“The committee brings together interested citizens to promote the reforms of the Head of State in society and actively participate in their implementation,” - this is how the organizers of the movement describe their mission.

Other tasks that the movement sets itself are quite variegated: unification of interethnic and interreligious communities across the territories; mass involvement of young people in sports, patriotic education in educational institutions; improving health care for residents - correcting the situation in medicine with the help of city council deputies and legislative assemblies; restoring order in housing and communal services; control over the work of people's representatives.

The movement does not yet have a legal status - according to the participants, if such a need arises, it will be registered.

Roman Putin himself became the chairman of the All-Russian Committee for the Support of Vladimir Putin. In June, he also headed the People Against Corruption party, the goals of which are declared in the name itself. The party's initial task was to participate in the September regional elections, including the elections to the State Duma in 2021. In September, the Ministry of Justice filed a lawsuit against the party for not participating in the elections, and two months later it was liquidated. A few months later, in the winter, it became known that Roman Putin intends to create another party. At the end of the year, he was declared chairman of the Russia Without Corruption party.

A press conference dedicated to the presentation of the All-Russian Committee for the Support of Vladimir Putin was held at the Federation Tower (East) of the Moscow City business center on Monday, March 22. Several leaders of regional cells spoke at it: from Samara, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir, Tver, Orenburg, Yaroslavl, Ryazan, Murmansk, Novosibirsk, Rostov, Voronezh regions, Kamchatka and Krasnodar regions.

When identifying priorities, the representatives of the Committee primarily referred to national projects (the implementation of which they promised to follow with close attention), as well as to the needs of the “little man”.

“Practice has shown that sometimes the issue is resolved faster with a direct appeal to the president. We will set aside the interests of people, the "little man" in the localities, in the regions. When we, active citizens, alone, we are not visible, not heard. Together, we will be able to become an excellent platform for pooling resources in order to fulfill the presidential decrees”, - said Roman Didkovsky, a representative of the committee in the Samara region.

“Our goal is to reach people with their problems through the executive committees in the regions. These are not some big things, they are ordinary everyday things. Many calls in the regions are not considered properly today, simply because they are drowning in the general flow. The systemic crisis has covered all spheres of public life. Who has seen what mechanisms for overcoming the crisis are proposed by the opposition? I hope that we will be able to offer such a mechanism, and it will be united around the leader of the state. When a mother is sick, who should be her protection? That's right, her son”, - said the leader of the representative office in the Orenburg region, entrepreneur Anton Kalyan.

According to him, today not a single social force - neither the All-Russia People's Front, nor United Russia, can respond to the challenges that are thrown down to the state - therefore, a committee is being created.

A bonus from the speakers of the press conference was an appeal to everyone to receive a "certificate of a member of the Presidential Support Committee." According to them, it will give its holders the right to demand from officials of all levels and other officials to comply with Presidential decrees and other regulations. Anyone who wants to support the head of state can get a crust.

The stands displayed at the press conference, where the goals, objectives and mottos of the “All-Russian Committee for the Support of V.V. Putin”, by the way, were printed with many errors.

“We see the initiative from the regions. These are ordinary people, representatives of the spheres of education, culture, business. Everyone will support our initiatives, I hope. Good parting words were sounded for the start of the work of our committee in the regions. I suggest you follow the news. A lot of sensitive questions will be raised, which will also be asked by you and us - representatives of the press”, - summed up Roman Putin.

Roman Putin is the son of Igor Putin, the president's cousin. In the 90s, he graduated from the branch of the Military Academy of Logistics and Transport in the Saratov Region, after which he joined the FSB (the department for combating corruption in government bodies). Putin entered politics in 2008 - at first he took the post of security adviser to the mayor of Ryazan, three years later - became an investment advisor to the governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Since 2013 - in business. In particular, he owns Putin Consulting LLC, he is also its director (according to the SPARK database, the company was established in Great Britain, earlier it was called Putin Consulting Ltd). In addition, Roman Putin is the general director of Zvezda Oil (produces petroleum products), as well as the owner of the companies Rusygexport (engaged in transportation), Arbat Neftegaz (engaged in the wholesale of fuel) and Partner Vostok (engaged in the wholesale of automotive parts).

“Novye Izvestia” asked political scientists - why, with so many existing organizations and social movements acting on behalf of the president, did they need to create another one? The new project is essentially duplicates the function "All-Russia People's Front," a leader who stands Vladimir Putin personally, "Young Guard", the "United Russia", "Russia's leaders" volunteer... And most importantly - in what exactly directions are the representatives of the "Support Committee V. V. Putin” going to support the head of state?

Most of the experts we asked this question suggested that Roman Putin did not coordinate his new project with the Kremlin.

Political scientist Abbas Gallyamov:

- I think that this is an initiative of the president's relative. It is hard to imagine that the Kremlin would want to shoot itself in the foot. In a situation where the most important negative characteristics of the regime are clannishness, nepotism and nepotism, to involve a presidential relative in politics is guaranteed to irritate the voter. Most likely, rumors will immediately spread that Putin has decided to transfer power by inheritance to his relative. Neither elites nor common people will like this. The inhabitants of the country are still not ready for the monarchy.

Political scientist, expert in the field of regional policy Alexander Kynev:

- For nothing [a project is being created]. This is a personal initiative of this character. He does not represent anyone but himself. All his political undertakings always ended in nothing.

Ilya Grashchenkov, political scientist, president of the Center for the Development of Regional Policy:

- I don’t think that President Putin is aware of his nephew’s initiative. Most likely, Roman Putin is once again trying to find his place in the political system and remind his uncle of his existence. I decided to act head-on, to use not only the surname of a famous relative, but also to link the movement with my old idea - the fight against corruption (remember, earlier he announced that he would lead a party with a similar name, but it lasted only a few months, it was closed from - for unsubmitted reports). He wanted to register a new party, but apparently realized that it was quite difficult, so he decided to confine himself to the movement, and in order to give it the status, he considered it necessary not to waste time on trifles and put a loud surname in the name - Putin. There is, of course, no sense in this movement - at least public. A personal project of a great-nephew who wants to seize the moment.

Political scientist Alexander Pozhalov:

Roman Putin's project should not be viewed as some kind of special Kremlin project, coordinated from above or at least previously discussed with the authorities. In my opinion, this is another attempt by the president's cousin to draw attention to himself in the public arena through speculation on the topic of his distant kinship with the national leader of Russia. In past years, Roman Putin has already announced a number of public projects - he became the leader of a little-known party with the loud name "People against Corruption", after losing its registration, he created the People of Deeds movement with ambitious plans to become a party and participate in the Duma elections. But none of his socio-political projects have progressed beyond such announcements. For the most part, all attempts by the father of Roman Putin, Igor Putin, to provide GR-support for large banking structures (he was a member of the management of the notorious Master Bank, Russian Land Bank) were also unsuccessful.

For these reasons, it makes no sense to consider this project seriously, it cannot become any competitor for really functioning socio-political institutions supporting the president and the federal government - like the All-Russia People's Front, United Russia, the We Are Together volunteer movement, etc. - it cannot become. And the systemic representatives of regional and local elites on the ground will never go into such a project without first consulting with the curators of domestic policy in their regions.

Political scientist Konstantin Kalachev:

- Honestly, I don't even see what to discuss here. The nephew wants to attract the attention of his uncle. But once again everything does not work out in any way. Pure water amateur performance.