Resignation of Astakhov. "How did you swim" has nothing to do with it? Pavel Astakhov, biography, news, photos Why Astakhov was removed

25.07.2021

Children's Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov still resigns, a senior Kremlin source told reporters on Saturday. The human rights activist was demanded to be fired for his careless "How did you swim?" in a conversation with children injured on Syamozero, but similar punctures happened to him before. Experts admit that Astakhov, apparently, is simply not created for this position. How he got to this post and why he was dismissed, "Lenta.ru" figured out.

Meanwhile, a petition for the ombudsman's resignation continued to gain votes on change.org. The initiators called the reason for it a replica in a conversation with children who survived the storm on Syamozero. Astakhovskoe "Well, how did you swim?" in a matter of hours it turned into a meme and caused a wave of criticism against the ombudsman for the rights of the child.

By Sunday afternoon, when a Kremlin source had already determined the fate of the human rights activist, about 156,000 citizens had signed up for his resignation.

According to media reports, Astakhov admitted that he was "really seriously blown away" by the president for his inaccurate statement. But doctors rushed to the rescue, explaining that the would-be ombudsman acted in accordance with the recommendations of the psychologist. The human rights activist himself also referred to some special psychological techniques that were supposed to make the conversation with the injured children more relaxed.

But this is not Astakhov's first public puncture. He was immediately reminded of last year's statement in connection with the marriage of a minor in the Caucasus: "There are places where women are already shriveled at the age of 27 and by our standards they are under 50." Then the Internet was buzzing no less, and the official is being dismissed only now. So what happened - an inappropriate phrase against the background of the death of children overwhelmed the cup of patience, or are there any other reasons for dismissal?

“It is unlikely that he quarreled with anyone,” says political analyst Yevgeny Minenko. “I think that Astakhov found himself in this position quite by accident: there was a well-known media figure, with high recognition, he speaks smartly, and besides, a lawyer.” But according to the expert, it has now become clear that children's human rights defenders "do not fulfill their main functions." “Given the abundance of claims against him, he still did not fit into this role, did not merge with it,” Minchenko said.

In the biography of Astakhov, nothing really speaks in favor of the fact that the protection of the family and childhood was his vocation. His maternal grandfather worked in the state security agencies, the human rights activist himself graduated from the KGB High School in 1991. A decade later, he studied at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States.

And yet, for the accidental appointment of Astakhov at the end of 2009, a place was vacated under rather mysterious circumstances. The previous Ombudsman Aleksey Golovan, according to official information, resigned of his own free will, but his colleagues were perplexed. “I can't even imagine what made him write such a statement,” said Ella Pamfilova, then head of the Presidential Council for the Promotion of Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights. At the same time, a Kommersant source in the presidential administration emphasized that child protection is a priority for the president and “in this sense, Golovan was very much in line with the tasks set.”

Unlike Golovan, who came to the post of federal "children's" ombudsman from a similar post in Moscow and is known mainly in the professional environment, Astakhov has become a real guest star in the office of the commissioner. Since 2004, he has hosted the country's first court show, Court Hour, and several other television and radio programs. In addition, the media human rights activist published books on quite pressing legal issues: “How to get an inheritance” or “Consumer rights. Legal assistance from the peak of legal professionalism. " There is also fiction in the asset - the books "The Mayor", "The Producer" and the novel "Raider", on which they even made a movie.

In the professional world, however, lawyer Astakhov is known for other merits. For example, he defended the leadership of the Vlastilin financial pyramid and the American Edmond Pope, accused of espionage for the United States, and took part in the case of Vladimir Gusinsky, head of the Media-Most holding.

“There are two types of attorneys in American films. One is a well-groomed, sleek lawyer in a Tom Ford suit, with a touch of cynicism. The other is drinker, wrinkled, compassionate. Astakhov is the first type, - outlines the president of the communication holding Minchenko Consulting, Evgeny Minchenko, the main problem of the now almost former children's ombudsman. - Astakhov still did not have the image correspondence of this position ”.

Actually, the position of the ombudsman for the rights of the child was formed “from below”, starting from the regional level. In 1998, the position was established in the Kaluga, Volgograd, Novgorod regions, as well as in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg: this happened as part of a pilot project of the Ministry of Social Development and the UNICEF Children's Fund. New subjects were gradually connected, and in September 2009 the position was brought to the federal level by a corresponding presidential decree.

Some sources explained Astakhov's appointment by rather close relations with the entourage of the current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev; subsequently, the ombudsman at least attended the events of the foundation, which works under the patronage of the prime minister's wife. But Minchenko disagrees: in his opinion, explaining the subsequent resignation by the weakening of one or another clan is too complicated and tense version. On the one hand, Astakhov has a really good relationship with lawyer Mikhail Barshchevsky, who is considered a "representative of Medvedev's group." On the other hand, the clan affiliation of a person in the current system is changing rapidly.

Replacing Golovan, who had worked in office for only a few months, Astakhov promised not to make any revolutions. The lack of an appropriate background did not bother the human rights activist. “My predecessor is a professional with extensive experience in protecting the rights of the child. I didn’t work with children, although I was engaged in family law for sixteen years, so I look at the problem from a slightly different perspective, ”he told Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

According to Astakhov, it was "important for him to work with performers," for example, law enforcement agencies, which also have to protect the rights of children, but do not want to "deal with other people's family squabbles." Almost a year and a half after taking office, Astakhov presented to the president a report on the observance of the rights and interests of children in Russia. The document consisted of three volumes, one of which was in the format of a photo album. Colleagues of the human rights activist complained that the text of the report was not available to a wide audience.

Although this did not mean that the public was not familiar with Astakhov's activities. He published some of his statements on Instagram, for example, he offered to protect children from destructive information.

From time to time, he deviated slightly from the sponsored topic, going into socio-economic issues. In particular, he called for the distribution of unclaimed products to the poor instead of destroying them.

Nevertheless, according to the presidential decree, the duties of the ombudsman look somewhat different and lie far beyond the media field. First of all, the Commissioner is focused on working with government agencies whose activities affect the interests and rights of children.

The decree states that the ombudsman has the right to request information from federal government bodies, independently or together with specialized structures, to check the work of government agencies and officials, and also to send them recommendations on restoring the violated rights of a child.

The human rights community rarely commented on the essence of Astakhov's work, and even more so on its compliance with official tasks. But on the other hand, my colleagues had claims of an image character. Thus, a member of the European Institute of Ombudsman Seyran Davtyan in one of his publications criticized the tone of materials posted on the Ombudsman's website. “Pavel Astakhov gave the region a rating of 'good with a minus',” Davtyan quoted a post on the website from April 2011 about the visit of the ombudsman to the Pskov region.

“I don’t know what the style of correspondence between the presidential ombudsman for children's rights and the ombudsman for children in the regions looks like, but the style of messages posted on the information website of the presidential ombudsman testifies to the feeling of superiority of the ombudsman P. Astakhov over his colleagues,” wrote Davtyan ...

The State Duma Committee on Ethics believes that Astakhov has "starred" in the last four years. “Recently, he has been behaving not like a children's ombudsman, but like a businessman, impudent, arrogant, not as befits a civil servant in such a high and responsible position, who must protect children, restore their violated rights,” said Lente.ru member of the committee Yan Zelinsky.

Astakhov's attributes of "stardom" were really visible. The magazine "7 Days" devoted detailed photo reports to his family. Astakhov complained that "generally from Moscow," where they live with their middle son, does not leave for a long time. “I just hang out almost every weekend here, on the Cote d'Azur, otherwise, I'm afraid the kid will wean myself off,” he shared with the magazine. And about the birth of his wife in France, he said that “we really occupied the largest ward in the hospital,” where Angelina Jolie had given birth before.

“He is a wealthy man, a lawyer in the past, and this his personal well-being can be read in his eyes, in his statements and actions,” political scientist Dmitry Orlov admitted to Astakhov's image features in a conversation with Lenta.ru.

Evgeny Minchenko notes that Astakhov was already “held for a long time” in this position, although there was clearly something to fix in his work. According to the expert, at the next appointment, the image component should be taken into account. “Some compassionate middle-aged woman would come up here, such as Liza Glinka,” says Minchenko. "Or you can clone Pamfilov here."

Instead of Pamfilova, however, they have already proposed Senator Elena Mizulina: according to Irina Chirkova, a member of the Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children, a woman must certainly be a children's ombudsman, and Mizulina can appeal both to the ruling party in parliament and to the executive structures.

Further political career for Astakhov does not yet shine, Minchenko is sure. The human rights activist did not make it to the party lists in the elections to the State Duma in time, and in single-mandate constituencies, where it is necessary to meet face to face with the voter, he has few chances. But the political scientist is not worried about the fate of the lawyer: “He is a rich man. Will not be lost. "

- President of the Family and Childhood Support Fund, mother of six children. A striking contrast to Astakhov, who, prior to his appointment to this position in 2009, had nothing to do with activities related to helping children or protecting their rights.

Pavel Astakhov

Astakhov was a successful and well-known lawyer. He took on high-profile financial affairs, or difficult stories with political overtones. For example, in 1995 he was a lawyer for the founder of the Vlastilin financial pyramid, Valentina Solovieva, who defrauded depositors in the amount of several hundred billion rubles. And in 2001, Astakhov defended the head of the Media-Most holding Vladimir Gusinsky, who was accused of major fraud. Thanks to Astakhov, the oligarch escaped criminal liability, achieved his release on recognizance not to leave the country. Among his other clients are former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Sergei Stepashin, as well as representatives of show business: Christina Orbakaite, Philip Kirkorov and many others. Later Astakhov collaborated with Russian TV channels, hosted programs and talk shows on legal topics.

Interestingly, at the beginning of his career, Astakhov allowed himself to make harsh statements about the current government - for example, the prosecutor's office, accusing them of political persecution of Gusinsky. However, in 2007 he headed the All-Russian movement For Putin, and later was elected to the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.

It would seem that a non-talented lawyer, like no one else, could successfully fight from the inside with all the imperfections of our legislative system by legal methods, use, so to speak, his lawyer's gift to protect those who cannot defend themselves. However, instead of fighting with officials, he toured the country's children's institutions, checking if everything was in order, and fired directors for playing cards found in the institutions.

Dissatisfaction with Pavel Astakhov in society has been ripening almost from the moment of his appointment. Human rights activists drew attention to the fact that Astakhov is the only ombudsman to whom the citizens of the Russian Federation cannot apply - neither personally, nor even by letter, it will be forwarded to the regional office. Astakhov's resignation from the post of child rights ombudsman was publicly discussed in June this year, after the tragedy in a children's camp on Syamozero in Karelia. Then, we will remind, as a result of rafting on boats in a storm, 14 children died. The scandal was caused by the phrase of Pavel Astakhov, said at a meeting with the surviving girls - "Well, how did you swim?" The girls, of course, had no answer.

After this story, a petition appeared on the Change.org website demanding Astakhov's resignation, which gained over 150 thousand votes in 5 days. And soon the resignation became a reality: information leaked to the media that Astakhov asked to be relieved of his post. Press services and departments initially commented on the information traditionally - they say, they did not see the statement personally, and if they did, the president must first sign it, but it was clear that the resignation of the ombudsman was already decided.

True, there is another version of Astakhov's departure. And the reason for this is not at all the loud and ridiculous phrases with which high-ranking officials in Russia like to rush to the right and left on every occasion. The real reason for the resignation, according to Life.ru journalists, is a conflict of interest over the son's business. Anton Astakhov was the owner of several banks, and also had a contractual relationship with the Legal Center of Pavel Astakhov: in 2014, he served the ombudsman's office and supervised donations to families with children in Donbass. This is already an argument, and loud phrases for the amusement of news editors and news aggregators are trifles.

In fact, all the effective, sometimes useful, but in the aggregate, ineffective activities of the previous ombudsman for the rights of the child caused serious damage to the reputation of the entire institution of ombudsmen in Russia. I would like to believe that the appointment of Anna Kuznetsova gives a chance that the main thing in the work of the commissioner will still be children, and not personal PR and loud phrases.

Pavel Astakhov is a prominent lawyer and politician, former Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights (succeeded by Anna Kuznetsova). His name is known far beyond the professional community, he has participated in many high-profile cases and earned the fame of one of the best lawyers in Moscow. His activities as a TV presenter are remarkable and interesting: "The Hour of the Court", "The Astakhov Case", as well as numerous legal headings in other programs, made him a real television star. Pavel Astakhov made the national legislation understandable and accessible to a wide audience, increasing the legal literacy of the population and clarifying many ornate issues of law enforcement practice.

Childhood and adolescence of Pavel Astakhov

The future famous lawyer was born into an ordinary Moscow family. His father worked in a printing house, and his mother was a teacher. Pavel was connected with the law enforcement environment only through his grandfather, who was a prominent Chekist and worked with Vyacheslav Menzhinsky for a long time.

The childhood and adolescence of the future lawyer was held in Zelenograd. He studied well, but after graduating from high school he did not go to college. Instead, Paul went to serve in the border troops. Here, on the border with Finland, Pavel spent two years, during which he established himself in the future path of life. At the end of his service, Astakhov decided to stay in law enforcement structures and entered the Higher School of the KGB of the USSR.

Pavel recalled the following about this period: “There [in the KGB school] I immediately liked it. Interesting people around, interesting teachers, interesting subjects. The specialty itself is interesting. It was a very special faculty, counterintelligence, everyone called it a thug. For example, the son of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Estonia, the son of the chairman of the KGB of Azerbaijan, studied with us.

After graduating in 1991, Pavel began to practice law, but soon decided to continue his studies and in 2000 he moved to America, to Pittsburgh, where he entered the magistracy of a local university. Subsequently, the lawyer spoke very flatteringly about studying in the United States, calling the United States "his second homeland."

Lawyer career of Pavel Astakhov

Since 1991, Pavel Astakhov has participated as a lawyer in many sensational trials. In the early nineties, he worked for a short time in Spain, but he received the greatest fame in Russia.

Among his clients were many famous politicians (Luzhkov, Stepashin), as well as stars of Russian show business (Kristina Orbakaite, Philip Kirkorov, Arkady Ukupnik, Lada Dance, Soso Pavliashvili and many others).

In 1995, Pavel Astakhov represented in court the interests of Valentina Solovyova, the notorious founder of the Vlastilina financial pyramid. Five years later, as part of the trial, the lawyer defended another "great schemer" - Vladimir Gusinsky.

Astakhov: writer and TV presenter

In 2004, Pavel Alekseevich made his television debut as the host of the "Hour of the Court" program, which subsequently gained wide popularity both in Russia and abroad. Thanks to this show, Astakhov became known outside the legal community. In 2005, RBC media holding named Astakhov "Person of the Year", noting his contribution "to raising the legal culture of the population." In 2007, the Russian Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship awarded him the title of "Russian of the Year". A number of prestigious awards were awarded to the "Hour of the Court" program itself.

"Hour of judgment" with Pavel Astakhov

The lawyer interrupted work on it two years later, starting to work on another show - "Three Corners with Pavel Astakhov", which, like "Court Hour", was aired on the Ren-TV channel.

Subsequently, the well-known lawyer took part in a number of other projects, among which the most famous were the programs "The Astakhov Case" and "On Minors' Affairs". In addition, Pavel Alekseevich worked for some time at the City-FM radio, where he conducted a legal program.

In 2007 Astakhov also made his debut as a writer, presenting the novel "The Mayor" to the public. Subsequently, many works of the author of a legal and artistic sense appeared on the shelves of bookstores in Russia. His novel "Raider" received special love from readers, which is notable for the abundance of criticism concerning the activities of the Main Investigative Directorate of Russia and the Moscow Main Department of Internal Affairs. In 2011, this novel was filmed, although before that it almost cost the lawyer a career.

Pavel Astakhov's political activities

In the first years of Vladimir Putin's presidency, Astakhov actively criticized the judicial and law enforcement system in Russia, noting that the prosecutor's office only "blindly fulfills the wishes of the authorities." However, in 2007, unexpectedly for everyone, Pavel Alekseevich headed the all-Russian movement For Putin. The lawyer and TV presenter substantiated his decision with a number of legal changes in the life of the state and society.

Pavel Astakhov - Causes of Corruption in Russia

At the end of December 2009, Pavel Astakhov took over the post of Ombudsman for the Rights of the Child. After the expiration of the mandate in 2012, Vladimir Putin extended Astakhov's powers for a three-year term.

Personal life of Pavel Astakhov

Since 1987, Pavel Astakhov has been married to TV producer Svetlana Astakhova. It was she who led the process of creating a number of programs for her husband ("Hour of the Court", "Astakhov's Case", "Three Corners"). At the moment, the couple has three children - Anton (born in 1988), Artem (born in 1993) and Arseny (born in 2009).

It is worth noting that the personal life of a famous lawyer has long been the object of criticism from the Russian and European media, as it often found itself in the epicenter of various scandals. So, the press often exaggerated the fact that the Astakhov family owns prestigious real estate on the southern coast of France. The youngest son of a lawyer was born in an elite clinic in Cannes; in the Cannes Archangel Michael Church, the baptism of little Arseny took place.

In addition, the press often reports about expensive parties that Astakhov's eldest sons, who currently hold positions in their father's government apparatus, throw in Nice at regular intervals.

In early 2013, a French human rights organization insisted on banning the Astakhov family from entering France. Then they decided to move from Nice to Monaco.

In 2012, Anton Astakhov almost ended up in jail in connection with an accident in the center of Moscow. Then, being in a state of alcoholic intoxication, the son of a famous lawyer collided with a passing car on his Audi 5-series.

Pavel Astakhov now

Since 2012, Astakhov has positioned himself as an ardent opponent of the adoption of Russian orphans and refuseniks by foreigners. So, in December of the same year, Astakhov supported the relevant bill.

In 2015, Astakhov spoke approvingly of the upcoming wedding of the 57-year-old head of the Chechen police department, Nazhid Guchigov, and the 17-year-old Kheda Goilabieva: “In the Caucasus, emancipation and puberty take place earlier, let's not be hypocrites. There are places where women are already shriveled at the age of 27, and by our standards they are under 50. In general, the Constitution prohibits interfering in the personal affairs of citizens. "

In February 2016, Astakhov refused to admit a father with many children from the Tyumen region, whose family was threatened with eviction from the house.

On June 30, 2016, the media reported that Pavel Astakhov had resigned from the post of the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights. His departure was primarily due to the inappropriate statement of the Ombudsman, uttered at Astakhov's meeting with a girl who survived the tragedy in the Syamozero camp (“Well, how did you swim?” Astakhov asked).

The information was officially confirmed only in September 2016. On September 9, Pavel Astakhov, after coming out of vacation, was dismissed from the post of Ombudsman with the wording “of his own free will”. After his dismissal, Astakhov and his family moved to Pskov.

By Sunday afternoon, when a Kremlin source had already determined the fate of the human rights activist, about 156,000 citizens had signed up for his resignation.

In a Tom Ford suit, with a touch of cynicism

“It is unlikely that he had a falling out with anyone,” says political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko. “I think that Astakhov found himself in this position quite by accident: there was a well-known media figure, with high recognition, he speaks smartly, and besides, a lawyer.” But according to the expert, it has now become clear that the child human rights activist “does not fulfill his main function”. “Given the abundance of claims against him, he still did not fit into this role, did not merge with it,” Minchenko said.

Photo: Dmitry Lebedev / Kommersant

Looked at the problem differently

Photo: Gennady Gulyaev / Kommersant

I'm just hanging out on the Cote d'Azur

The human rights community rarely commented on the essence of Astakhov's work, and even more so on its compliance with official tasks. But on the other hand, my colleagues had claims of an image character. Thus, a member of the European Institute of Ombudsman Seyran Davtyan in one of his publications criticized the tone of materials posted on the Ombudsman's website. "Pavel Astakhov gave the region a rating of" good with a minus "," Davtyan quoted a post on the website from April 2011 about the visit of the ombudsman to the Pskov region.

“I don’t know what the style of the correspondence between the presidential ombudsman for the rights of the child and the ombudsman for children in the regions looks like, but the style of messages posted on the information site of the presidential ombudsman testifies to the feeling of superiority of the ombudsman P. Astakhov over his colleagues,” wrote Davtyan photo reports. Astakhov complained that "generally from Moscow," where they live with their middle son, does not leave for a long time. “I just hang out almost every weekend here, on the Cote d'Azur, otherwise, I'm afraid the kid will wean myself off,” he shared with the magazine. And about the birth of his wife in France, he said that “we really occupied the largest ward in the hospital,” where Angelina Jolie had given birth before.

“He is a wealthy man, a lawyer in the past, and this his personal well-being can be read in his eyes, in his statements and actions,” - the image features of Astakhov, political scientist Dmitry Orlov, in a conversation with Lenta.ru.

Instead of Pamfilova, however, already Senator Elena Mizulina: according to Irina Chirkova, a member of the Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children, a woman must certainly be a children's ombudsman, and Mizulina can appeal both to the ruling party in parliament and to the executive structures.

Book by Masha Traub "Extra Children" What do children feel? Breastfeeding babies announce their desires by crying. And those who are older? What are they thinking at six, seven? What is betrayal for them? What are they afraid of? We, adults, are moved by looking at plasticine bears and hares. We laugh and cry when we watch the children dance at the matinee. But do we know what's going on on the other side of the kindergarten fence? And, most importantly, do we guess at what moment our children learn not to live, but to survive? Masha Traub's book "Extra Children" is an alternative view of the kindergartens that most people attended and attend. The book is about how it is to be a child unnecessary for your mother. After reading it, you seem to see the old Soviet kindergartens, in which children were not even needed by the teachers. They so wanted to just go home, and not sit at work - with these children. Playing in the duties of everyone managed to get and make everyone be gloomy and unhappy forever, starting from myself and ending with everything that was nearby. The main character is a serious and early adult girl Rita, who very early had to learn to be independent, go home from kindergarten alone, or even get used to being on a five-day school day, just because her mother had her - khakhal. Reading about the girl, you sincerely worry about her, hoping that over time she will grow into a good person, despite the mother's indifference in childhood. But the mother of the heroine also makes her to reconsider her attitude towards her child, to be with him more often, at the same time to remember herself, her desires and dreams. To become, so to speak, a more reliable shoulder to a child than her mother's heroine. Writer Masha Traub Masha Traub started out as a journalist, having worked for several years in the capital's publications, but at one point she decided to become a writer. Having started to print emotional and ironic stories from life, Masha could no longer stop. And readers are unlikely to forgive if she pauses creativity, because they are used to waiting for a woman to tell a new story about themselves - ordinary, strange, funny and saddening. The author has dozens of novels and stories that do not pretend to be the ultimate truth and do not teach to live, but fascinatingly and vividly tell about the most ordinary things that, under the eyes of the writer, acquire a unique charm. Masha was born on October 8, 1976 in Moscow, but spent her childhood against the background of the Caucasus Mountains, in an Ossetian village. Traub is a creative pseudonym, the real name of Maria is Kiselev. The girl absorbed love for the word from a young age. The influence of my grandmother is great here, she has worked in the regional newspaper all her life. The writer says that she grew up in the editorial office under the clatter of a typewriter and absorbed the romance of the typography, where streams of new words appeared on sheets of white paper right before our eyes. The most important impression of childhood was a fairy tale published on the pages of the "district", which was written by a young writer. The Kiselev family had a chance to live in the Far North, but in the end they returned to Moscow, where the girl began to attend courses at the Literary Institute. A creative atmosphere reigned here, where young people wrote poetry and could not imagine themselves without poetry. However, Masha decided that she would choose a different path, and entered a journalist. At the same time, she chose the university on the advice of her mother, who dreamed of her daughter studying at MGIMO. Traub's biography as a writer began with the book Get Ready, We're Leaving, published in 2006. Each subsequent book of Mary was in demand with the reader, and the woman writes several volumes a year, inventing sequels for some stories. In 2008, "All la vie" came out, and a year later two novels - "The Diary of a First Grader's Mother" and "House in the South", and both later formed the basis of film adaptations. After graduating from the institute, Maria began to cooperate with the capital's publications, including Izvestia, Novoye Vremya, Nedelya. I also managed to work in gloss - Bosco, Magazine and Officiel. The writer is close to the theme of childhood, and the works "Through the eyes of a child", "What babies talk about", "Lesha the clown" meet the constant reader's response. Not all of the author's stories are sweet and touching, as evidenced by the novel "Keyhole", which reveals Traub as a master of a complex story with a "double bottom". Maria presents stories about difficult destinies simply and convincingly, as in the book “I owe nothing to anyone”. The bibliography of Masha Traub is numbered in dozens of works, including “On the verge of divorce”, “My grandmother - Lermontov”, “Second life”. Masha Traub makes no secret of her personal life, and photos of her family can be easily found on the Internet. With her husband Andrei Kolesnikov they were united by a common cause: a man - writer and journalist, works as editor of Novaya Gazeta and writes columns in Vedomosti and Gazeta.ru. The couple have been together for many years and are raising two children. Maria borrowed her pseudonym from her mother-in-law, whose maiden name is Traub. This word is translated into Russian as "vine" or "bunch".