Current publications. Tag Archives: Mikhail Kagan
The day before, Yamal Governor Dmitry Kobylkin held a meeting of his anti-corruption coordination commission. Sources of “Regions of Russia” draw attention to a strange contradiction: his deputy Mikhail Kagan is responsible for combating corruption in Kobylkin’s circle, who at his previous place of service left behind serious corruption violations that the prosecutor’s office and Kagan’s replacement had to clean up.
A scheduled meeting of the commission to coordinate anti-corruption work in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug was held in Salekhard. Of the significant federal officials, the State Fiscal Director Alexander Yamokhin, who until the year before last worked as the Nadym city prosecutor, took part in the event. The participation of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District Prosecutor Alexander Gerasimenko, the head of the district department of the Investigative Committee Alexander Fumin and the acting head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Igor Ryzhevich has not been reported.
“Representatives of the active public have now become our allies in the fight against corruption,” said Governor Kobylkin, without, however, naming specific “allies.” – We make public every fact of corruption identified through joint efforts, which causes a wide public outcry. Punishment is inevitable, regardless of position,” said the head of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. But Kobylkin’s press service also did not provide any real facts “revealed through joint efforts.”
The main speaker at the meeting was Deputy Governor for Security Affairs Mikhail Kagan. “He said that 32 established public councils contribute to active interaction between government bodies and civil society in the district. It was especially emphasized that by the end of the year, public experts will appear in all government institutions,” the official press release says.
Experts interviewed by the editors of Regions of Russia are not inclined to idealize the anti-corruption achievements of Kobylkin’s team. “I had to work in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. According to some impressions, corruption there is perceived as something semi-natural, inevitable, says political consultant Alexey Bocharov. – There are relatively many state and municipal employees, security officials and controllers there in relation to the low population. And they all want to live well. Another factor conducive to corruption is the closedness and isolation of local elites, primarily due to the large territorial distance from the “Great Land” or simply “Earth”, as the locals say,” the expert clarified.
He believes that the public councils themselves under government agencies are largely a decoration. According to Bocharov, it is not the mere presence of such public appendages that is important, but the mechanism for their formation: “If the composition and operating procedures of the council are determined by the same officials whom such councils must monitor, then the anti-corruption potential and functionality similar designs, to put it mildly, is obviously exaggerated.”
The publication’s sources among employees in Salekhard itself also have no special illusions about the governor’s anti-corruption pathos. Their skepticism is due, among other things, to the professional background of Dmitry Kobylkin’s deputy in anti-corruption, Mikhail Kagan. In the government of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, he “oversees interaction with the security bloc and federal structures in the field of law and order and security.” Before coming under Kobylkin, Kagan worked in Yekaterinburg: from 2011 to 2015 he headed the department Federal service on drug trafficking control Sverdlovsk region. And in the spring of 2016, the regional prosecutor’s office reported the results of an anti-corruption audit at the Federal Drug Control Service. And judging by the nature of the violations identified, most of them flourished when Kagan was the main Sverdlovsk drug controller.
In particular, the representative office of the State Drug Control Service identified 100 employees who provided unreliable or deliberately false information in their declarations. They did not report the location of the property in their ownership, vehicles, income from the sale of property. Some drug police subordinates of Kagan were owners of shares in large joint stock companies, participated in the activities of commercial organizations, combined their main activities with work in commercial organizations where they received additional income. Facts of inaction of the commission to resolve conflicts of interest in the presence of mandatory grounds for its conduct have been revealed. Thus, in 2014-2015 (i.e., during the period of Kagan’s work as head of the Federal Drug Control Service), the commission did not consider 40 notifications from employers about the employment of employees and federal civil servants dismissed from drug control agencies. The audit also revealed evidence of ineffective spending of budget funds. For example, the head of the HR department was paid an exorbitant bonus - 350 thousand rubles! His deputy, 1.5 months (!) after leaving maternity leave, was also paid a bonus in the amount of 317 thousand rubles.
Kagan, in time for himself, moved to the north of the Urals Federal District to the chair of a high-ranking Yamal official. In April 2016, it was no longer Kagan who had to clear up the violations before the prosecutor’s office, but his replacement Andrei Andryushchenko, although he moved to Yekaterinburg from Altai to the post of head of the Federal Drug Control Service literally a couple of months before the prosecutor’s inspection. Soon, the topic of corruption in the department where Mr. Kagan previously worked lost its relevance altogether: on April 5, Vladimir Putin announced the creation National Guard, which was headed by one of the president’s closest associates, Viktor Zolotov. At the same time, Gosnarkokontrol ceased to exist as an independent agency - the functions of the Federal Drug Control Service were transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
According to the official property declaration of Vice-Governor Mikhail Kagan, last year he received over 9 million 330 thousand rubles of personal income.
From belisrael. We bring to the attention of our readers an interview that the chess player gave in the spring of 2004 to a famous Vitebsk journalist. And then our author recalls his meetings with R. Eidelson.
Chance is a manifestation and addition of necessity
Probably, in the life of every person, sooner or later there comes a moment that facilitates the choice of the future. This starting point for Raisa Eidelson was her arrival at the Vitebsk chess and checkers club in order to try her hand at... checkers. Alas, the coach was not there. (Now try to challenge the truth that chance is a manifestation and addition of necessity...). Having met someone who played chess with the kids, the 12-year-old girl quickly and happily gave preference to Kaissa. This marked the beginning of the appearance of another star on the Belarusian chess horizon. Much water has passed under the bridge since then. Raisa Eidelson's talent has long been recognized by her many colleagues. Eight times she became the strongest in Belarus. No woman has achieved such success in our country.
From the Sports Panorama dossier: Raisa Eidelson was born on November 14, 1958 in the city of Alatyr, Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Russia). Graduated from the Belarusian Institute national economy. The title of international grandmaster was awarded in 1995. Silver and bronze medalist of the USSR championship among girls (Tbilisi, 1976; Vilnius, 1975). Participant in the All-Union Youth Games in 1975, USSR Championships in 1983, 1987 (4th place), 1988. Champion of Belarus 1985, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004 (in fact, she became the champion of the BSSR for the first time in the summer of 1980, see the tournament table below – belisrael). As a member of the national team, she took part in the World Chess Olympiads in 1994, 1998, 2000 ( and 2004 – belisrael). Participant in the 2000 World Championship, the 1992 European Team Championship, the 1999 Individual Continental Championship, and the 2001 European Rapid Chess Championship. The highest rating is 2360 (2000).
Source: “Chess, checkers in the BSSR”, October 1980.
– Tell me, Raisa, aren’t you tired of winning republican championships?
– Is it possible to be fed up with victories? I'm a professional chess player. It is quite logical that at the tests inside Belarus I don’t set myself any other goal than winning the top of the podium.
– Before joining the chess and checkers club, did you have any idea about this sport?
- Yes, sure. When I was eight years old, my mother taught me to play chess, who, by the way, loved it very much and even defended the honor of my native KIM factory at city competitions.
– Who are you grateful to for what you can do?
– Among my teachers, besides Lev Pak, I can name such famous specialists as Mikhail Shereshevsky, Andrey Kovalev, Isaac Boleslavsky. The latter learned the basics of craftsmanship during his studies back in Soviet years republican fees.
– Which of the tournaments was particularly memorable?
– Championship Soviet Union 1987 in Tbilisi, where I took 4th place. For that success, the All-Union Chess Federation, as a sign of encouragement, sent me to an international traditional tournament in Belgrade dedicated to March 8th. Then, in the capital of Yugoslavia, for the second time in a row, I managed to fulfill the norm of an international master.
– In 1995 you were awarded the title of grandmaster.
- Yes. By the way, she scored the third point required for this at an international tournament in Minsk.
– Which woman do you consider to be the strongest in the chess kingdom of all times?
– Here I vote with both hands for Nona Gaprindashvili, who held the champion title for many years. She is a player by nature and amazes with her energy. Thanks to her, many talented young people came to chess, especially in Georgia. She successfully participated in both women's and men's competitions. I met with the legendary athlete at the Soviet Union Championship in 1983, that meeting ended peacefully.
– What can you say about the current development of women’s chess?
– In my opinion, they are moving forward at a slower pace than men. There are practically no major international tournaments. Why is that all? We have very few sponsors. True, with the arrival of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov as FIDE President, the prize fund of women's chess tournaments began to increase, but not enough to talk about great progress.
– In 2000, you took part in the World Championships for the first time in the capital of India, Delhi. The competition was held according to the knockout system. How do you feel about her?
- Positive. Thanks to new system at large number chess players had the opportunity to fight for the championship title. Previously, the circle of applicants was sharply limited.
– Are you, Raisa, satisfied with the attitude towards women’s chess in our country?
– I wouldn’t like to aggravate the situation, but I’ll say frankly that the picture is not very rosy. Priority is given to men. This is explained simply: they show the best results in the international arena. And funding for women's chess is weak. Because of this, it is not always possible to go to tournaments organized abroad and thoroughly prepare for them.
– What do you see as a way out of this situation?
– In my opinion, first of all, it is necessary to approve the position for the coach of the women’s team (currently there is none). Before the start of prestigious international tests, it is necessary to conduct training camps.
– Quite recently, you again (this time for the second time in a row) won the title of national champion. Which victory do you rate higher – last year’s or this one?
- Definitely last year. Before that, I was in a slump in my game, but success gave me confidence and strength.
– But this does not mean that the title of the strongest in March of this year was easy?
– The fight was very intense due to solid competition. My final victory became clear only after winning the penultimate round against Nadezhda Polivoda.
– Do you receive a position as an athlete-instructor?
– Until 2002, this question could be answered positively, but then, alas... The management believes that priority in the distribution of bets should be given to those who achieve the best results in the international arena. But success at the national championship is not put at the forefront.
– How do you usually prepare for competitions?
– I read specialized literature, chess classics – Chigorin, Capablanca, Lasker...
– How many tournaments do you play per year?
– In 2003, I competed in five: four women’s and one men’s. This is, at best, fifty games. Of course, very little. But here everything depends on the availability of money. For example, I received an invitation this summer to perform at a tournament in Poland. Alas…
– What are your plans for the future?
– If I’m invited to join the national team, I’ll go to the World Olympics on the Spanish island of Mallorca. I also plan to play in Kharkov, where a women’s chess festival will be held, and in St. Petersburg at a tournament dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Soviet chess player Lyudmila Rudenko.
- Paradise! What does chess mean to you?
– First of all – art and sports. What fascinates me about gaming is the creative side. In this I share the opinion of the outstanding chess player David Bronstein.
– What can you say about the tournament for the title of absolute regional champion, which was recently held in Vitebsk?
– It’s just great that Alexander Sarbai came up with such a wonderful idea. When and where else can you meet, for example, Ilya Smirin at the same board? By the way, I played with him for the second time. And the first fight took place in 1985.
– During the Slavic Bazaar festival, a night chess marathon is held...
– I compete in these competitions all the time – I like communicating with people, it’s interesting to test my strength in fights with a large number strong participants.
– How does women’s chess differ from men’s?
– They are more impulsive and unpredictable. In women's chess, it is impossible to determine the winner literally until the end of the game. For men, the game is more practical. Often, by looking at the position, you can determine the result in advance.
– Are you a calm person by nature?
– She used to be self-possessed. Unfortunately, playing chess for a long time did not change me in better side, became more hot-tempered. I spend a lot of nervous energy at various tournaments and competitions, and this is not good.
- If we start all over again...
– I would be a teacher of Russian language and literature. I adored these subjects as a child and constantly attended electives at school.
-How do you spend it? free time?
– I read books by Dostoevsky, Bunin, Chekhov, Karamzin, Pushkin, listen to classical music – Rachmaninov, Vivaldi, Mozart.
– What is your attitude towards sports?
– I’m not actively doing anything. I only like to watch football, biathlon, and various major sporting events on TV as a fan.
– Which football teams do you support?
– I like Zenit from St. Petersburg and the English Arsenal. I enjoy watching the game of the leader of the Londoners, Henri.
– I see you quite often at the Vitebsk Sports Palace...
– Yes, I’m also partial to hockey. Therefore, with my teacher Lev Pak, whenever possible, we attend matches of the local team.
– What is your hobby?
- Books. I have collected a decent library. Theater literature occupies a significant place in it. Theater is also my passion. I try to attend new productions of the Bolshoi Drama Theater in St. Petersburg and the opera in Minsk.
– What do you value in people?
- Intelligence, kindness and sense of humor.
– Which dish do you prefer?
– Potatoes in any form and pickles.
– Do you consider yourself an optimist?
– No, I always think about the worst, and perceive the best as a surprise.
Victor PLYSOV
(“Sports Panorama”, 04/30/2004)
from Minsk : “I was never particularly familiar with Rachel Eidelson, but I crossed paths several times, twice at the board (in 1979 and 1980, the score was 1:1)... In the early 1970s, when I just started studying with, I heard about Paradise ( they didn’t call her anything else then) as one of the leading chess players in Belarus. She was already aiming to win the Belarusian championship, and the Minsk team had to play carefully against her. Somewhere in 1974, Shagalovich showed us a variation with a queen on d4 and emphasized: “ Eidelson played this variant against Ira Lifshits and won».
At that time, the BSSR Spartakiad was held among the regions in the fall. Eidelson played on one of the women's boards, and Muse Seltzer played on the other. With their active support, the Vitebsk region took 2nd place, losing only to the Minsk residents, where the entire team consisted of masters. Perhaps this was Vitebsk’s greatest success at the sports festivals.
In 1976, at the USSR Championship among girls, Eidelson lost only half a point to Maya Chiburdanidze. In the famous book by Victor Henkin “The Last Shah. Anthology of matte combinations" (1979) shows a position from Eidelson's game with Natalia Rucheva under the motto " With Kaissa's blessing».
There were high hopes for Raya. Later she said that Georgian girls (Gurieli, Ioseliani...) were given personal trainers at their first successes, and it was hard for her to compete with them.
Lev Gorelik sought to create the strongest team at the Institute of National Economy, and helped Eidelson enter the “narkhoz”. It was 1977. My friend Misha Kagan studied there and told the following episode. At that time, the Yugoslav “Informers” were popular among chess players; they were difficult to get and cost about a chervonets. Misha found where to buy it and began looking for someone who could borrow the money. He turned to Raya, and she answered him with a bit of humor: “ Misha, I don’t have a chervonets, better give me eight kopecks for a bun" She was small and black then...
I played with her in the finals of the championship of the regional council of the Burevestnik community center (Gorelik included Eidelson as a candidate for master among men - she had previously fulfilled the norm in the men’s tournament, and then played very well). In 1979 she lost, but already in the opening she won a pawn. And in the second game (1980) I was close to losing with a rook for two pieces, but my opponent looked at the tactics at the 2nd level level... She was very upset and quickly left. But in the end she took 3rd place out of 14, and I ended up in the “tail”.
After graduating from Narkhoz, Eidelson returned to Vitebsk, and we began to see each other less often. Except maybe in 1983, when I already performed in. Someone asked me at the old club: “ Do you play chess or checkers?"Raya, without looking up from her game with Sveta Chernova: " He plays checkers, checkers!" I: " If I had played checkers, I would not have won against you in the tournament.».
Of course, I was rooting for her all the time. I was happy when in 1981 the Belarusian team with Eidelson’s participation went to the Union and managed to take a decent 3rd place. We reached the finals with a very decent lineup (Mikhalevsky, Parmon, Los, Ryskin). Eidelson then scored 3 out of 3 in the semifinals, and 4.5 out of 7 in the finals. At the club, I heard her conversation with Sergei Parmon: “ Everyone here gives me you as an example, that you are both a strong chess player and an excellent student. Have you become an angel?»
I still remember a couple of her remarks. In the 1979 tournament, Grisha Bernstein played for RTI, but his game did not go well. She: " Grishka, Grishka, where is your smile?»
Zonal tournament (with Moldova and Azerbaijan) in the 1990s, when R. Eidelson made it to the world championship, beating Natalia Popova by half a point. Leaving the tournament hall, she exclaimed: “ But pasaran!»»
From Israel: " I would like to congratulate Rachel Eidelson through the site. I wish you health and good luck!»
From the site editor
I would like Vitebsk chess players and others, including grandmasters, in addition to the publication, to send their memories of the hero of the day and congratulations. There is already one.
Felix Fleisch, living in Israel:
I take this opportunity to congratulate Raya on her anniversary.
I was also a student of the famous coach Lev Pak, and one can say that Raisa grew up as a chess player before my eyes. It happened that I played with her in tournaments, and although she is a delicate girl and tried not to offend men, it was very difficult. I wish Raisa to play chess for a long time and successfully, and to delight us with her creativity.
Added 11/14/2018 15:47
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