Putin's ex-boss, who kicked him out of the KGB for
work for the CIA.

On March 30, KGB Lieutenant General Leonid Shebarshin, who had previously been Putin's boss and headed the First Main Directorate of the USSR KGB (the committee's unit responsible for foreign intelligence) from February 1989 to August 1991, was found shot to death in his apartment. Shebarshin acted as chairman of the KGB of the USSR from August 22 to August 23, 1991. After that, he resigned.

At the end of 1999 - beginning of 2000 Western media there was evidence that Major Putin was fired from the KGB for unauthorized contacts with officers of the German foreign intelligence of the BND and the American CIA, which gave reason to believe that Putin was recruited and worked in the KGB as a double, or rather triple agent.

In early 2000, the Austrian political magazine News, citing Austrian counterintelligence, published a long article stating that in the 1980s, Putin did not pay extra to the Austrian politicians he recruited from among the members of the Austrian Parliament and put part of their salary into his pocket, forcing them to sign receipts for Moscow on the receipt by them of the full amount of the agency salary due.

This was reported to counterintelligence during interrogations by the politicians themselves.

Recall that Putin used his base in Dresden, East Germany, exclusively for trips from there to the West and espionage work in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In the “brotherly” GDR Dresden, as such, he had nothing to do.

In early 2000, the Austrian press reported that in 1991 Putin and his family came to Austria to buy a house in a rural area. locality, the money for which he clearly did not have according to his then salary. At the same time, the press referred to the testimony of the burgomaster of this village, with whom Putin spoke about buying a house.

The press cited photos of Putin and his family vacationing in the village and inquiring about buying a house.

A detailed chronicle of the scandal in connection with Putin's work for the BND and the CIA, according to the Austrian press for the end of 1999 - beginning of 2000, was given in the newspaper Our Fatherland, then published in St. Petersburg.

The editor-in-chief of this newspaper, retired SA Colonel Yevgeny Shchekatikhin, died unexpectedly, allegedly from heart disease, in 2003, after the FSB began to persecute him for the truth and dragged all the subscribers of his newspaper (about 800 people) for interrogation, a list of which was taken from the colonel in search of his apartment.

Before Shchekatikhin died “from the heart”, he never complained about his heart anywhere, he was healthy and strong. Doctors did not find any heart disease in him.

General of the KGB of the USSR Sherbashin shot himself due to illness?

In the apartment former head Soviet foreign intelligence found a diary. The last entry in it about a serious illness, it was made on March 29.

Law enforcement agencies are working at the place of the death of the general

Retired KGB lieutenant general Leonid Shebarshin maintained a clear mind until the very last moment and recorded the events of his life with military clarity.

Instead of a suicide note, the operatives who arrived at the general's apartment found a diary with a timeline of the last moments of his life.

“On March 29, 2012, at 5:15 p.m., the left eye failed,” the police read in Shebarshin’s notes. - 19.00 completely blind.

These words were handwritten. The next entry, the last in his life, Leonid Shebarshin drew on paper with a simple pencil:

Duty officer for SVR

On the diary, Leonid Shebarshin put glasses, weapons and a certificate of a veteran of the Foreign Intelligence Service.

After this laconic military farewell, the KGB veteran shot himself in the head. The next day, March 30, his body was discovered by a daughter-in-law who came to visit her father-in-law.

Leonid Shebarshin was found dead in his apartment in an elite building on 2nd Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street in the capital on the afternoon of March 30.

According to preliminary data, the general committed suicide, no traces of a struggle were found in the apartment, a law enforcement source told Life News.

After the resignation, Shebarshin went into business

The 77-year-old lieutenant general was discovered by his daughter-in-law Tatyana P., who came to visit an elderly man.

Entering the apartment, Tatyana saw Shebarshin's corpse in a pool of blood. There was a pistol next to the body.

Tatyana immediately called the police, and an operational-investigative group arrived at the scene in a matter of minutes. Also, the head of the Moscow police, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, left for Tverskaya.

Leonid Shebarshin is known for the fact that during the putsch of 1991, from August 22 to 23, he headed the KGB of the USSR - this is the shortest term of leadership in the history of the department. And already in September Shebarshin resigned.

According to the preliminary version, the cause of suicide could be a serious illness that the general suffered in recent years.

Shebarshin served in foreign intelligence since 1962. The knight of the cloak and dagger spent 10 of the 29 years of service abroad: first in India, and then in Iran, he flew a lot to Afghanistan during the period of military intervention. Prior to his short appointment as head of the KGB, Shebarshin headed the First Main Directorate of the State Security Committee for 2 years. Retired since 1991. A year later, his book “The Hand of Moscow. Notes of the Chief of Intelligence.

Death of Shebarshin. Are the ends cut off or will they pop up?

Former head of Russian foreign intelligence, 77-year-old Leonid Shebarshin, was found dead in his apartment in a house on 2nd Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street in Moscow. According to preliminary data, he shot himself. As the official representative of the Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, told Interfax, a premium pistol was found next to the body of Shebarshin, from which he could shoot himself. Press release

At the end of the year before last, that is, not very long ago, we already wrote that an epidemic of mass suicides began among the generals of the Russian Federation. Further, the epidemic only spread and now reached the very top of the political power of the country - none other than the former deputy head of foreign intelligence, Leonid Shebarshin, shot himself. . Head of Foreign Intelligence of the USSR (from 02/06/1989 to 09/22/1991). In 1991, from August 22 to 23, that is, immediately after the putsch, Shebarshin headed the KGB of the USSR for one day. What do these positions mean? This means that he was part of a very narrow group of people from the really top leadership of the USSR. This is not Yegor Ligachev. The person was initiated into the real secrets of the country and even the world, which in themselves have value.

In the period from 1987 to 1991, that is, when Mr. Shebarshin was the second and then the first person in the foreign intelligence of the USSR, Mr. Primakov, whom everyone calls the "political heavyweight", headed the IMEMO of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1991, when Shebarshin was already head of the KGB, Primakov was the first deputy chairman of the KGB. Primakov became director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia on December 26, 1991. Thus, Messrs. Primakov and Shebarshin are figures at least equivalent in the Soviet-Russian table of ranks, and perhaps Mr. Shebarshin was even more important than Primakov. But, unlike Primakov, he didn’t shine much - he quietly resigned, headed some firm and probably gave valuable instructions not from the official office, but from the office or from the apartment. It is very unlikely that Mr. Shebarshin, being in the prime of his life, suddenly decided to fuck everything up and retire. And he also does not look like an old man who has gone out of his mind. On the contrary, he even wrote books in which every phrase is an aphorism, where the syllable is more abrupt than that of humorists. What is his expression “Russians harness quickly, but drive fast ... in the wrong direction.” We doubt that anyone before Shebarshin could so accurately reflect the history of Russia over the past 200 years in one line. And then suddenly on TV they explain that this man took and shot himself. Well, everything happens in life. Sometimes when generals shoot themselves, they fire three bullets into the head. But as RIA Novosti “found out” that the general had a “convincing reason” to shoot himself:

The former head of Soviet foreign intelligence, Leonid Shebarshin, on the eve of his death, complained of loss of vision and said that his leg was paralyzed, a resident of the house where the general lived told RIA Novosti. The body of the 77-year-old former head of Soviet foreign intelligence, General Leonid Shebarshin, was found Friday in his apartment down 2nd Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street in Moscow. It was also found there suicide note. Law enforcement officers found an award pistol next to the body. “Yesterday he said that he could not see one eye, and on the same day, but later, he complained that his leg had been taken away,” the agency’s interlocutor said. According to her, on Friday she tried to contact Shebarshin to take him to the hospital. The woman also said that the intelligence officer's wife, who was paralyzed for seven and a half years, died seven years ago.

He, apparently realizing that he might face the same fate as a military man, decided to commit suicide without waiting for him to be paralyzed, ”said the interlocutor.

Thus, the official version of the death of the general has already been practically put forward, although it is not entirely clear who it is intended for. For a citizen of a neighbor who gave an interview to RIA Novosti, the version is perhaps convincing. However, to people who have even a vague idea of ​​​​the healthcare systems in the FSB, the story about paralysis will seem more like an anecdote. This is what is called a complete failure of the turnout. Explanations like these are just invented to make the case fail. And in any case, it is completely clear here that the struggle at the top of the system has not only escalated, but has reached some critical stage of intensity, even if even such elderly people as Shebarshin have already begun to rush to death.

He must have been holding something in his hands. Only in such cases it is not entirely clear whether the ends are cut off or, on the contrary, they are guaranteed to emerge.

On the Friday air of ARI radio, we were just discussing the topic of the general’s strange death, and one of the radio listeners sent us the following text in the chat:

Shebarshin in their circles was called a grandfather. Recently, while talking with one of my acquaintances, I heard the words of “grandfather”: “I want to say that an interesting and great future awaits you. Trust me, I'm not wasting words. I don't have much left. And my departure will signal your beginning and the end of the system. Be careful in your contacts. Wait for the real thing."

It is not very clear in what circle and in what context this was said, but it can definitely be said that it seems that the real Affairs are already in full swing.

The watchman of the house where the former head of the USSR foreign intelligence Leonid Shebarshin lived said that the last time he saw him, Shebarshin was cheerful and did not complain about his health.

Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin experienced a difficult childhood, military and hungry years. Apparently, these factors influenced further persistence in self-education and an attempt to deeply understand the features of Indian culture. After graduating from faculty international relations Shebarshin Leonid Vladimirovich began labor activity as a translator. Soon, the State Security Committee showed interest in him, offering to join their ranks. The man took it as an honor, and later even was at the head of foreign intelligence for several years.

Childhood

The childhood of the future scout and writer passed in Maryina Roshcha. His mother, Praskovya Mikhailovna, after finishing seven classes, worked in a labor artel. Shebarshin's father, Vladimir Ivanovich, was a native Muscovite. The couple got married in 1931. Four years later, Lenya was born, and in 1937 his sister Valeria was born.

The family lived in a small room. Often I had to sleep on the floor, because there was not enough space for beds. With the beginning of the war, the father is called to the front, the mother with two children lives from hand to mouth. Vladimir returns from the war alive, gets a job, life begins to improve. However, due to an illness caused by addiction to alcohol, in 1951, the father dies at the age of forty-three.

Getting an education

Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin, thanks to his father's instructions, strove to read and study a lot. At school, education was given without problems, he cherished the dream of helping his family faster. Leonid received a school certificate and a silver medal in 1952. Thanks to the award, he could enter a higher educational institution without exams.

Initially, Shebarshin sought to master the specialty of an engineer and a military pilot. But, given the strict selection for health reasons, he does not pass the medical examination. Friends and acquaintances advise the guy to apply for the Faculty of Indian Culture, which he does with success. However, the university was closed two years later, and all students were redirected to study at MGIMO.

student times

After Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin became an international student, he had to spend more money on the road, and yet the family lived as modestly as possible. In order to somehow stay afloat, the young man worked as a night loader. After mastering the Urdu language, he began translating manuscripts, which brought in a good income.

Until 1956, the student successfully passed exams and sessions, was engaged in translations, continued to be fond of reading and learning languages. Soon part of the group was sent to Kazakhstan for agricultural work. The young man acted there as an assistant combine operator. Students on personal experience understood the price of bread. There Shebarshin Leonid Vladimirovich met his future wife, Nina Pushkina. She studied at the Faculty of Chinese. Upon returning from virgin lands, the couple soon entered into a legal marriage. Young people went to practice in Pakistan as a full-fledged family.

Career in Asia

Shebarshin Leonid Vladimirovich, whose biography is inextricably linked with Asia, began to study the art of diplomacy in the settlement of Karachi. His duties included translating conversations and helping the ambassador. With his wife, he lived in a small damp room, which they were very happy about. The couple's firstborn, Alexei, was born in 1959. After some time, the junior officer receives a promotion (the post of attaché), his specialization becomes the internal politics of Pakistan. In 1962 the family returned to Moscow.

During the time spent in Asia, Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin has grown significantly in professional terms, rising to the position of third secretary, and this is less than thirty years old. In the capital of the USSR, the future intelligence officer deals with issues of Southeast Asia. Basically, these are boring official meetings, drawing up various papers and documents. Such work did not please the man very much. Soon he receives an offer from the KGB for cooperation and accepts it.

Intelligence school education

The future foreign intelligence commander received his first specialized skills in a new field at the 101st intelligence school. At the same time, five specially selected people were trained with him. Here Shebarshin acquired knowledge in completely new disciplines, trained to identify the source of surveillance, maintain secret communication with agents, and analyze errors in regular reports.

Such work required self-discipline, excellent physical, moral preparation and non-standard thinking. Even during his studies, Shebarshin developed a scheme for carrying out one of the operations, which was subsequently awarded a special prize. This tactic has been used more than once and justified itself one hundred percent. In 1963, the Leonid family received an apartment, a year later, their daughter Tatyana was born, who passed away at only 19 years old from an illness, having managed to give birth to a son.

Service in the KGB

Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin, a biography whose quotes are later associated with various political and intelligence events, many of which were declassified, at the beginning of his career as a KGB officer was sent to the internal political department of the USSR Embassy in Pakistan. In 1968, he successfully undergoes retraining at a special school, after which he becomes a deputy resident of state security in India, later he led the intelligence staff there.

Shebarshin became the head of the main department of the KGB in 1989. He held this post for two years. The period is known for the difficult economic situation in the country, active start perestroika and revision of relations between the USSR and the West. After the collapse of the Union, the officer resigns, writes books and aphorisms.

Shebarshin Leonid Vladimirovich: books

Below are literary works former chief of the KGB, as well as the years of their release and features of the plot.

The first series of works is published in 1996. It includes biographical facts, memoirs, political and documentary reviews. The book was called “The Hand of Moscow. Secret Missions.

In addition, the following works by Leonid Vladimirovich should be noted:

1. Biographical and documentary essay "From the life of the head of intelligence" (1997).
2. "Notes of the chief of intelligence. Hand of Moscow" (2002).
3. In 2012, the book "The Chronicle of Timelessness", the work "Intelligence from heyday to collapse" and a collection of topical aphorisms were published.
4. In the same year, another book by this author was published in the section “Tragedies Soviet history” under the name “The last battle of the KGB”.

Shebarshin Leonid Vladimirovich: aphorisms

• "Russia will not be abandoned by foreign friends as long as it has something to rob."
• "The Russian KGB is immortal. Only its names die."
• "The Russian miracle lies in the fact that the economy was destroyed, but ordinary people still live."
• "We look to the past with shame, to the future - with fear."
• "Most went into politics because it's more profitable than ordinary robbery."
• "A person has a face, and a politician has an image."
• "His people hangs like an unbearable burden on the neck of the Russian authorities."
• "The rights of the individual are securely protected in our country. The individual itself is defenseless."
• "In the USSR, business was equated with crime; in Russia, crime turned into business."
• "Soviet power slowly descended to theft. Democracy begins with it."
• "An incomprehensible value is time. The less it remains, the cheaper it is."
• "Life is short. Is it necessary to spend time searching for its meaning?"

This is just a small part of the original, capacious and relevant aphorisms from Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin.

Departure from life

The former officer of the state security committee was found without signs of life on March 30, 2012 in an apartment at the address: st. 2nd Tverskaya-Yamskaya in Moscow. The general and former leader shot himself with a premium weapon. At that time he was seventy-seven years old. A suicide note was found next to the body with the telephone number of the foreign intelligence officer on duty.

Some neighbors and comrades suggest that such an act by Leonid Shebarshin is associated with a deterioration in his health. The fact is that the general did not see with one eye, and on that fateful evening he was completely blind. In addition, his wife was paralyzed for a long time, passed away seven years before the death of her husband. Apparently, he did not want to repeat such a fate and, as a military man, decided to commit suicide.

Conclusion

In his memoirs, Leonid Vladimirovich stated that his soul belongs entirely to intelligence. He served in this field from junior lieutenant to general and head of the Foreign Intelligence Department. After retiring, the officer wrote several books and a collection of aphorisms.

He was not only a real Chekist, but also a master catchphrases Shebarshin Leonid Vladimirovich Where is this amazing man buried? The burial place of the general was the Troekurovskoye cemetery. On April 5, 2012, a memorial service was held, in which colleagues, friends and colleagues of the officer took part.

Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin (1935-2012) - activist Soviet intelligence, lieutenant general, head of foreign intelligence of the USSR (1989-1991), acting. Chairman of the KGB of the USSR (from August 22 to 23, 1991). Below is a fragment from the book of Leonid Shebarshin's memoirs "Requiem for the Motherland".

August ninety one

The slide down the steep slope is over: the country, the committee, the intelligence service, the authorities have sunk into some kind of abyss and are in a state of free fall. Today is 22 August. Gorbachev returned from Crimea yesterday. At the Vnukovo-2 airport, he was met by a not quite ordinary audience - there were no members of the Politburo, there was no vice president and members of the Presidential Council. The habitual taut figures of the Nine employees were lost in the motley crowd of people in military uniform and in civilian clothes, armed with machine guns and pistols. The crowd was gleefully excited and fairly drunk. The President and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, perhaps, first appeared to the people in unusual form. Going down the stairs of the plane, he affably but languidly waved his hand to those who met him, smiling uncertainly, either tired, or guilty smile. A huge presidential ZIL rolled up to the ladder, a heavy armored door swung open.

“Whose car is this?” the president suddenly asked. - "Nines"? - and, having heard: “Yes, Mikhail Sergeyevich,“ Nine ”, - he made a broad gesture, as if brushing ZIL and all his guards from the airfield:“ I won’t go to the Nine! The crowd greeted approvingly roared, someone giggled. The performance began right at the gangway, but, unfortunately for the audience, there was no continuation. Unabashed guards immediately drove the Volga, the president flopped into the back seat, and a sloppy, mixed motorcade, under the howl of sirens and the flashing of red and blue lights, rushed towards the Kremlin. At the same time, Kryuchkov, Yazov, Baklanov, yesterday's closest associates of the president, arrested for attempting to organize a putsch, were taken away by another road.<...>

But Gorbachev had not yet had time to take a break from the flight from the Crimea, as rumors spread around Moscow, and then around the world that the president was hardly just a helpless witness isolated in Foros. While Soviet publicists and politicians were sniffing around the situation, trying to figure out which way the wind would blow, their Western colleagues immediately began to hint that Gorbachev himself, who was in an extremely difficult situation. This is a reason for reflection: what happened before our eyes from August 19 to yesterday looks absolutely ridiculous. It is quite clear to me what motives the "conspirators" were guided by, deciding on such a desperate step. I know Kryuchkov quite well, I talked a lot with General Varennikov, Marshal Akhromeev, Oleg Dmitrievich Baklanov, and I am absolutely convinced that these are honest, disinterested people, patriots of their country, driven to despair.

It seems to me that I am able to see the reason for their failure. These people closed themselves in a narrow circle of like-minded people, warmed up their emotions, turned a blind eye to everything that did not fit into their concepts, and were unable to assess the real mood of society. Until now, all politics in the Soviet Union has been done behind the scenes, and intrigue has been the main weapon in the struggle for power. The situation has completely changed over the past two or three years, but this has remained unnoticed by Kryuchkov. This is the root cause of failure. Even if the GKChP had survived, its success would have been short-lived: the "conspirators" tried to stop the movement of history, and not stand at the head of it.<...>

I sort through some business papers on the table. Five days ago they seemed important and interesting; perhaps they will be like this in a few more days. Today, their irrelevance, their break with reality, is striking. Nevertheless, the mechanism should not stop, people should be busy with their work. I write lengthy resolutions on paper, I ask the assistant to hand them over to their destination without delay, I disturb the heads of departments with questions on the intercom. The impulses coming from above immediately diverge throughout the vast Service, cheering people up. Phone call. This is the apparatus of the Investigative Committee, a special switchboard, which is used only by the highest authorities, in the list of its subscribers there are only 30 people, including the head of intelligence.

Female voice:
- Leonid Vladimirovich? You are being spoken to from Gorbachev's office. Mikhail Sergeevich asks you to be at the reception at 12 o'clock.
- Where is it?
A woman's voice politely and clearly, without a shadow of surprise, explains:
- Third floor of the building of the Council of Ministers in the Kremlin, Walnut room.
- Ok, I will!<...>

Two huge ZILs are parked at the entrance to the building of the Council of Ministers. It was the Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army M.A. Moiseev, who is also heading to the Walnut Room. There are already a lot of people there. Moiseev and I manage to briefly scold our former bosses for stupidity, that is, an act more serious than a crime or a mistake, but we can’t continue the conversation - the president enters the reception room, shakes hands with everyone present and recalls me to an empty neighboring meeting room.

There is a short conversation behind closed doors. “What did Kryuchkov want? What instructions were given to the committee? Did Grushko know? I answer, as in a confession, my dislike for Gorbachev has evaporated somewhere. I'm talking about the meeting at Kryuchkov's on 19 August. "Here's a scoundrel. I trusted him more than anyone, him and Yazov. You know it." I nod in agreement. Regarding Grushko, I say: “I don’t know, perhaps he knew.” (A little later, the thought comes: and, by the way, why is the president so sure that I was not involved in Kryukov's cases? Or was he checking what I know and what I don't know?)
- And who is your head of the border guards?
- Kalinichenko Ilya Yakovlevich.
- How they surrounded me, guarded. There was an order to shoot if anyone tried to pass through the encirclement.

I'm trying to say a word in defense of Ilya, a man incapable of villainy, but the president passes it on deaf ears. Gorbachev says that he temporarily entrusts me with the duties of chairman of the committee: "Go now, convene the deputy chairmen and announce this decision to them." At the same time, he instructs me and my colleagues to prepare reports on our actions on August 19-21. Reports should be sent personally to the President in a sealed envelope.

Mikhail Sergeevich looks great. He is energetic, lively, speaks briefly and clearly, his eyes are shining. This is how a person who has had a good rest on the shore of a gentle warm sea, but not a prisoner who escaped to freedom. There are things in our world that never change. One of them is the habits of the courtiers. Passing through the Walnut Room, the head of the KGB, that is, a person in the current situation, no doubt suspicious, sees friendly, warm smiles, symbolic handshakes from distant corners. Just in case…

I gather my colleagues, I announce the order of the president. Nobody has any questions. We need to discuss what to do. We agree to convene a meeting of the leadership of the KGB tomorrow, and at it we will determine the date and content of the board meeting. The meeting should be held as early as possible. We are creating an official commission to investigate the activities of the KGB during the putsch. At Grushko's suggestion, I appoint Titov head of the commission. In the eyes of Grushko, extinct and aloof, a glimmer of hope flashes, he and Titov are old friends. Titov will be a good investigator, but will he be allowed to remain at the head of the commission? This is a question.<...>

Call. Gorbachev's voice: “I have signed a decree on your appointment as acting chairman of the KGB. Work!”
Why do I not even think about three hours ago, nor now, that I should have refused the appointment? Habitual - nothing to refuse? Discipline? The habit of obeying elders, especially since the president himself controls my fate here? All this is. But there is also a feeling that is unpleasant to me, I try to drive it away, but it doesn’t go away right away - a feeling of vanity: I, a descendant of shoemakers from Maryina Roshcha, a recent reconnaissance soldier on foot, found myself at the head of the State Security Committee. Weak person. "Vanity of vanities and vexation of the spirit..."

To the already familiar reports (“they are trying to break the windows ...”, “there is no police ...”, “they call for the removal of the monument ...”), a wave of telephone congratulations on the new appointment is added. Some are sincerely pleased (I am sure of my friends), some are celebrated just in case. We must answer, thank ... Life is becoming more and more unbearable. The crowd in the square is growing. The office windows overlook the courtyard, the street noise is muffled, I cannot see what is happening around the building, but the situation is familiar. Ten years ago, in Tehran, I had to sit under siege, command the defenders, listen to the roar of the crowd, the sound of broken glass, shots, heavy knocks on the doors ... But now all this is happening in the very center of my city, on the Lubyanka, and not in Tehran, and help is here , like there, there is nowhere to wait. Then we were besieged by people who pretended to be Muslim fanatics, now those who pretended to be democrats are besieging us.

Shulgin, at the sight of the crowd pouring into the Winter Palace, passionately dreamed of machine guns. I know that shooting is not and should not be. We are surrounded by rally cannon fodder, and those who make the mess prefer to stay away from hot spots. Two Russian deputies appear in my office - Ilya Konstantinov and Leonid Gurevich. If the crowd starts acting violent, they intend to reason with it. We drink tea, smoke, talk about politics and life. The interlocutors seem to me very reasonable and conscientious people, the committee should have talked with such people much earlier, we would have found a common language.

They reported that from some car in Serov passage, that is, next to the committee, they were distributing free vodka. Any rebellion in Russia is carried out with the help of vodka, this is a very dangerous thing. Please check immediately. A few minutes later, a disappointed voice reports that the information has not been confirmed, and vodka is not being distributed. The situation is gradually clearing up. There is not a violent crowd on the square, but an organized rally. The young and promising politician Stankevich is in charge of everything, the police have appeared and are keeping order, preparations are underway for the dismantling of the monument to F.E. Dzerzhinsky. We have a local hotbed of tension in Lubyanka. A political storm is raging in the country, the CPSU is retreating in panic, power has already passed into the hands of Yeltsin. Gorbachev takes an unexpected step - he declares his determination to remain with the party (didn't he have time to consult with Alexander Yakovlev?), He says that he believes in socialism and the October Revolution. Something is hard to believe, but if Gorbachev is sincere, this is a courageous statement. The attendant brings reports of radio interception - The service is active.

Chief expert on the KGB Kalugin broadcasts on the waves of the BBC:
- The role and participation of the KGB in the organization of this putsch is very great, although I think that another figure was the main organizer. Most likely, it was Lukyanov.
The former general could not resist and nevertheless denounced a person who somehow did not please him. But what is it? Less than an hour later, Kalugin says to the same BBC:
- The KGB actually acted as the main organizer of the anti-constitutional conspiracy. So now, if I were the president, I would not only disband the KGB of the USSR, but also arrest its leaders.

Your will, Mr. Kalugin. You would not arrest, but torture your former colleagues, and then they would be shot, right? It is difficult to be a newly converted democrat, one has to restrain one's natural instincts, limit oneself to denunciations and advice, but who knows, it may become more free in the future. The calls are fading away personnel long ago released to their homes, offices and safes sealed. The order not to destroy the documents was given in the middle of the day, but I was not going to check its execution, and if something went into the stoves or sewer pipes, then it’s not for me to regret it.

I go through the underground passage to the old building, to the office on the fifth floor, overlooking the square. At the request of the organizers of the rally, floodlights were turned on at the committee house - we are helping to prepare our own execution, but the area is poorly lit. A ring at some distance from the statue of Dzerzhinsky are people, 15-20 thousand. They make speeches, shout out slogans, and start singing a song about Magadan in a discordant chorus. Stankevich stands at the microphone, so his pleasant but badly delivered tenor flies above the general noise. He is an unimportant conductor, and the choir falls apart by itself, although the crowd does not want to part with a song about someone's martyrdom. Apparently, there are no other songs suitable for the occasion, and the musical part of the evening ends.

Meanwhile, two powerful truck cranes are trying on a cast-iron monument. A voluntary executioner sits on Dzerzhinsky's shoulders, wrapping the neck and torso of the first Chekist with an iron rope. The executioner straightens up, pulls up his pants that have fallen down and makes a gesture with his hand: “Done! You can hang!" Most likely, some kind of assembler... Of course, it is not for Stankevich to throw a noose himself, there have always been stewards and there were performers... Civil and public executions are not a new thing for Russia. With a monument, everything looks bigger and a little unreal, but when it comes to living people, the scale will be given with the help of television. It will be even more interesting, because the monument does not change facial expressions, everything that happens for him is a dream, the petty vanity of those who have yet to dissolve in eternal darkness. “There is something about which they say: “Look, this is new”; but that was already in the ages before us. There is no memory of the former; and what will be, there will be no memory of those who will be after. But the crowd, and even I, are not up to Ecclesiastes now, the crowd is absorbed in the spectacle ...

I force myself to watch, this cup must be drunk to the bottom. Am I experiencing grief? No. Everything that happens is natural - retribution for myopia, for the omnipotence and self-interest of leaders, for our lamb, thoughtless nature. The end of one era, the beginning of another, the creak of the wheel of history. The cranes roared, the crowd roared joyfully, hundreds of blitzes broke out. Iron Felix, tightly grabbed by the neck with a noose, hung over the square, and under the cast-iron overcoat, a death spasm of cast-iron legs was indicated. Not for that case they gave the first one, earthly life, Felix Edmundovich? Posthumously answered for the sins of descendants? In the KGB buildings, the endless corridors are empty, quiet, deaf. I ordered the internal guards to be removed in the afternoon.

There is nothing more to do here. The car is in the garage, the gates of which are locked. The attendant calls a car that got lost during the day in the city. The night city is cold, unfriendly, indifferently looks at me with empty dark windows. I was born, raised, lived in this city. Tonight I feel as alien here as in Tehran. The city is possessed by a demon who fell into a heavy sleep before dawn. The past day did not answer a single question. Well, you'll have to wait. Knowing the future is as easy as understanding the past - you need to have patience and wait. At the dacha, a worried Nina is waiting. She, of course, knows about my appointment, and it does not please her.

How long do you think it is?
I think for a few days...<...>

At 8 o'clock I am in my office on the Lubyanka. It is quite obvious that it is impossible to cope with the committee, even temporarily, without the chairman's direct communication desk. A weight of tradition hangs over me: an acting officer never occupies the boss's office. Apparently, the point here is not only modesty, but also a deeply hidden superstition: you will sit in a chair ahead of time and jinx it, frighten off luck, you will not get it. If the moment had been less dramatic, I would have remained at my usual table and, with the help of the attendants, would have dealt with telephones and visitors, but today it’s not up to decency and superstition, you have to swim out yourself and save the committee, you have to act. The situation will prompt the line of conduct.<...>

Once we were the "shield and sword" of power. This power no longer exists, and without reliance on power, state security is helpless. It was by no means a state within a state, a self-sufficient force with special political interests. The head of the Investigation Department reports that Novodvorskaya's supporters are going to storm the Lefortovo prison in order to free their leader. I know this name, I saw Novodvorskaya on TV, I strongly associate her with the hysterical part of the political spectrum. This part, unfortunately, is quite extensive.

Here are those on! Is she with us?
- We have.
- So what to do?
- Release.
Who can order release?
- You yourself.
- Release!

It turns out like a boy scout: not a single day without a good deed, he rescued a prisoner from imprisonment. At 10.30 a meeting of the KGB leadership begins: members of the collegium, heads of departments, consultants to the chairman - a total of 35 people. Time is precious, I don’t want every speaker to talk about political situation, as is usually the case in any meeting. I ask if everyone saw Dzerzhinsky Square this morning. Yes, everyone saw, there are no questions about the situation around the KGB, the clarity is complete. Now we must try to clarify the main question - how to live on.

We immediately come to an agreement that it is necessary to ban the activities of party organizations in the state security system. Not a single vote against, not a single abstention, the secretary of the “big party committee” N.I. Nazarov (a former employee of the Leningrad State University) is also in favor. Immediately, an order is being prepared for the KGB and a circular telegram: the end of the party organization. The step is inevitable, but delayed by several weeks, if not months. For decades, we were taught, and we, obedient students, zealously repeated that the KGB organs are an armed detachment of the party. For the last three or four years we have tried to pretend that there was no such slogan, and now we have said goodbye to the once leading force of our society under the most sad circumstances. One of the greatest strengths of a Russian person is that he is strong in hindsight.

The question of departization is closed, but the strategic line is not yet clear. Speakers talk about the need for structural reorganization, measures to protect agents and archives, the inadmissibility of a sharp reduction in staff, the uselessness and burdensomeness of the troops recently included in the KGB. (By the way, this is another mystery: why didn’t Kryuchkov set these forces in motion, although it would seem that they would be useful precisely in such situations as August 19?) Today’s conversation would have been appropriate a few months ago, now it doesn’t have relationship to the situation. Information is constantly coming in that a crowd is gathering on the square, that there are inflammatory calls to storm the KGB, that the district committees of the CPSU and the district departments of the KGB located in the same buildings are being sealed in the city, that there is still no police.

We accept an appeal to the presidents of the USSR and the RSFSR with a request to prevent illegal actions of the crowd against the KGB and its employees. Someone suggests in this appeal to hint that the KGB officers are armed and should not be driven to despair. No, this phrase will not work - power is not on our side, there is no point in showing a fist if there is no way to hit. We urgently send the appeal to the Kremlin and continue the discussion. The tone of the meeting - a conversation of worried colleagues and like-minded people - is sharply changed by the speech of the Deputy Chairman of the KGB of the RSFSR Podelyakin. Most recently, he was one of us, headed the KGB in Bashkiria. Now he represents the winning side and, apparently, is inspired by his involvement in its top.

Podelyakin rises to his full small height, his bald head is covered with red spots (the thought flickers: after all, this man simply hates us all!). He immediately takes the bull by the horns, or rather, all of us by the throat. Assertive, tough, with a sense of great inner conviction, Podelyakin says that the meeting is moving away from the most important issue - about personnel. It is necessary to immediately remove from the board those who actively participated in the activities of the State Emergency Committee. It is known that the First Deputy Chairman of the KGB of the USSR G. Ageev, for example, instructed the cipher authorities not to let through the telegrams of the KGB of the RSFSR. There is nothing to argue, Ageev gave such an indication. He is sitting here, silently looking at the table, listening to the accuser Podelyakin. Yes, and many others feel that they are not to blame, but they will have to answer.

Podelyakin introduced an alarming, personal note into the discussion - the tradition of purges and investigations, it turns out, is alive in our souls. Gorbachev calls, gives the task to establish the owner of the phone, whose number he dictates to me. The President does not explain what caused the instruction. I recall the head of the Government Communications Department, A. Beda, to the side, he disappears from the office and returns a few minutes later with information: the phone of the internal switchboard of the Ministry of Defense is installed in the office of Colonel so-and-so. From the rest room I call the president, I pass on the information. He does not ask further questions. The meeting continues. We are creating a group that should prepare a meeting of the board, by inertia we are talking about our problems, but it is clear to everyone that Podelyakin is right: the main question will be the fate of each of us, and we will not decide it. The direct line to the President rings again. Gorbachev's voice: "Come to my place in half an hour!"

You have to go to the Kremlin in a roundabout way. The square is filled with a joyful, excited crowd. At 2 pm I am in the same reception room on the third floor that I visited yesterday. They explain to me that the State Council is in session - the president of the Union and the heads of the republics. In the waiting room, Moiseev, a fit, strict fifty-year-old general of the army, is waiting for a call. In the next room, where we go together with Moiseev, a man in the uniform of Colonel-General of Aviation - E. Shaposhnikov, smiles affectionately at us. Moiseev is called into the meeting room. He comes out in half a minute, distinctly, without addressing anyone, says: "I am no longer the Deputy Minister of Defense and not the Chief of the General Staff." He takes two steps to the window, silently looks at the green roofs of the Kremlin buildings. Nobody says a word. A turn around - and a clear soldier's step leaves the general of the army Moses from the higher spheres. With all my heart I wish him strength and peace.

They call me. At a long table (the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU used to gather at it) Gorbachev, Yeltsin, leaders of the republics. It seems that Nazarbayev smiled fleetingly - I met him at the last party congress and invited him to speak to the PGU officers. He accepted the invitation and made a strong impression on the audience with a deep and sober look at our reality. The faces of all those sitting at the table are familiar, but there is no time to bow and be distracted. The President briefly says: “I am appointing Comrade Bakatin as Chairman of the KGB. Go to the committee now and introduce it." Comrade Bakatin, it turns out, is right here, in the meeting room. I feel so relieved that I start to smile widely: “Thank you very much! I will sleep peacefully tonight."

I smile in vain. The President leads the state, he is not in the mood for smiles, he says: "It's too early to sleep peacefully." The ominous undertone of this remark does not reach me at once. Before leaving, I hear that Yeltsin is going to go to the Lubyanka, to reason with the assembled people. This means that our cry for help has reached the presidents. Yes, my command of the committee turned out to be extremely short, perhaps a record in the history of Soviet state security. With a seductive vision, the Yasenevsky forest and the office of the head of intelligence flash before my eyes, which no longer seems dark or gloomy from here. There is my element, and not on the Lubyanka.

We leave together with Bakatin. He invites me to pop into his office for a cup of coffee. The office, it turns out, is on the same third floor - a cozy room with a high ceiling, old-fashioned heavy furniture, a table under green cloth, a pretty woman secretary. Vadim Viktorovich is friendly, relaxed, good-natured and half-jokingly complains about the new appointment. We agree that by 15.00 I will convene the leadership of the committee, and Bakatin will arrive at the chairman's office by this time. He knows the way. My worried colleagues are crowding in the chairman's office: I called the attendants from the car and asked to collect the leadership, there are no ordinary jokes and conversations. Many people know Bakatin, and his reputation in committee circles is not the best.

“Arrived, rising ...” - the guard gives a signal. The elevator door swings open, and a new chairman. There is something a bit theatrical in this scene, and it even seemed to me that the new boss seemed to be looking at himself in an invisible mirror. Bakatin invites everyone to his office, and while we are moving in a dull and timid line, an unnecessary thought flashes through my head: “But didn’t Bakatin play in amateur performances in his youth, like Mikhail Sergeevich?” Well, let's not rush, let's not judge by appearance - party workers have many guises, they will be revealed over time ...

The chairman is relaxed, simple. His first words: “I am not a military man. Here even the collar is somehow not so fastened, ”said in a sincere tone, they could tune in a lyrical mood. Unfortunately, there are no women of lyrical age among those present. Not very young people are sitting here, they are in serious trouble, and the light, even slightly joking tone of the boss does not mislead anyone. The situation begins to repeat itself - the winning side is talking to the losers. Podelyakin laid the foundation. The chairman sits me on my right hand, and again the faces of my colleagues lit up with smiles in my direction. Wouldn't I myself smile at a person who is distinguished in this way?<...>

We are talking about personnel changes. “Here we have the first deputy,” the chairman points in my direction with a relaxed gesture. The reflex is triggered instantly: I protest loudly and categorically: “No, I don’t agree!” (No, I do not agree, dear comrade chiefs! Enough, I refuse to be a dumb chess piece in your treacherous hands! I will play by my own rules, not yours.) I am late after the meeting and once again firmly declare that I will be the first deputy I do not want and will not be the chairman, "...otherwise I will take drastic measures."
- What are they? Bakatin asks kindly.
- I will make a coup d'état!

The joke is stupid, but it helps to end a painful conversation for me. Bakatin suggests that I continue to deal with the current affairs of the committee until he quickly gets used to the situation. By the way, the setting...
- There, supporters of Novodvorskaya are trying to climb into the building through the windows of the second floor.
At the bottom of the grid...
- If they fit, throw them to hell! The day goes on. Bakatin squeamishly walks around the chair in which Kryuchkov was sitting and settles down at the long table. I go to my room, answer continuous phone calls, I drink tea, I smoke. Tension subsides, it is possible to glance at the TV screen. There is an action that makes the heart shrink even in a person who does not have sympathy for Gorbachev. He was brought to a meeting of the Supreme Soviet of Russia, and there the jubilant victors mocked the President of the Union. Gorbachev is confused and pitiful, Yeltsin is joyfully vindictive. Talented rebels continue to sweep away everything that was created by the labor of conscientious simpletons. The rebels in the hall, the simpletons in the streets, in the factories, in the fields, they go on working.

The day is drawing to a close. Such a zigzag turned out in the line of fate of a serviceman, uncomplicated, like the trajectory of a bullet. Sometime some unknown force shot me at an unknown target. And now the bullet is out. She starts to figure things out on her own. The black "Tatra" easily runs through Moscow at night, emerges onto a dark ring road, howls, increases speed - I'm going home, to Yasenevo. A sense of relief from the burden that has been lifted, anxiety for the future, anxiety for oneself and for the Service. Thoughts break away today trying to comprehend everything that happens to me and around me. Not only this strange coup, not his unexpected ascension and equally sudden overthrow. This is just vanity, vexation of the spirit, petty dreams of life ... What will happen to intelligence tomorrow, when its capabilities will be claimed by the new government, when and how will it begin to serve new Russia? These are difficult questions.

However, when we are talking about the future, it is natural for a person, thinking about the worst, to count, if not for the best, then at least for tolerable. Naturally, there is always an unfounded confidence in the reasonableness of the participants in the historical process, their ability to manage this process, which has been repeatedly let down. But I am immeasurably more tormented, driven to rage by the question not of the future (everything is in the hand of God), but of the present and the not so distant past. I feel infinitely humiliated, deceived and robbed, the remnants of human dignity rebel, outraged by the outrage against him. After all, I lived not only to eat well and drink sweetly. I considered myself moderately educated, moderately reasonable, moderately decent person. It seemed that this is how others perceive me and others like me.

56 years is a long life. It contained war, hunger, crowding, poverty, the deaths of neighbors, shelling and sieges, disappointment in people and in oneself - the usual set of ordinary Russian people of my generation. There is nothing to grieve about and nothing to be especially happy about. But why was I so often and so vilely deceived by people whom I was obliged to believe, why was I forced to deceive those who were obliged and wanted to believe me? The list of betrayals and lies is burdensome, but it is absolutely necessary to set it out, to memorize it, if only in order to prevent anyone from laughing at me again, at the foolish belief in the decency of those in power.

We were betrayed for the first time when we were forced to believe in the semi-divine genius of Stalin. We were still too young for cynicism, for questioning the wisdom of the elders. (Maybe I was the only idiot? Do I have the right to generalize? I'm sure I do.) My classmates and I wept real bitter tears in March 1953. Stalin died, a black cloud of future sorrows moved over the country and over us, its poor children. We were too inexperienced to see behind the mourning veil the feverish gleam in the eyes of the comrades-in-arms obsessed with a thirst for power and the heirs of the "leader of all times and peoples." In 1956, they began to make us believe that Stalin was a criminal (not just to know, but to believe), that everything that we were previously, quite recently, made to believe by the same, today's leaders, was all a monstrous deception. It is even humiliating to recall the cult of our dear Nikita Sergeevich, and then the hero of the Great Patriotic War, the hero of the virgin lands, the hero of the renaissance, the terry apparatchik Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, the pitiful figure of Chernenko.

In February 1984, when it became known about the death of Yu.V. Andropov, sitting in a small room in the information service, we wondered who would become our leader, and drove away the idea that this place could be taken by the former head of the garage and the former head of the chancellery, Chernenko. A week later, flattering words about "personally comrade Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko" were heard at meetings and conferences. During this period, it was no longer necessary to deeply and sincerely believe, but it was absolutely necessary to lie publicly. Was it different under Andropov? The charm of his personality in my circle of intelligence operatives of the middle and ordinary echelon was great. It grew in personal communication with Yuri Vladimirovich. He was far-sighted, practical and witty, speaking simply and to the point. It would not have occurred to me in a conversation with him to resort to the current slogans, the usual rhetoric. If this happened, I think the conversation would be the last.

But Andropov, too, lied, and voluntarily or involuntarily forced us to believe in lies and to lie ourselves. The word "conscience" has disappeared from the official lexicon. Lies have become both a stepping stone to success, and a tool in political games, and a condition for survival. But conscience, human dignity could disappear without a trace only in the higher and close to them spheres, where the intoxicating aroma of power and omnipotence drowned out everything. They lied for the sake of power, forced us to lie for the sake of their power, crushed, mutilated our souls, and we were forced to pretend that we believe, tried to sincerely believe all this self-serving and stupid chatter. Sincerely believe, because otherwise it is impossible for a person in whom at least some particles of conscience have been preserved to live.

New times have come. If the lie was not canceled, then at least it was equalized in rights with the truth. Gone was the indispensability of a single canonized truth, the bearers of which were the high priest and the mysterious synclite of sages, called the Politburo. The guardians of the former ideological purity still sniffed suspiciously at the words, but it became clear that everyone could believe in what seemed to him the truth and speak openly about it. There was a timid hope that even if our leaders are not very wise, they are at least honest. The right to the truth, however, was once again used to deceive. We have been betrayed once again.

The lights of my house are shining. Nina does not sleep, she already knows about the changes that have taken place, she approves of my resolute refusal from the post of First Deputy Chairman of the KGB. Something is finally clearing up: only one's own conscience should be the leader. Will I have strength? I drink a glass of vodka, eat with appetite and go to bed without picking up a book. Per open window the forest rustles softly, a restless night bird cries far, far away, the air smells oak leaves. Gorbachev, Novodvorskaya, Podelyakin, Yeltsin, Bakatin, the crowd on the disfigured square, the Supreme Soviet huddle into some kind of shapeless lump and roll away beyond consciousness ...

Secrets of the Office. The life and death of General Shebarshin Povolyaev Valery Dmitrievich

Shebarshin Jr.

Shebarshin Jr.

Leonid Vladimirovich and Nina Vasilyevna had two children, both were born abroad: son Lesha and daughter Tanya.

Tanya - her husband's surname was Nasupkina - died of a severe asthma attack in the arms of a crying father, Tatyana's son Seryozha was about two months old at that time, he still did not understand what was happening, and although his father, Yuri Vasilyevich Nasupkin, was ready to deal with him , the grandson was decisively taken to his grandfather Leonid. Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin.

Son in law he said:

- Yura, you have a life ahead of you, a great life, you will probably create your own family, there will be a lot of trouble, give Earring to me to raise. You can come at any time to see him, even at night.

Nasupkin agreed with Leonid Vladimirovich, often came, fiddled with his son, and so it was for a long time. Then he got married - life took its toll.

And Serezha grew up, studied, his grandfather bought him a small apartment in which he now lives.

If the late daughter Tatyana looked like her father - well, just a spitting copy, then Shebarshin's son Alexei Leonidovich looks like his mother - Nina Vasilievna. Also a leaked copy. The same eyes, the same oval of the face, the same content.

We met with Alexei Leonidovich in Prilukov's office, talked about my father for two hours, probably, if not more. Alexey Leonidovich graduated from the same institute as his father, and very successfully passed the steps of the hierarchical Foreign Ministry ladder from a junior “pre-diplomatic” employee to an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, he was engaged, like his father, in the “Indian region” - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other countries included in this complex node.

When the tiny Seryozhka was left without a mother, Alexei Leonidovich and his wife also wanted to take him to their place, but the grandfather did not give them his grandson, he decided to take care of Seryozha himself.

Alexei loved his father, it was evident, despite his restraint, and it was, perhaps, impossible not to love Shebarshin Sr. He loved Shebarshin Jr. and his mother, she was as bright a person as Leonid Vladimirovich, and at the same time was a good addition to him. Who knows, maybe Shebarshin would not have made the career that he did if he did not have such a wife. Even after the death of Nina Vasilievna, he did not marry, remained faithful to her.

Despite the loneliness in a large apartment - after all, children and grandchildren have already left their native nest, scattered, and loneliness is a very difficult thing.

Shebarshin Jr. talks about her mother with undisguised tenderness: she graduated from school, like her father, with a silver medal, studied at the institute on the same course with Leonid Vladimirovich, studied China and easily learned the most difficult language. But, having married Leonid Shebarshin, she completely subordinated herself to her husband, his cares and aspirations. In her youth, Nina Vasilievna was a first-class athlete, participated in all-Union competitions, despite her small height, was a high jump champion, played for the Wings - the Wings of the Soviets team ...

I remember when I was working on a long article about the Shebarshin family for the Semya newspaper, I made a mistake, wrote that Nina Vasilievna was born in Pskov (and I still don’t know what prompted me to make such a rash statement), and when I arrived to Shebarshin, already with a bundle of newspapers, Nina Vasilievna said in a kind of timid and quiet voice:

- You know, Valery, I was not born in Pskov ...

Shebarshin immediately intervened in the conversation, shouted jokingly:

- Tsyts, mother, where it is written, there she was born!

The younger Shebarshin talked a lot about India, about life there, about hunting ... Leonid Vladimirovich knew how to famously shoot from a gun, flying in, and there were almost no cases when he missed.

By the way, here in Moscow, at the shooting range, Shebarshin also showed brilliant results. He was friends with the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR Logvinov, therefore, when time allowed, he went to the shooting gallery of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And, to the surprise of experienced operatives, he "fired" at almost any police master from all types of weapons.

But back to India. I asked Alexei Leonidovich to tell some story about his father, when he had a great influence on him.

- Actually, the children were afraid of their father - probably, this is how it should be in every family: someone must have unshakable authority. Our father had such authority ... If he asked to do something, they did it immediately.

The story that Alexey Leonidovich told is interesting both from the point of view of psychology and from the point of view of education.

Father and mother were in Delhi, and Alexei was in Moscow - in the capital, not like in Delhi, one could get good school preparation ...

And it just so happened that Alexei Shebarshin did not go to school foreign language, English - well, it didn’t go, and that’s it. At least cry. And there was reason to cry when Alexei was slapped with one deuce, and then another.

They called, of course, the father. But there is no father - he is abroad ... They called the mother. She is also not in Moscow - she stays behind the cordon with her father. All in all, things were getting worse.

On vacation, Alexei flew to his father and there, in Delhi, he did not hide anything, he told everything.

The father was upset - he himself knew English perfectly - why is the son not given the language? In the end, the father did this: he took a colorful English comic book from the bookshelf, marked a few pages and said to his son:

– The task is as follows: to translate these pages in a day, in the evening, when I come home from work, retell them in English. All clear?

In the evening Aleksei retelled the translated text to his father, the next day he received a new task - to translate the next few pages and retell them in the evening.

In a month, Alexey translated, retold, and in fact - learned the entire thick comic book, from cover to cover, along with the text, several hundred new English words, and when he arrived in Moscow, he surprised everyone in his class, and first of all, the teacher of English language… She even opened her mouth in surprise. He even surpassed the distinguished local honors student Vera Kuzina. Faith, it seems, still cannot forgive Alexei Shebarshin for that defeat.

And since that time, Alexey’s language has gone - and not only English ... As a result, in 1982 he graduated from the legendary MGIMO University, the Eastern Department of the Faculty of International Relations, and became a diplomat. He worked in India for nine years, in Pakistan for five years, and in Sri Lanka as an ambassador for four years. In total, Shebarshin Jr. worked in the system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for twenty-nine years.

In the Union, special boarding schools were created for children whose parents were abroad. One, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was located in Chkalovskaya, the second, through the KGB, was located near the Izmailovsky Park metro station, Alexei studied in such a boarding school for four years - in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades.

Of course, it’s better when children are with their parents - then it’s easier to raise them, and it’s easier to manage a family, but the father reasoned fairly: in the embassy school, all sciences would have been easy for Alexei, but this ease would have been visible - he would have been given five only for the fact that he is the son of Shebarshin, teachers would indulge, but no one will indulge in a boarding school, everyone is equal there, both the children of extraordinary plenipotentiary ambassadors and the children of “pre-diplomatic” workers study there ... Therefore, it’s better to study in Moscow, in a boarding school.

Aleksey Shebarshin had the warmest memories of the boarding school - it was a kind of school fraternity that had its own unspoken charter and its own code of honor, its own hierarchy and its own priorities. For all that, no one pinched anyone - everyone was equal.

Of course, it sometimes happened that, while at the boarding school, the son of the commandant of the embassy looked with some envy at the son of the ambassador, but this happened so rarely that the children did not even notice. But parents could be calm for their children.

When Alexei finished school, his father arrived. He put two bottles of good champagne on the table - not some quickly composed wine that is brewed in a bucket like early beer, but real champagne - he said with pleased warmth in his voice:

- This is for you and your friends, - then he pointed to the bookshelf, there was a block of the cherished and so rare in Moscow "Marlboro" - delicious American cigarettes, - he showed silently, without any accompanying words ...

Yes, actually, and without that everything was clear.

By the way, Aleksey Shebarshin never learned to drink, he didn’t even drink where it was necessary to drink, one might say, the protocol required it, and he tried to explain himself very gently to those who insisted that he must take a glass in his hands.

But the habit of smoking, and smoking often, was instilled in him - he inherited from his father. After school, Alexei had an institute, after the institute he worked for several months in the central office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then for five years in our embassy in Delhi, then he became an attaché. And the attache is already a person with green diplomatic "peels" in his pocket.

It was interesting to work in India, and Alexey Leonidovich was grateful that his father had instilled in him an interest, and later love, for this country. Alexei met a lot of unusual things in life, he learned a lot, and, to be honest, he began to look at life with different eyes: after all, every country, its philosophy, people and customs, culture and way of life necessarily leave an imprint on the person who came to it.

And he didn’t just come, but decided to work, spend several years in the country… Alexey Shebarshin very quickly came to the conclusion that it was more interesting to work in the East than in the West.

Here the people are cleaner, more delicate, more friendly, simpler than in the West, the attitude towards Russians is more respectful ... And in the West, a person will smile very often, say pleasant words, and keep a stone in his bosom. And at the first opportunity, when the interlocutor loses vigilance, he will warm with this stone.

There are more than enough examples of this. So Alexey Leonidovich quite rightly believes that he himself was lucky, and his father was lucky - those countries and lands to which they were led by the diplomatic road (and, accordingly, education) are very interesting.

After India, Shebarshin Jr. worked for five years in Pakistan. His mission was difficult - he was looking for Soviet prisoners of war captured by dushmans in Afghanistan and transported to Pakistan.

However, dushmans captured not only the military, but also civilians. In particular, at the very beginning of the Afghan campaign, one prominent geologist was hired, who was engaged in a matter very necessary for the whole of Afghanistan - he was looking for water in a country suffering from lack of water and found it, found a lot of water. The same Kabul can receive it today as much as it considers necessary.

The geologist had a lot of merits - he went through the war in front-line reconnaissance, had many orders, worked in Afghanistan as the head of the geological contract, his last name is Akhrimyuk.

His own Afghan driver helped steal the geologist, and no matter how much later our reconnaissance groups went around the Afghan provinces to free the captive, they did not find him - they returned with nothing.

Two years later, our army intelligence probed the camps of the Mujahideen in the adjacent territory, so the commander was shown a lonely grave overgrown with weeds:

- Here lies your shuravi ...

It was the grave of a purely civilian - not military - person: a glorious geologist who did so much for Afghanistan - he was simply tortured.

All our civilians who came at that time on business trips to Afghanistan were given weapons - pistols. Basically it was the Makarovs. Weapons were not given in order to fight the dushmans and show heroism, they were given so that the Shuravi (Soviet, that means) could not be captured alive.

This is also the East, the same magical East smelling of spices, which we so often admire, capable of captivating and making the most pragmatic, tough person into an incorrigible romantic.

I can imagine how many hopes our guys, who found themselves in the dushman dungeons, endured hunger, and torture, and humiliation, had with people who were busy looking for prisoners.

I had to contact all the "charity organizations" that could help in the search, and first of all with the Red Cross. The Red Cross helped a lot, often and, most importantly, effectively.

Once the Red Cross handed over to our embassy in Islamabad a letter from a prisoner of war - a Tajik boy named Tashrifov.

The boy sent a letter to his father, who lives in the Pamir Mountains, saying that he would never return home, he had a great life, he was among his Islamic brothers and did not regret anything.

This letter, of course, was read at the embassy, ​​it did not please any of the employees, but according to the law, all letters that the Red Cross employees transmitted had to be forwarded to the addressees.

It was decided to forward this letter to the unfortunate father, who had lost his son.

But here's the thing - in the rush, no one paid attention to the envelope. And on the envelope, in addition to the address, the following was written: "The Afghan enemy is nearby."

It was a signal: the letter was written under dictation, the boy soldier was kept locked up and they were not going to let him out.

Soviet Ambassador Viktor Pavlovich Yakunin took the letter, took the envelope and went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he demanded that this matter be carefully sorted out.

Officials from the ministry were forced to retreat, their representative went to the camp where the spooks were based. The Tajik boy ended up there… He was brought to Islamabad. Meanwhile, the boy's father arrived from the Soviet Union, rushed to his son, tears in his eyes.

Why did you decide to leave me? Did I bring you up badly, did I infringe on you in some way?

And the boy could not answer anything, his throat was also clogged with tears - he hugged his father and cried.

Then, having come to his senses, he told under what circumstances the letter was written, how they pressured him and dictated every word ... If he had not obeyed, they would certainly have been killed.

Soon the father and son of the Tashrifovs left for the Soviet Union, for Tajikistan, and the Pakistani side was forced once again to admit the presence of hostile forces on its territory. Soviet Union camps...

When a very difficult August 1991 came and riots broke out in Moscow, Shebarshin Jr. was returning by car from Peshawar to Islamabad and heard a message on the radio about what was happening in the Soviet capital. It became alarming, very alarming: after all, the father is such a person that he will not stand aside ... Despite all his kindness, his inability to offend anyone, his decency and unwillingness to interfere in any squabbles.

God forbid, something would happen to him... Alexey Leonidovich was afraid of this - even his throat was intercepted and there was nothing to breathe.

Back in Islamabad, he started calling his father. At home, at the dacha, at work, long dreary beeps sounded in response. It seems that emptiness is measured with such beeps ...

Shebarshin Jr. was nervous and called, called, called to Moscow.

I called two days later. Father was alive and well, his voice was only very tired and preoccupied. Aleksey Leonidovich understood well the burden that lay on him.

I wanted to immediately go to Moscow, see my father, see my mother ... But for this it was necessary to abandon all the affairs with the prisoners of war that he led, to cut off a very difficult search. This could never be allowed to happen. And yes, he needed a lot of help. strangers who found themselves in the dushman pits. I had to wait for vacation, my turn.

But all vacations at the embassy were frozen, the reason was the most banal - there was not enough money. Financing of diplomacy was reduced in all respects (and what is diplomacy! - for the sake of enrichment, achieving a dwarf goal - to grow their own billionaire oligarchs, thousands of the most important factories, including defense ones, were put on their side, entire industries disappeared), in Alexei Leonidovich managed to get to Moscow only two years later.

Father was cheerful, well-behaved and looked good, he had his own opinion on everything that was happening around, kept in touch with friends and colleagues. In general, he was full of optimism. It was some kind of renewed person, and Shebarshin Jr. liked him.