The only President of the USSR not so long ago celebrated his 84th birthday, but still continues to lead an active social activities. The houses where Gorbachev lived during his career changed from a modest rural house in Privolnoye to the luxurious state dacha Barvikha-4.

Small Motherland - Stavropol Territory

Mikhail Gorbachev was born in 1931 in the village of Privolnoye, Stavropol Territory. His childhood years also passed there: in a small house No. 16 on Naberezhnaya Street. In the 70s, M. Gorbachev's mother sold the building, and now pensioner Valentina Ivanovna lives there. In the "appendage" to the house - the earth: parents former president were peasants, as were both of his grandfathers on the paternal and maternal sides.

In the same village, another house where Gorbachev lived has been preserved - on Shkolnaya Street. The village authorities offered (with the consent of the owner) to the local Orthodox parish, but the priest refused, as he considered that the service would be too expensive. The house itself is closed, but residents monitor the surrounding area, clean and put it in order.

At one time there were plans to create a museum of Mikhail Gorbachev, but in the end they were never realized. There are no personal belongings of the ex-president left in the village, except for photographs that are stored in the central rural museum. As far as is known, the owner last time appeared in Privolnoye in 2003.

Life in the capital

M. Gorbachev moved to the capital with his family in 1978. He owned an apartment on the top floor in an elite building on the street. Kosygin. He lived there from 1986 to 1991.

During his tenure as General Secretary, the security guards were located in the same house on the first floor, for which a separate apartment was allocated.

Both premises were eventually acquired by Igor Krutoy. According to unconfirmed reports, the composer paid about $15 million for M. Gorbachev's own apartment. A few years before this purchase, I. Krutoy also acquired a “guard apartment”.

Some time, even before moving to the house on the street. Kosygin, the future president occupied an apartment in a nine-story building at 10 Granatny lane. The place where Gorbachev lived is also known as Pavlov's house.

After the Kremlin

After the "dissolution" of the USSR and the emergence of independent states in its place, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned from the post of President. In 1991, the heads of 7 CIS member states signed an agreement that provided for a pension, a dacha, a car and security for the former "master" of the Kremlin.

As a result of the agreement, he was given a state dacha in the Moskva River complex, located 14 km from Moscow. Judging by the publications in the media, in 2004 it was still the residence of the ex-president. However, the place where Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich lives is much more famous. In addition, he was presented to San Francisco. The office of his "Gorbachev Foundation" is located there.

"Real German"

According to information published by Anatoly Kholodyuk in the article “A house in Bavaria where Gorbi lives”, in 2005 Mikhail Gorbachev moved with his daughter Irina and granddaughters to Rottach-Egern, to Hubertus Castle (Bavaria). The place where Gorbachev now lives is much more suitable for an elderly person than cool Moscow.

His first villa until 2007 was located on Aignerweg 2a, three hundred meters from the church of St. Lawrence. In 2007, the family acquired the so-called Hubertus Castle, located on Kreuzweg Street. Formally, the house is registered in the surname Virganskaja (Julia Virganskaya - daughter of M. Gorbachev).

The "Castle", where Gorbachev now lives, consists of two large buildings. Previously, a Bavarian orphanage was located here. Despite his age, the ex-president leads active life: articles about him appear in Munich publications from time to time, and a few months ago, in December 2014, he held a presentation of his second book, “After the Kremlin”, in Moscow.

Dachas

A separate topic for conversation is the dacha where Gorbachev lived. Somewhere he spent more time, somewhere - less. The buildings visited by the ex-president include the first and second state dachas in Livadia, Mamonova dacha, Stalin's "near dacha" in Fili-Davidkovo (currently within Moscow), the Foros Zarya known due to the events of 1991, " Barvikha-4".

State dacha No. 11, the so-called “Zarya” object, is located in the bay between Capes Foros and Sarych. It was personally chosen by the Secretary General, the construction was completed in 1988.

The ex-president of the USSR, in addition, could use a five-story building in Myusser (Abkhazia), located right by the sea, with a berth for submarines and stained-glass windows, decorated personally by Zurab Tsereteli.

This dacha began to be built immediately after his election as General Secretary in 1985. Unlike the resting places of previous Soviet leaders, it is made luxuriously - there are rooms for guests, an elevator, stained-glass windows self made, finishing with expensive marble, porcelain and bronze chandeliers, jacuzzi, expensive furniture. The construction of this splendor dragged on until the collapse of the USSR. Now the building is empty.

"Barvikha-4"

The residence in Abkhazia is not the only place that bears the imprint of the personality of the former president of the USSR. In the late 80s, more precisely, by 1986, on the site of the Botkin-Guchkov estate (not far from the village of Razdory), the state dacha Barvikha-4 was built specifically for M. Gorbachev.

It could rightly be called the house where Gorbachev lives - the president's family used it from 1986 to 1991 and spent quite a lot of time here. The residence occupied 66 hectares. A beach was equipped on the territory, a water channel was laid from the Moscow River to the residence.

"Barvikha-4" was built in record time - in six months, and inside, in addition to the beach and the river, there was also a playground, gardens, an aviary for dogs, a tennis court and Gym, even in case of an emergency evacuation of the president.

After the resignation of Gorbi, as the Germans call him, from the presidency of the USSR, the dacha passed into the use of the first president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin.

Despite where Mikhail Gorbachev lives, he is always surrounded by comfort. From the time of the ascent to the Soviet "Olympus" and until today residences succeeded each other, but invariably remained high.

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev is the former General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the first and only president of the Soviet Union.

The activities of the Soviet leader influenced the course of world history, in particular, led to the conclusion Soviet troops from Afghanistan and the Warsaw Pact countries, ensured the signing of an agreement with the United States to reduce the number of missiles medium range contributed to the reunification of Germany. These and other merits of his became a good reason for awarding the politician the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the post-Soviet space historical role the ex-president is evaluated ambiguously - some consider him outstanding politician, who managed to break the powerful totalitarian system, others blame him for the deliberate collapse of the state and even for all the current troubles of the Russian Federation.

Childhood

The future leader of the superpower was born in Stavropol on March 2, 1931 in the Russian-Ukrainian family of collective farmers Sergei Andreevich and Maria Panteleevna (nee Gopkalo). Both of his grandfathers suffered from the Soviet regime: the paternal grandfather was exiled to Siberia, the maternal grandfather was accused of "anti-Leninism" and almost was shot.


During the Second World War, his father fought, and Mikhail, along with his mother, fell into the occupation. After the liberation of the village, he continued his studies at school, from the age of 15 he worked as an assistant combine operator, and at the age of 17 he was awarded his first order - the Red Banner of Labor.


In 1950, the young man received a certificate and without exams (as an order bearer) became a student at the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University, and 2 years later - a member of the CPSU. Upon completion of his education in 1955, he was sent for distribution to work in the prosecutor's office of the city of Stavropol.

Career Development

In his specialty, Mikhail Sergeevich worked for a little more than a week, and then switched to Komsomol work - he headed the regional propaganda department of the youth organization of the Communist Party.


Successfully advancing in the service, in 1956 he already became the secretary of the city committee, after 5 years he took a similar post in the regional committee of the Komsomol. In 1961, he was nominated as a delegate to the XXII Congress of the CPSU, a year later - the party organizer of the regional committee of the agricultural administration, then - the head of the department of the regional party bodies. He studied in absentia at the Faculty of Economics of the Stavropol Agricultural Institute and earned a reputation as a promising, thinking and principled party worker. In 1966, Gorbachev headed the city party committee.


Many first persons of the country came to rest in Stavropol Territory, with whom the future Secretary General developed a good relationship. It is known that Yuri Andropov appreciated Gorbachev, called him a "stavropol nugget" and considered his candidacy for the post of deputy chairman of the KGB of the Soviet Union.


In 1970, he was appointed first secretary of the regional committee of the party. The young and enterprising party functionary, in addition to Andropov, was highly appreciated by other leaders of the first echelon, including Brezhnev, Gromyko and Suslov. In 1978 he was elected Secretary of the Central Committee, and he moved to the capital. Two years later he was included in the Politburo.


In 1985 he was nominated for the post Secretary General Central Committee of the CPSU. Since 1988, Gorbachev began to combine it with the post of head of the Supreme Council. Once at the pinnacle of power, he initiated such processes that have remained in history under the names "perestroika", "acceleration", "glasnost", "dry law". Among the achievements of his reign are also called the right to choose a religion and the possibility of foreign trips. On March 15, 1990, the politician became president of the USSR and supreme commander military forces.

Mikhail Gorbachev announces the introduction of "prohibition"

In 1991, a number of party functionaries, major security officials, members of the government and the KGB announced the formation of the State Emergency Committee and reported that the leader of the state was unwell.


In August, the Soviet leader left the post of general secretary, and in November he left the CPSU. In December, the leaders of the union republics signed an agreement establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States, which put an end to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Later, the ex-leader did not recognize the responsibility for the collapse of the USSR and shifted it to Russia and Boris Yeltsin.

Mikhail Gorbachev on the Belovezhskaya Accords

Having made the decision to resign, former head superpower began to conduct active social activities. He organized the Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Research, wrote a series scientific works, published the works “Alone with Myself”, “Life after the Kremlin”, “Gorbachev in Life”.

Mikhail Gorbachev. First and last

In 2016, he received congratulations from Vladimir Putin on his 85th birthday. The ex-president sometimes criticized the policy of the leader of the state, but in general he always supported it. In 2017, he presented his memoirs “I Remain an Optimist” at a meeting with readers in the capital’s House of Books.

Personal life

The former president is a widower. He met his late wife Raisa Maksimovna (before Titarenko's marriage) in his student years. They married in 1953 and after graduation moved together to the North Caucasus.


In 1957, the couple had a daughter, Irina. My wife worked as a lecturer in the Knowledge Society, taught at the Department of Philosophy of the Medical and Agricultural Institute. After moving to the capital, she lectured at Moscow State University, was engaged in social activities and always supported her husband's progressive undertakings.

Mikhail Sergeevich and Raisa Maksimovna Gorbachev. Love story

In 1999, she was diagnosed with leukemia and, despite the efforts of German oncologists, she died. This was a huge blow for Mikhail Sergeevich. In 2009, with the help

Where does Gorbachev live, what is the first president of the USSR doing now? These questions are being asked today by everyone who is interested in domestic politics. One of the most popular politicians of the USSR and Russia of the 20th century has long retired and rarely appears in public space. We will try to open the veil of secrecy in this article.

The fate of Gorbachev

The politician today leads a non-public life, so journalists do not know where Gorbachev lives. Although the first and last president The USSR willingly hosts journalists, despite its venerable age (this year it turned 87 years old), this happens in the most different places and even countries.

It is worth noting that Gorbachev is one of the most controversial domestic politicians, the attitude of his compatriots towards him is extremely ambiguous.

Some believe that he is a traitor who ruined Soviet Union, others, on the contrary, thank him for the opportunity to live in modern democratic Russia, and also for the fact that he did not cling to power, which made it possible to avoid bloodshed.

If you briefly tell the biography of Gorbachev, then you need to start with the fact that he was born in the Stavropol Territory in 1931. His childhood passed quite modestly, from the age of 13 he already worked on a collective farm, helping his parents. Starting as a handyman, he was soon promoted to assistant combine operator.

In 1950 he graduated from high school and immediately entered the Faculty of Law of the Moscow state university. It was studying at the capital's university that opened up broad prospects for him, playing a decisive role in life. Here he got acquainted with the basics of politics, while still a student, he joined the CPSU.

After the university, he finally made a choice in favor of politics, becoming the first secretary of the Komsomol city committee in the Stavropol Territory. Even while studying at the institute, he met his future wife Raisa, with whom he spent his whole life.

At the very beginning of his political career Gorbachev specialized in agricultural issues, received a second higher education in the field of economics and agronomy.

When he was 47 years old, he was noticed in Moscow, transferred to the capital. It is known that this decision was personally supported by Yuri Andropov. After a few years of work in Moscow, the politician became a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, it was under his leadership that the process of reforming power and market economy.

At the head of the country


Having earned a reputation as a large-scale reformer, Mikhail Sergeevich was elected general secretary Central Committee of the CPSU. From that moment on, he began to implement his main political project for the democratization of Soviet society, which, with his light hand immediately became known as perestroika.

He has been successful in certain areas. In 1990, after changes were made to the legislation of the state, it was he who was elected the first president of the USSR. As it soon became clear, it was also the last one, because a year later such a country was gone.

With democracy came a number of serious problems. An economic crisis began in the country, and the position of Boris Yeltsin, Gorbachev's political opponent, was strong. As a result, there was a coup d'état, the Soviet Union collapsed.

Gorbachev did not hold on to power, he resigned, stopping for a while political activity. Instead, he became involved in research and community work.

During the presidential elections in Russia in 1996, he made an attempt to return to politics, but took only 7th place, gaining 0.51% of the vote.

New place of residence


After resigning from the post of head of state, Gorbachev naturally left the state residences. From time to time, information appears in the media that it can be seen on various public events which take place in various European cities. At the same time, for many it still remains a mystery where Gorbachev lives at the present time.

It can definitely be argued that it is not in Russia, since in our country it appears much less frequently than abroad. According to the most common version, permanent place residence is in Germany. Most of those who claim to know where Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev lives say that his home is in the Bavaria resort town of Rottach-Egern, which is famous for its clinics for the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

According to the latest data, the ex-politician settled there with his daughter and grandchildren about eight years ago. This is where Mikhail Gorbachev lives now. The villa of the hero of our article is located about three hundred meters from the church of St. Lawrence, in which he is considered a parishioner. Although it is not known for certain whether the former communist became a believer.

Hubertus Castle

And it's not the only property. sole president USSR abroad. Trying to find out where Mikhail Gorbachev currently lives, journalists learned that in 2007 he bought another house in the same city. The locals call it Hubertus Castle. Its approximate cost is one million euros. In former times, a Bavarian orphanage was located in two small buildings, now a Russian politician has settled there.

Growing around the house where Gorbachev lives tall trees. flows nearby mountain river, where you can successfully fish, for example, catch royal trout. At the same time, there is information that the castle was not actually issued in his name, so it is impossible to reliably state where MS Gorbachev now lives.

Relationship with journalists


When he was the head of the USSR, Gorbachev willingly communicated with journalists, becoming famous as one of the most open leaders. But in recent years, he has been extremely reluctant to meet with Russian reporters, which is why many do not know where Gorbachev now lives.

Much more he loves the German press. Articles about his life, leisure, health, and success regularly appear in various major publications. It is worth noting that in Germany there is a special attitude towards Gorbachev. He is considered a politician who played a decisive role in the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the unification of the GDR and the FRG. For this he received the Nobel Peace Prize. German journalists often speak enthusiastically about him, noting that only descendants will appreciate his deeds.

Relations with Putin

Doesn't know if current president Vladimir Putin, where Gorbachev lives. They meet infrequently, the last time they saw each other in the Kremlin, talking face to face. At that moment, Gorbachev supported Putin's policy, but over time he began to be critical of it, which he repeatedly stated in interviews with foreign media.

At the same time, Vladimir Putin himself is not offended by this. It is known that he regularly congratulates him on his birthday with official telegrams. Putin himself regularly notes Gorbachev's desire to strengthen Russia's authority in the international arena.

Gorbachev's activities after his resignation


After leaving the presidency of the USSR, Gorbachev, together with his wife Raisa, lived and worked in Moscow for a long time. The hero of our article founded the Gorbachev Foundation, in 1993 he was one of the first founders of Novaya Gazeta.

The Gorbachev Foundation is non-profit organization, which is engaged in research on the history of perestroika, as well as issues that remain relevant to the international and Russian history. Officially, the foundation is funded by royalties that Gorbachev receives from his lectures, speeches, and publications. The foundation also receives donations for targeted projects from individuals, charitable foundations And international organizations.

Is Gorbachev working now?


Now Gorbachev is already 87 years old, but he still regularly comes to his workplace to the Gorbachev Foundation when he is in Russia. As a rule, he comes to work for a few hours from Tuesday to Friday.

At the same time, he still conducts active research and social activities, participates in discussions with the involvement of authoritative experts that relate to the development of the maritime community.

In 2017, Gorbachev presented his memoirs at the Moscow House of Books, which were published under the title "I remain an optimist." In this book, he collected his memories of life, starting from childhood, spoke about coming to power in the USSR. It is known that now he is working on a new book, which will be based on a series of his lectures.

House in Russia


Of course, Gorbachev also has real estate in Russia, a house in which he lives permanently. It is located in the village of Kalchuga, located not far from Moscow on the Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway.

People close to Gorbachev argue that the news household a woman helps him. At the same time, he is still accompanied by security as a former president.

These questions are being asked today by everyone who is interested in domestic politics. One of the most popular politicians of the USSR and Russia of the 20th century has long retired and rarely appears in public space. We will try to open the veil of secrecy in this article.

The fate of Gorbachev

The politician today leads a non-public life, so journalists do not know where Gorbachev lives. Although the first and last president of the USSR willingly hosts journalists, despite his venerable age (he turned 87 this year), this happens in a variety of places and even countries.

It is worth noting that Gorbachev is one of the most controversial domestic politicians, the attitude of his compatriots towards him is extremely ambiguous.

Some believe that he is a traitor who destroyed the Soviet Union, others, on the contrary, thank him for the opportunity to live in modern democratic Russia, and also for the fact that he did not cling to power, which allowed him to avoid bloodshed.

If you briefly tell the biography of Gorbachev, then you need to start with the fact that he was born in the Stavropol Territory in 1931. His childhood passed quite modestly, from the age of 13 he already worked on a collective farm, helping his parents. Starting as a handyman, he was soon promoted to assistant combine operator.

In 1950, he graduated from high school and immediately entered the faculty of law at Moscow State University. It was studying at the capital's university that opened up broad prospects for him, playing a decisive role in life. Here he got acquainted with the basics of politics, while still a student, he joined the CPSU.

After the university, he finally made a choice in favor of politics, becoming the first secretary of the Komsomol city committee in the Stavropol Territory. While still studying at the institute, he met his future wife Raisa, with whom he spent his whole life.

At the very beginning of his political career, Gorbachev specialized in agricultural issues, received a second higher education in the field of an agronomist-economist.

When he was 47 years old, he was noticed in Moscow, transferred to the capital. It is known that this decision was personally supported by Yuri Andropov. After a few years of work in Moscow, the politician became a member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, it was under his leadership that the process of reforming the authorities and the market economy began.

At the head of the country

Having earned a reputation as a large-scale reformer, Mikhail Sergeevich was elected General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. From that moment on, he began to implement his main political project for the democratization of Soviet society, which, with his light hand, immediately began to be called perestroika.

He has been successful in certain areas. In 1990, after changes were made to the legislation of the state, it was he who was elected the first president of the USSR. As it soon became clear, it was also the last one, because a year later such a country was gone.

With democracy came a number of serious problems. An economic crisis began in the country, and the position of Boris Yeltsin, Gorbachev's political opponent, was strong. As a result, there was a coup d'état, the Soviet Union collapsed.

Gorbachev did not cling to power, he resigned, temporarily ceasing political activity. Instead, he became involved in research and community work.

During the presidential elections in Russia in 1996, he made an attempt to return to politics, but took only 7th place, gaining 0.51% of the vote.

New place of residence

After resigning from the post of head of state, Gorbachev naturally left the state residences. From time to time, information appears in the media that it can be seen at various mass events that take place in various cities of Europe. At the same time, for many it still remains a mystery where Gorbachev lives at the present time.

It can definitely be argued that it is not in Russia, since in our country it appears much less frequently than abroad. According to the most common version, his permanent residence is in Germany. Most of those who claim to know where Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev lives say that his home is in the Bavaria resort town of Rottach-Egern, which is famous for its clinics for the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

According to the latest data, the ex-politician settled there with his daughter and grandchildren about eight years ago. This is where Mikhail Gorbachev lives now. The villa of the hero of our article is located about three hundred meters from the church of St. Lawrence, in which he is considered a parishioner. Although it is not known for certain whether the former communist became a believer.

Hubertus Castle

And this is not the only real estate of the only president of the USSR abroad. Trying to find out where Mikhail Gorbachev currently lives, journalists learned that in 2007 he bought another house in the same city. The locals call it Hubertus Castle. Its approximate cost is one million euros. In former times, a Bavarian orphanage was located in two small buildings, now a Russian politician has settled there.

Tall trees grow around the house where Gorbachev lives. A mountain river flows nearby, in which you can successfully fish, for example, catch royal trout. At the same time, there is information that the castle was not actually issued in his name, so it is impossible to reliably state where MS Gorbachev now lives.

Relationship with journalists

When he was the head of the USSR, Gorbachev willingly communicated with journalists, becoming famous as one of the most open leaders. But in recent years, he has been extremely reluctant to meet with Russian reporters, which is why many do not know where Gorbachev now lives.

Much more he loves the German press. Articles about his life, leisure, health, and success regularly appear in various major publications. It is worth noting that in Germany there is a special attitude towards Gorbachev. He is considered a politician who played a decisive role in the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the unification of the GDR and the FRG. For this he received the Nobel Peace Prize. German journalists often speak enthusiastically about him, noting that only descendants will appreciate his deeds.

Relations with Putin

It is not known whether current President Vladimir Putin knows where Gorbachev lives. They meet infrequently, the last time they saw each other in the Kremlin, talking face to face. At that moment, Gorbachev supported Putin's policy, but over time he began to be critical of it, which he repeatedly stated in interviews with foreign media.

At the same time, Vladimir Putin himself is not offended by this. It is known that he regularly congratulates him on his birthday with official telegrams. Putin himself regularly notes Gorbachev's desire to strengthen Russia's authority in the international arena.

Gorbachev's activities after his resignation

After leaving the presidency of the USSR, Gorbachev, together with his wife Raisa, lived and worked in Moscow for a long time. The hero of our article founded the Gorbachev Foundation, in 1993 he was one of the first founders of Novaya Gazeta.

The Gorbachev Foundation is a non-profit organization that researches the history of perestroika, as well as issues that remain relevant to international and Russian history today. Officially, the foundation is funded by royalties that Gorbachev receives from his lectures, speeches, and publications. The foundation also receives donations for targeted projects from individuals, charitable foundations and international organizations.

Is Gorbachev working now?

Now Gorbachev is 87 years old, but he still regularly visits his workplace at the Gorbachev Foundation when he is in Russia. As a rule, he comes to work for a few hours from Tuesday to Friday.

At the same time, he still conducts active research and social activities, participates in discussions with the involvement of authoritative experts that relate to the development of the maritime community.

In 2017, Gorbachev presented his memoirs at the Moscow House of Books, which were published under the title "I remain an optimist." In this book, he collected his memories of life, starting from childhood, spoke about coming to power in the USSR. It is known that now he is working on a new book, which will be based on a series of his lectures.

House in Russia

Of course, Gorbachev also has real estate in Russia, a house in which he lives permanently. It is located in the village of Kalchuga, located not far from Moscow on the Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway.

People close to Gorbachev claim that one woman helps him run the household. At the same time, he is still accompanied by security as a former president.

The attitude towards Gorbachev in the beloved Fatherland is different. Someone loves, someone hates. Let's not count who else. It's not about quantity, it's about quality. As strong feelings as well. Everyone has their own truth. And the truth - it is not necessarily somewhere in heaven or only belongs to history. And one person can have the truth. Plus another one, plus another one, and another...

The so-called objectivity, probably, does not exist at all. In any case, objectivity is not indifference and not an alternative to subjectivity, but perhaps simply the sum of subjectivities.

On the eve of the 80th birthday of the first President of the USSR Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, I met his daughter Irina Virganskaya-Gorbacheva.

The interview lasted two and a half hours. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, Ira said: “You know, I am always responsible for my words and deeds. But as for other people, even the closest ones, I can’t be an interpreter. Raisa Maksimovna wrote a book. Just one. I wanted to write more about the years after his resignation. I didn’t have time. And Mikhail Sergeevich wrote a lot of books. And, you know, I have a cliff here ... Here dad is alive and well, and let him tell everyone about his feelings, perceptions, relationships with people. But I have no right ..." And, after a pause: "I am struck by the enormity of today's memories, memoirs, interviews. Each for his hero decided everything, outlined everything, thought everything ..."

So: in this interview, Ira Gorbacheva is just a daughter. No more. But no less. Look "close alone". Or a summary for yourself.

And let us also remember: the unsaid is a part of what has been said, and not vice versa.

About childhood

“My parents always behaved very reservedly in front of me, without such, you know, outward manifestation of love. But there was this: mutual penetration. This is when dad comes home from work, and now the whole family listens about all the sheep and about where everything burned down and where did he go and with whom did he talk ... Mom returned from the department and begins: such a student, such a student ... And I - about myself ... Everyone lived the same life, although, of course, dad and mom in their professions happened and something separate, personal.

I remember the constant silence in the house. Everything is in books. And I'm parallel to my parents - too. She started reading at the age of four. No one taught specifically. She asked something, explained some letters ... We had a huge library, and I was chained to it at the age of four, and I read an insane amount of books continuously.

From living conditions I remember life in a communal apartment. I don’t remember the neighbors’ names, but I remember their faces and the number of doors: besides us, eight families lived there. I remember the kitchen with gas stoves, I remember swearing, and something good. I was then three or four years old.

My parents, out of conviction, did not send me to a special school for the children of the party nomenklatura. I went to the most ordinary school. But as soon as Mikhail Sergeevich assumed the post of first secretary of the Stavropol City Party Committee, I, a ten-year-old child, became a public figure. A child's teenage environment - it's not easy. There and so they add up - inside and out outside world- your tough relationship, and if this is also superimposed on the fact that your dad is a party leader ... Then the relationship is canalized in different directions. First: dislike. Second: well, the desire to suck up or get used to, or something. Did I feel it? And felt, and burned. Then I did not have such developed instincts as now (laughs). Well, now they want to suck up less. Thank you, Lord, I have been delivered from this for a long time.

In short, over time, my relationship with classmates leveled off. No, they didn't poison them in an organized manner. I think that in order to be persecuted in an organized way, you need to be a victim. The inner feeling of the victim should be. The crowd feels it. Even school. Since childhood, I have not been among the people-victims."

About the "Kremlin family"

“After school I went to medical school. The choice was mine. But it was dictated by circumstances. I really wanted to go to Moscow, to enter the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University. But my parents ... no, they didn’t say that, they say, we forbid you ... But unobtrusively they said many times: "How is it ... you are alone with us ... and you will leave? .." And in Stavropol I didn’t have much to choose from. But the doctor - good profession, and I was internally ready for it.

And as soon as my 4th course in honey began, Mikhail Sergeevich * was taken to work in Moscow. I was in happiness. But from the first reaction of my mother, I did not understand whether she was glad. Mom left with dad right away, with one suitcase, and my husband and I - a little later. And when I saw her a month and a half later, she was already some kind of updated.

My mother loved Moscow very much. Memories of college days and all that. Although I loved Stavropol. The city itself is not so... But this opportunity to go outside the city and go, go, go, and around - mountains and fields, meadows and steppes... She loved all this beauty very much. They collected grass high in the mountains with dad.

And when we became a "Kremlin family", absolutely nothing in our internal relations has changed."

Here Ira falls silent and thoughtfully, slowly, carefully choosing words, says: “But we have such a country ... You see, if I now say that we all also came home and everything is a friend They told a friend, which means that there will again be talk that the decisions of the Politburo were made in the family of Raisa Maksimovna or else, God forbid, they will drag me in ... But this is an anecdote! Those decisions that were political were not discussed in the family. Emotions, reactions, sensations, experiences were discussed. Here at the level: tired - not tired, it torments, then it worries ... A person always needs to talk to someone, he needs an interlocutor.

But everything can be taken out of context and immediately vulgarized. So they vulgarized and made it a myth, and he, this myth, is still alive, still walks - about Raisa Maksimovna. She decided! She ruled! She was in command! But my mother didn't have it.

Here I have, yes, the command voice is already appearing. However, when? When dad eats the fifth bun. Well, you understand: you can’t give in here. Here's what to do if dad drinks coffee and eats the fifth bun? .. I say: "Dad, this is the fifth bun!" And he: "What do you think?!" And proves that the first...

Raisa Maksimovna's grandfather was an honest hardworking peasant. He was arrested as an "enemy of the people". And the grandmother was expelled by the neighbors. In front of the eyes of the entire village, she was dying of hunger and grief, and no one helped her.

Grandfather was shot on August 20, 1937. And exactly fifty-four years later, on August 20, 1991, on August 20, 1991, as Olga Zdravomyslova recalls, * Raisa Maksimovna was struck and frightened by the coincidence of these dates. At night, there, in Foros, she could not fall asleep in any way, and when the doctor offered her sleeping pills, she refused: "I'm afraid that I will fall asleep, then I will wake up somewhere else, far from here, and everyone is killed, and the girls too."

The grandfather of Mikhail Sergeevich was also repressed. From the memoirs of Raisa Maksimovna, it can be seen that the Gorbachevs were formed during the years of the "Khrushchev thaw" and belonged to the generation of "children of the 20th Congress", to the "sixties", who fought against the legacy of Stalinism. For them, Stalin was a tyrant. All! Dot! Solid point. No commas or "buts". There are things where even grammar protests. And not only grammar

Recently in America, the wonderful Russian poet Naum Korzhavin said this to me about perestroika and Gorbachev: " Great importance for us it was liberation from the yoke of Stalinism. And then there was the liberation from communism. And often those people who reached the next step despised those who got stuck on the previous one. By the time Gorbachev appeared, I had already freed myself from communism. And he began to free himself and free others from stupor and Stalinism. Therefore, some considered Gorbachev's attitude to life insufficient. And I am grateful to him. Because the country, in order to move on, had to free itself from stupor and Stalinism. And Gorbachev's activity in this direction was very much needed."

About resignation

“After my father’s resignation, yes, our telephones went silent. Well, they went silent and went silent ... Some people just cut off. Close ones included. But, you see, what’s the matter? New people appear, new friends. And those remain who is not cut off in any way. It's always like this: someone is cut off, cut off, and someone remains... Until the end, no one and nothing is cut off. And what is not cut off is already your special value and joy.. .

Although the resignation, however, was very difficult. Especially in the early nineties. All these courts, all this persecution, fund evictions. My mother is sick... After Foros she had such problems... Not only did her hand go missing, she also became blind..." - "Is it possible to write this?" I ask. Ira, sighing: "It's possible. Now everything is possible. Well, in general, there were a lot of problems, including financial ones. Mikhail Sergeevich has a pension, I don’t remember exactly, whether it’s one dollar converted into rubles, or two ... And what is the situation in the country? Everything is bad, and Gorbachev is to blame for everything. But! The degree of freedom that I felt after my father's resignation is incomparable to anything! Freedom from constant pressure... Be there, do this, do that... I didn't have any positions, but this terrible moral responsibility for the fact that somewhere something exploded, something happened... and it presses on you, and presses, and presses ... And here is freedom ... No matter what they do to you, no matter what they write, no matter how they destroy you - you are free!

About my mother's death

"Mom's death is a black failure. Wild dreams still haunt me. Terrible, incredible dreams ... I dream of my mother and the horror of these dreams is that my mother appears in my dreams alive, as if nothing had happened to her, and begins tell me something about today's affairs... And I can't understand who we buried? and when it just happened, then it was uninterrupted.

Until the death of Raisa Maksimovna, Ira lived in Moscow, in an apartment. She divorced her husband and raised her daughters on her own. The older one must be taken to one school, the younger one to another, to work herself, in short, to live outside the city with her parents - to waste a lot of time.

After graduation, Ira defended her dissertation, worked at the Cardiology Research Center, and in 1994 Mikhail Sergeevich told his daughter: let's think about how we will work with the fund. Ira thought and thought and realized that she is a pure scientist and does not understand economics, business, or management at all.

She was thirty-seven years old. But she made up her mind: she left her job and sat down at a desk at the business school of the Academy National economy. And only after graduation she began to work in the Gorbachev Foundation.

“And in 1999, my mother ended up in Munster, * in the clinic. And we hoped to the last that she would recover. Let her need long-term care, rehabilitation, we believed: she would recover. vice president of the foundation with all the powers of the president.Well, he will be inseparable from his mother and, probably, for a long time... And the fund is an organization, people work there, you can't interrupt it. That's how I became vice president."

About a family without a mother

When Raisa Maksimovna died, Ira one day packed up her things in her apartment, took her daughters and moved to Mikhail Sergeevich's dacha.

“Yes, it was far to travel, it took a lot of time and effort, but I understood that he should not be left alone. He simply should not. But you can’t think of anything else and you won’t do anything else.

The first two years after my mother's death, my father and I lived without separation from each other. Absolutely non-stop. We worked together, on business trips - together, at home - together ...

But two years later, when Ksyusha was already twenty-one years old, and Nastya was fourteen, it became more difficult: they can’t call friends, it’s somehow uncomfortable, they are afraid of grandfather, at nine in the evening you have to stand at attention, grandfather is worried ...

A family is all family members without exception. And keeping a balance in the family is a whole story ...

So I sold my apartment in Moscow, bought a very small house in Zhukovka. What did it give? Relative freedom of movement for my girls, because I am an extremely loyal parent. And to dad from our house to go five minutes. Well, in accordance with this paradigm, we live to this day."

After the divorce, Ira quite seriously made a promise to herself: no more men and no more marriages. But then she met with Andrei Trukhachev. And it was also very difficult. Behind each is a train of personal problems, a train own life, it was necessary to solve a lot, understand, comprehend, both together and alone. They even parted for a year to understand everything. They understood and got married in 2006. Since then - happy.

About father's working day

"Dad's working day is different. Sometimes it's relatively calm. And sometimes: lectures in American universities and in twelve days we fly ten times from place to place to different parts of the country.

Mikhail Sergeevich is forced to give lectures because this is our main income. Audiences - from five hundred to twelve thousand people. Such public lectures are a huge physical and intellectual strain. Here, in Russia, dad also lectures at Moscow State University or at the Russian State Humanitarian University, but less often and for free.

After the death of Raisa Maksimovna, Gorbachev wildly loaded himself with work. Ira believes that he does this on purpose so as not to think about his mother every second.

About memory and charity

It was Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva, as the First Lady, who revived charity in the Soviet Union. Before her, this word in the beloved Fatherland was abusive.

The first project: the department for the treatment of childhood leukemia opened by her in the Republican Children's Clinical Hospital N 20. The first contribution of Raisa Maksimovna is a fee for her book "I hope ..." All Nobel Prize Gorbachev (almost one million dollars) was distributed among several hospitals, including the Republican Children's Hospital. Raisa Maksimovna supported the museums of Rublev and Tsvetaeva, museums of personal collections, helped restore churches and architectural monuments. Thanks to her, the manuscripts of Russian classics returned to their homeland.

Having already ceased to be the First Lady, she tirelessly engaged in charity work. In the spring of 1999, she helped two kids with leukemia from remote villages, whose mothers turned to her through a newspaper.

She saved the babies, and she herself died four months later from this disease.

In 2007, with the support of the state and businessman Alexander Lebedev, the Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva Institute of Pediatric Hematology and Transplantation was opened in St. Petersburg. Children from all over Russia and the CIS countries are treated here. This institute is a state institution, but the Gorbachev family helps it very significantly. And the results are amazing: if in the eighties of the last century the five-year survival rate of children with leukemia in the USSR was 7-10 percent, while in European clinics more than 70 percent of sick children were cured completely, today the results of treatment of sick children at the Institute of Pediatric Hematology and Transplantology named after Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva - at the level of the leading hematological centers in Europe.

In total, the Gorbachev Foundation spent eleven million dollars on charity. Ira says that the figure is very conditional and approximate, without taking into account two recent years and apart from that humanitarian aid that in the nineties, under the auspices of the fund, went to Chechnya and other "hot spots". And this despite the fact that the Gorbachev Foundation is not a charitable organization, but the International Fund socio-economic and political science research. That is, they could not do charity work at all. And no one could judge.

Just as Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was not at all obliged to make a charity event out of his birthday ... But Ira suggested to her father exactly this idea of ​​\u200b\u200ba charity anniversary evening ... With one single goal: once again to help children with leukemia.

About the anniversary celebration

“And just as preparations for the anniversary of the pope began, the myth jumped again ... Either on the Internet, then on the radio, then even in the“ perestroika ”publications ... Aha !!! London !!! Now we have everything there And Gorbachev - there too!

Meanwhile, Mikhail Sergeevich's birthday has already begun. Exhibition "Mikhail Gorbachev. PERESTROIKA".

Actually, there is not enough Gorbachev at the exhibition. And this is understandable: the country is bigger... The main concept of the exhibition immediately took shape in my first conversation with the director of the Moscow House of Photography, Olga Sviblova. This exhibition is not only about Mikhail Sergeevich, but it is he, Mikhail Sergeevich, against the backdrop of the country. And where is this exhibition? In Moscow! On Manezhnaya Square! But no one discusses it. Everyone is talking about London.

On February 24, an exhibition opened in Berlin. Why - Berlin? Because Berlin has become a symbol of the end of the Cold War.

And on March 2, on the very birthday, we walk in Moscow. With your closest ones. With the party of friends of Gorbachev. There will be both student friends and friends of his whole life ...

March 15-16 at the Gorbachev Foundation conference, which will be held with the "Memorial" - about the "sixties".

Now - about London. For the past five years, the Lebedev family has been organizing charity balls there every year. Well, we are with them. Money is collected that goes to the Raisa Gorbacheva Foundation. And this time it is another event organized by the Gorbachev Foundation and the Gorbi-80 company in honor of the anniversary of Mikhail Sergeyevich.

Why London? Great Britain as a country and London as a city are “sharpened” for such events. There is no need to overcome a thousand obstacles and endlessly prove something to someone. The same "Albert Hall" goes to meet us in all directions... For example, nominal lodges. These lodges are owned by individual families and companies and have been bought out years in advance, so people are giving up their lodges that evening in our favor...

We do not have an administrative resource. And I'll tell you: the money for this concert is collected with difficulty. It took me out huge forces. Xenia helps me a lot, eldest daughter, well, the youngest, Nastya, is involved. I cannot convey how many meetings and conversations ... And when they say to me: here Russian business not ready for charity... Maybe not ready. But Western business is not ready either. Business, in its essence, is initially aimed only at extracting, at acquiring profit. But there, in the West, society has long put business in its place, within certain limits, and charity has become a duty for business. For now, however, this is a question of the goodwill of individuals. Therefore, everything looks like this: you go and ask... Someone responds, someone does not... But Russian business also helps. I won’t say that in droves and in such a way that it solves all problems, but it helps.”

In the British press, the amount is mentioned: five million pounds are planned to be collected at a charity ball in London in connection with Gorbachev's anniversary. The money, I repeat, will go to the treatment of children with leukemia.

About admiration

At the end of the conversation, I ask Ira Gorbacheva what she admires most about her father.

“We were with him in some, I don’t remember which country, we were driving a car, he looked out the window, and there were people walking along the street, both dark-haired and narrow-eyed, and all sorts of different ones, and he said : "Daughter, look how much God has created ... This means that everything is needed. And everyone, therefore, must be loved "...

He knows people. He knows their weaknesses, oddities, shortcomings, and even those shortcomings that are very negative. And still loves. And stupid, and evil, and funny people. Any!

This is what I admire most about my father: absolute unparalleled decency and absolute philanthropy.

* Ira calls her parents either her father and mother, or by her first name and patronymic, I left it in the text, did not edit.

*Olga Zdravomyslova - Executive Director of the Gorbachev Foundation.

*Munster - in the clinic of this German city, Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva spent the last eight weeks of her life.