60 MINUTES
Our MP Leonid Ivanovich Kalashnikov visited Strasbourg. After that, Russia made a payment to the budget of the Council of Europe, Leonid Ivanovich approved it. We paid 33 million euros from our treasury. Apparently, this became the last straw for Kiev as well. They don't want observers from PACE to be present at the Ukrainian parliamentary elections. A couple of hours ago, Parubiy retracted the invitation for PACE observers. Interestingly, the Chairman of the Verkhovnaya Rada did that after the first group of observers had already landed in Kiev.
- I don't know how interesting it is, but clearly, it isn't polite. "Let them fly back, there's nothing to see here." But there was something to see in European Kharkov. In the center of the city, in Constitution Square, for it to look more convincing, National Corps activists held a mass execution. National Corps activists held a mass execution, fortunately, fortunately, I'd say that it was a lucky coincidence, it was a toy execution. They built gallows and hanged effigies of MPs who voted for renaming Grigorenko Prospect back to Marshal Zhukov Prospect in an exemplary way. I wish it occurred to them to invite PACE deputies to that square of that very Ukrainian constitution. They'd be surprised.
Look.
"These are deputies of the city council. Today, we're purging the ranks of power. Execute them!"
- Let's talk about Kharkov. Mayor of Kharkov Gennady Kernes...
Leonid Kalashnikov, State Duma deputy: Olga, next time you go to PACE, you should say that they'll be hanged there next time — the president of PACE, some Germans, some Frenchmen.
- This isn't our style.
- Ask them how they'll react to that.
- This is an accurate remark indeed. Parubiy is now indignant and resents the actions of the PACE deputies. Meanwhile, the nationalists resent the actions of the other deputies. Kernes, mayor of the city, is now live with us.
Gennady Adolfovich, we're ordinary people. This was a shock for us. What's going on in your city? After all, you're Europe, and look at this.
Gennady Kernes, Mayor of Kharkov: Good evening, studio. I'd like to say that they're just scumbags, who, despite the law, do what they think is necessary to do. But I can assure you that, firstly, everyone is alive, thank God, as you say. Moreover, we'll soon install a bust of Zhukov, put it up where it ought to be, and people will pay floral tributes to it.
- Gennady Adolfovich, as we understand, after all, this is a death threat; deputies' faces are depicted, faces of the people who made the decision to change the name back to Zhukov Avenue. This is a threat in its purest form. But we haven't seen any reaction except for your public condemnation. There's no reaction from law enforcement bodies, no criminal case opened so that those scumbags, as you called them, get punished, or at least get a warning or a citation or something like that. Or is this the new norm and does nobody pay attention to it anyway? It's all fun and games until someone gets hanged for real.
- They're just guys whom they use from behind the scenes. They like to play mock battles, and therefore, their senior friends give them tasks, you know, like a tryout or something. Therefore, I can say that I've seen that repeatedly. Moreover, on the same day, they put urns with photos of deputies on them and wreaths at the entrance to the mayor's office. So, it was their flashmob of sorts. But nobody prevented them from doing that. The most important thing is that people passed by and didn't pay attention to them. There wasn't a huge crowd, you know. They just had their fun themselves. So, we removed it as soon as they put it up.
- Gennady Adolfovich, tell me, please, we're having an honest conversation, aren't we? Explain to us, please, why was nobody arrested? Why do you call this incident, this terrible incident which we view as a death threat, why do you call it a performance or some kind of gathering? Why is nobody being punished? In our honest conversation, I also ask you to reply to the arguments of our Ukrainian colleagues in advance. They'd claim that it's you that organized that as part of your election campaign. Explain that to us.
- Firstly, nobody organized anything. The nationalists organized it, that's my first point. Secondly, we'll ask law enforcement bodies why nobody was detained or arrested because we have video footage from the places where we have video cameras installed that ensure the security of Kharkov residents. That's why we'll get the ball rolling on this incident. But I reiterate that the most important thing is that nobody got hurt as a result of this gathering. That's why I ask you not to make some kind of, you know, thing out of it. All that does is make them realize that they achieved their goal, whatever it was. We don't pay attention to them at all.
- Gennady Adolfovich, did you achieve your goal? Will the signs "Zhukov Avenue" return to the street? Is it a definitive victory with Zhukov or will you have to fight a bit more?
- We'll have to fight because the nationalists have already filed a lawsuit against us. But we'll defend our decision adopted at the session of the Kharkov City Council. And I'm sure that in the near future, we'll put a bust of Zhukov back in its place. This will also be a response to those scumbags.
- This is Mr., or to be exact, Comrade Kalashnikov, who got all of Russia to PACE, and he wants to ask you a question.
- By the way, he's the head of the committee on CIS Affairs, by the way.
Leonid Kalashnikov, State Duma deputy: You're a respected and popular person in Ukraine. You've been a mayor of Kharkov for many years. But four or more years ago, people came to defend a monument to Lenin just like this. You were a mayor then, too. When they were beaten, of course, people got scared. They didn't come to defend the monument to Lenin. Those scumbags, whom you tell us not to be afraid of, they came and removed that monument to Lenin. Has anyone been held liable over this period of time? Have you restored that monument, which was made by a renowned sculptor, by the way?
- A world-renowned sculptor made it. Mr. Kalashnikov, the monument to Lenin was torn down in the middle of the so-called revolution in Vinnitsa. It was in the middle of the revolution. Excuse me, but such arrogant things took place then that people were beaten, killed, shot, and nobody was held liable for it. Your TV company worked here in Kharkov. There's Rymarskaya Avenue here. The nationalists murdered two people there. It was recorded by a camera. I gave an interview back then. Firstly, I was under house arrest back then, if you remember. Therefore, I couldn't tell you why it happened. I can tell you just one thing right now: We won't let them destroy what our grandfathers and great-grandfathers made. That's for sure.
- Thank you very much for your position.
- That was Mayor of Kharkov Gennady Kernes. You hang in there and restore the monument, please. And may the street be named after Marshal Zhukov.
- Thank you very much. It's already named Marshal Zhukov Avenue.
- Great.
