Pavel Astakhov: biography, family and children. Pavel Astakhov lives the life of a real pop star Pavel Astakhov and his family

The dizzying career of Pavel Astakhov sometimes surprises not only those around him, but also the lawyer himself. However, there is no reason to be amazed. After all, throughout his entire adult life, Pavel Alekseevich stubbornly strives for excellence in everything - in the legal profession, in the political and public fields. And, as you know, excellent performance of your duties is the first step to success.

Ancestors of the future lawyer

Perhaps Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov would not have chosen the path of a human rights activist if not for his genes. The fact is that the lawyer’s paternal great-grandfather was an ataman of the Don Cossacks. The mother’s father served as a security officer and was personally acquainted with the first head of state security agencies, Vyacheslav Menzhinsky. It is no wonder that from an early age Astakhov inherited a craving for justice and a desire to protect the suffering. It is sometimes very difficult to fight the call of blood.

Parental family of Pavel Astakhov

The future lawyer was born on September 8, 1966 in the capital of the USSR, Moscow. The boy spent his first years in the town of Zelenograd near Moscow.

Pavel's father served as an official in the printing industry, and his mother worked in the teaching field.

Astakhov graduated from school in his native Zelenograd. The guy studied well, was interested in history and adored his grandfather’s stories about his service in the ranks of the OGPU. Having received secondary education, young Astakhov enters the service as a laborer at the Ostankino television center. There he was overtaken by a summons to the army.

From 1984 to 1986, Pavel Astakhov was a private in the USSR border troops. The guy served on the Soviet-Finnish border. The energetic young man immediately became a Komsomol activist and often organized all kinds of thematic events.

Since the border troops were under the jurisdiction of the State Security Committee, the future human rights activist decides after demobilization to enter the High school KGB.

Studies

After serving in the army, serious changes occur in the biography of Pavel Astakhov. The guy carries out his intention. I must say that entering the KGB Higher School was not so easy. There were 40 applicants for one place at the Faculty of Law. Having become a student, Astakhov plunged headlong into his studies. He was interested in everything - subjects, teachers, society of classmates. It must be said that the faculty had the reputation of a “criminal”: the children of civil servants studied there (for example, the son of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Estonia and the son of the chairman of the KGB of Azerbaijan).

After studying for five years, Pavel Astakhov begins to practice law. However, the human rights activist soon decided to improve his qualifications and enroll in a master's program at the University of Pittsburgh (USA). During his studies, Astakhov's family lived in America. In 2002, Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov defended his master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Knowing six languages ​​and having a certificate gave the lawyer the right to represent the interests of his clients in international court hearings.

Carier start

Astakhov's debut as a lawyer was very successful. The young human rights activist managed to win cases against more venerable colleagues. But this was not enough for Paul. Three years later, he creates his own union of human rights activists. In 2003, the community grew into the Astakhov Bar Association. As a consultant, the lawyer collaborated with the Accounting and Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Also human rights activist for a long time served as Arbitration and Brussels Judge. The American, Paris and Berlin human rights associations highly appreciated Astakhov's skill as a consultant.

In mid-1991, Pavel Alekseevich left the structures of the State Security Committee with the rank of lieutenant. In fact, he was transferred to another unit - the so-called " National economy».

The position of legal adviser to the Yaroslavl airline continued Astakhov’s career. There he was soon promoted to head of the legal department.

Also, according to Pavel Astakhov himself, in the early 90s of the last century he had the opportunity to work in Spain.

The year 1994 was marked by Astakhov’s enrollment as a member of the Moscow Bar Association. Entry was accompanied by a personal appeal from Pavel Alekseevich, which expressed his desire to serve Russian citizens. The statement did not leave the rest of the Board members indifferent, who unanimously decided to accept the human rights activist into their ranks.

High-profile lawyer cases

Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov has a lot of high-profile cases to his name, many of which the human rights activist won.

The young lawyer’s first high-profile case was defending the rights of the founders of the “financial pyramid” “Vlastilin”, the Solovyovs. In 1995, several thousand investors became victims of deception by their spouses. The lawyer's offer to fully admit his guilt helped the Solovievs mitigate their sentence.

The next production was the defense of the spy Edmond Pope, who wanted to get the drawings of a classified object - the Russian high-speed boat Shkval. Feature defensive speech was that it was written in verse by the lawyer himself. The case was eventually lost, Pope received twenty years in prison, but was pardoned thanks to a petition to Vladimir Putin. After the case was completed, the directors of one of the Hollywood companies made an offer to the human rights activist to give permission to create the film “The Life Story of Pavel Astakhov.” However, the film producers received a decisive refusal.

Next, the lawyer accompanied Vladimir Gusinsky in his quest to avoid punishment for embezzling more than ten million dollars. The manager of the Media-Most holding, thanks to the efforts of his human rights activist, achieved a mitigation of retribution. After such a triumph, Vladimir Gusinsky and the general director of the NTV channel Igor Malyshev invited Astakhov to join the staff. Pavel Alekseevich remained the defender of the managing holding until 2001. Astakhov's teammate was Henry Reznik.

2001 and another lawyer’s case. Now he defends Sergei Dorenko, a famous journalist who ran over a pedestrian with a motorcycle. The protracted investigation forced Astakhov to refuse to support the case.

The human rights activist also appeared in international court hearings. So, in 2003, he sent an open letter to the President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, in which he expressed his desire to defend Saddam Hussein for free. However, the American government sharply rejected Astakhov's noble intentions, and soon the Iraqi leader was publicly executed.

Except politicians, Pavel Alekseevich defends and famous artists. Arkady Ukupnik, Irina Ponarovskaya, Philip Kirkorov, Barry Alibasov, Vladimir Spivakov, Kristina Orbakaite, Alexey Glyzin and many other stars have repeatedly turned to his services.

Political activity

Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov did not limit himself to purely advocacy. In 2007, the human rights activist headed the “For Putin!” movement. The second term of the President's reign was ending. The lawyer with all zeal takes part in demonstrations in support of Putin’s influence on Russian politics after his resignation as head of state. Late autumn At a meeting of the movement in the city of Tver, the human rights activist is elected as the second chairman of the All-Russian Council. The union was called “Initiative Groups in Support of Putin.” The event happened on November 15, 2007. In the early autumn of 2008, Astakhov, despite his non-partisanship, was included in the coordination council of adherents of the United Russia party. The winter of 2007 brought the human rights activist a new assignment. He was elected to the House of Community Groups Bryansk region. The appointment was initiated by the diabetic union of disabled people, whose members turned to Astakhov for help. In his new place, the lawyer worked hard and fruitfully. The Commission on Communication, Information Policy and Freedom of Speech included the human rights activist in its ranks. As a lawyer, Astakhov was also a member of the group organizing expert activities. In the spring of 2008, Pavel Alekseevich was included in the public council of the FSB of Russia. A year later, in 2009, Astakhov was one of the members of the public council of the Central Federal District.

As an ombudsman

In 2009, President Dmitry Medvedev appointed Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov to the post of Commissioner for Children's Rights of the Russian Federation. The human rights activist worked in this position for about 6.5 years. In such a short period of time, Astakhov managed to serve as a state representative in such high-profile cases as the investigation of atrocities in an Izhevsk boarding school, the return to his parents of Denis Khoryakov, adopted by citizens of the Dominican Republic, produced by Irina Bergset and Maxim Kuzmin, etc.

In addition, the Ombudsman participated in the adoption of a law banning the adoption of Russian children by American citizens and the discussion of a law on reducing the age criminal liability in children from 14 to 12 years old (it is noteworthy that Astakhov opposed the adoption of these norms).

TV projects and other programs

The famous human rights activist did not limit himself only to legal and political activity. In 2004, the television project “Hour of Judgment” was launched. Pavel Astakhov was invited to play the role of presenter. His wife Svetlana was just starting her journey in producing. The show became the first step in her career.

“The Hour of Judgment” with Pavel Astakhov ran for nine seasons. At the very beginning, the television project became a laureate of the All-Russian legal award “Themis”. The show featured civil cases handled by a famous host. All cases were based on real facts sent by viewers. The program “Hour of Judgment” with Pavel Astakhov glorified the human rights activist throughout Russia.

In 2006, the lawyer became the host of the socio-political show “Three Corners with Pavel Astakhov.” And in 2009, the human rights activist created his own television projects, which are called “The Astakhov Case” and “On Juvenile Affairs.” Need I say that all the shows provided high ratings for the channels on which they were broadcast?

Family and Children

Pavel Astakhov has been successfully married for a long time. The lawyer's wife, Svetlana, is a professional psychologist, as well as a mathematician and PR specialist. In addition, the wife successfully produced her husband's show.

The couple has three sons: the eldest Anton (born in 1988), who graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Oxford University; the middle one is Artem (born in 1992) and the youngest is Arseny, who was born in 2009. The personal life of Pavel Astakhov, like his career, is very transparent. The wife of a human rights activist is always a reliable support for her husband in all his endeavors. The eldest and middle sons work in government apparatus father. The younger Arseny is still a schoolboy and lives with his parents.

Author of educational literature

• "Me and the State";
• "Me and family";
• "Me and the street";
• "Me and the school."

All the human rights activist’s textbooks are aimed at addressing the problems primarily of children and adolescents and their environment.

Writing legal literary works

In addition to textbooks, lawyer Pavel Astakhov has written numerous legal works and monographs. In them, the author gives significant advice to both professionals and ordinary people. Among the legal works of Astakhov the following can be named:

• "Countering raider takeovers."
• Directory of journalists and heads of mass media (founder, publisher, editor-in-chief). All legal aspects of activity.

• "Big legal encyclopedia".
• In co-authorship with V. Kiryanov - “Chief traffic inspector and people’s lawyer on traffic rules, fines and other topical issues that concern all motorists in the country.”
• "How to compensate for moral damage and harm caused to health."
• "Consumer rights. Legal assistance from the top of legal professionalism."
• Together with A. Parfenchikov - "Debt hole. Chief bailiff and people's lawyer on the execution of court decisions in Russia."

Lawyer-novelist

Among the books of Pavel Astakhov there are works of art. He writes them himself or in collaboration with his favorite detective story, Tatyana Ustinova. The lawyer wrote such novels as:

• "Raider";
• "Mayor";
• "Spy";
• "Producer";
• "Apartment";
• "Raider 2";
• "Bride";

• "Volunteer";
• "Killer";
• "Net".

It seems that resignations on Fridays are becoming a tradition in the Kremlin. On Friday, August 12, Anton Vaino replaced Sergei Ivanov as head of the Presidential Administration. On Friday, August 19, Olga Vasilyeva replaced the former head of the Ministry of Education Dmitry Livanov. And here's another Friday appointment. The commissioner for children's rights under the President of Russia, Pavel Astakhov, was dismissed, and ONF activist from Penza Anna Kuznetsova became the new children's ombudsman.

“Well, how was your swim?”

Fatal for the career of a children's ombudsman Pavel Astakhova These were exactly the words. An absurdly cynical phrase was heard in a dialogue with children who survived the tragedy on Syamozero - and outraged... Yes, one might say, the whole country. The circles in the water began to spread widely; the petition for Astakhov’s resignation on the Change.org website alone collected 160 thousand signatures. Petitions on the Internet, of course, have no actual force, but the voice of the people was heard.

“Is he still working?” - the presidential press secretary was surprised in response to questions about Astakhov Dmitry Peskov. Clarifying the situation, he clarified that the Kremlin hopes that Astakhov will not have to be dismissed from his post, he will leave on his own: “We still proceed from the fact that, in theory, upon returning from vacation, he meant to resign. This is what we’re proceeding from for now; I don’t have any other information.”. The Ombudsman himself declined to comment. On the contrary, he was noted in the press with indignant statements about the scandal in Moscow school No. 57 - as if giving a sign: I’m still here, I’m in business.

Astakhov was on vacation until September 8. On the last day before my dismissal, I managed to celebrate my 50th anniversary. And on Friday, September 9, a laconic message appeared on the Kremlin website: “Vladimir Putin, by his Decree, relieved Pavel Astakhov from the post of Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights at his own request”.

“Dima Yakovlev’s Law” and fatal clauses

Pavel Astakhov has been involved in protecting children's rights since December 2009, before which he managed to build a successful legal career (including, according to Astakhov, 16 years of work in the field family law), also gained fame as a TV presenter of the popular program “Court Hour”. He began his new work with enthusiasm: for two years he visited almost all regions with inspections, finding out the living conditions of children in orphanages, young patients in hospitals and correctional centers, and minors in colonies. And yet, many Russians do not have the best impression of Astakhov’s seven-year work. The main thing he managed to be remembered for in his position as the all-Russian defender of children was the notorious “Dima Yakovlev law”, prohibiting the foreign adoption of orphans from Russia. Pavel Astakhov was one of his most active supporters; in particular, he personally approached the president with an initiative to ban international adoption. The adopted law, according to people closely familiar with the problem, did not protect, but on the contrary, disadvantaged many Russian disabled children, who have too little chance of ending up in a foster family in their homeland.

Pavel Astakhov was also remembered thanks to the not very thoughtful statements that regularly rolled off the tongue. Commenting on the sensational wedding of the head of one of the Chechen police departments and a 17-year-old girl, he tactlessly noted that “Emancipation and puberty occur earlier in the Caucasus, let’s not be hypocrites. There are places where women are already wrinkled at 27 years old, and by our standards they are under 50.” Speaking about the 13-year-old girl who almost became disabled after she decided to sneak into a zoo and tease a tiger, a children's advocate suggested giving her a “Darwin Award” - which, as we know, is awarded for the most senseless, ridiculous death. And finally, the last straw - “Well, how did you swim?” addressed to the children, 14 of whose comrades drowned during a storm just a day ago. Trying to justify himself, Pavel Astakhov later explained that the phrase was allegedly taken out of context, that psychologists even recommend conducting conversations with victims in exactly this tone... And yet, fellow citizens did not understand. The outrage was so obvious that the Commissioner for Children’s Rights was invited to “ serious conversation"with the president. After which Pavel Astakhov wrote a letter of resignation of his own free will.

They didn’t force him out—they let him leave quietly. But they didn’t hold back either. No need.

The priest's wife

There were many speculations about who would replace Astakhov as children's ombudsman. The most “popular” was, perhaps, a member of the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia Elizaveta Glinka, “Doctor Lisa,” as she is more often called both in newspaper publications and in in social networks. There have been suggestions that the former children's ombudsman for Moscow could be appointed to this position Alexey Golovan or Elena Alshanskaya, President of the Volunteers to Help Orphans Foundation, there were other candidates. But closer to “Day H” it became clear that the most likely option is the 34-year-old Anna Kuznetsova, head of the executive committee of the branch of the All-Russian Popular Front in Penza, operator of presidential grants. In the spring she won the primaries “ United Russia"and is included in the party's electoral list. She was also approved for the post of Commissioner for Children's Rights. On the eve of her appointment, Kuznetsova attended a reception with Vladimir Putin.

Dmitry Peskov explained why they chose Kuznetsova: “Various candidates were considered. Naturally, the candidacies of those, let’s say, public figures and those citizens who are for last years worked actively within public structures, and those who were active in a related area related to the protection of children's rights. ...What’s most important is that she herself gave birth to six children. ... She has a wealth of experience, and her human qualities allow us to hope that she can be an effective ombudsman.”.

You will probably be surprised, but I do not aspire to become a deputy, minister, or “someone else”. I want to do what is dear to me, what I have always done: help families, women in trouble, children... At first I could just support with a word, then we began to help with products, then we opened a helpline, where, in addition to us, , psychologists, lawyers also helped, then they began renting housing to mothers with children in their arms who had nowhere to go, and then they opened the Pokrov shelter. If I wanted to earn good money, I would become a businessman, if I wanted ranks, then I would probably go into public service... But for me, the public path is very dear, because I went through it from the very beginning, all the difficulties, all the problems were “mine”.

From Anna Kuznetsova’s interview with the Penza-Online portal

Anna Kuznetsova is a mother of many children, the founder of the “Pokrov” foundation for supporting family, motherhood and childhood and the Association of Organizations for the Defense of the Family. As they say, he has a positive experience of cooperation with the Presidential Administration and the Public Chamber. The wife of a priest - and therefore, it can be assumed that in the post of ombudsman she will defend the priority of what is commonly called traditional values. We'll see how it really turns out. So far, Kuznetsova has said that she intends to complete all business in Penza in the near future, assemble a reliable team and get down to planning future work as an ombudsman. The priorities are solving the problems of orphanhood and defending the child’s right to live and be raised in a family. In particular, Kuznetsova intends to lobby for the development of that same “Dima Yakovlev law” for which her predecessor was so criticized. “Of course, you need to help your children yourself in your own country,– says the new children's ombudsman. – But all these prohibitive measures, including those, must be comprehensive. That is, they must be accompanied by support measures, including to encourage the adoption of both disabled children and children with special needs from orphanages in Russia. Of course, there must be consistency, the next stages of this law, these restrictive measures.”.

Pavel Astakhov welcomed the appointment of Anna Kuznetsova, writing on Instagram: “This is a very worthy person and a very wise choice of president. I sincerely congratulate Anna Yuryevna and wish her God’s Help in this difficult field!”.

Nothing is known yet about Pavel Astakhov’s plans for further employment.

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

Pavel Astakhov

Astakhov was a successful and famous lawyer. He took on high-profile financial matters, or difficult stories with a political background. For example, in 1995, he was the lawyer of the founder of the financial pyramid “Vlastilin”, Valentina Solovyova, who defrauded investors in the amount of several hundred billion rubles. And in 2001, Astakhov defended the head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky, who was accused of major fraud. Thanks to Astakhov, the oligarch avoided criminal liability, achieved release on his own recognizance and left the country. Among his other clients are former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Sergei Stepashin, as well as show business representatives: Kristina Orbakaite, Philip Kirkorov and many others. Later, Astakhov collaborated with Russian television channels, hosting programs and talk shows on legal topics.

It is interesting that at the beginning of his career, Astakhov allowed himself harsh statements against the current government - for example, the prosecutor's office, accusing them of political persecution of Gusinsky. However, in 2007, he led the all-Russian movement “For Putin”, and was later elected to the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.

It would seem that an untalented lawyer, like no one else, could successfully fight from within against all the imperfections of our legislative system using legal methods, and use, so to speak, his gift as a lawyer to defend those who cannot defend themselves. However, instead of fighting with officials, he traveled around the country's children's institutions, checking that everything was in order, and fired directors for playing cards found in institutions.

Dissatisfaction with Pavel Astakhov in society had been brewing almost from the moment of his appointment. Human rights activists drew attention to the fact that Astakhov is the only ombudsman to whom citizens of the Russian Federation cannot turn - neither in person, nor even by letter; it will be forwarded to the regional office. Astakhov’s resignation from the post of Commissioner for Children’s Rights was publicly discussed in June of this year, after the tragedy in the children’s camp on Syamozero in Karelia. Then, let us remind you, 14 children died as a result of boating in a storm. The scandal was caused by the phrase Pavel Astakhov said at a meeting with the surviving girls - “well, how did you swim?” The girls, of course, had no answer.

After this story, a petition appeared on the Change.org website demanding Astakhov’s resignation, which received over 150 thousand votes in 5 days. And soon the resignation became a reality: information leaked to the media that Astakhov had asked to be relieved of his position. At first, press services and departments commented on the information traditionally - they said that they had not personally seen the statement, and if they had seen it, the president needed to sign it first, but it was clear: the resignation of the ombudsman was already a decided matter.

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

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

Pavel Astakhov was born into a by no means difficult family. Thus, his great-grandfather was at one time a Cossack ataman and even allegedly served as the prototype for Sholokhov’s hero Stepan Astakhov in the novel “Quiet Don”. Well, Pasha’s grandfather was a high-ranking security officer and served with Vyacheslav Menzhinsky himself, who headed this serious structure after the death of its founder Felix Dzerzhinsky.

Of course, Pavel early childhood dreamed of following in my grandfather's footsteps. After graduating from school and serving in the border troops (in those days it was impossible to become a security officer without service), Astakhov entered the Higher School of the KGB of the USSR. He studied at the Western Counterintelligence Faculty, and after graduating he was sent to study at the Red Banner Institute (KI) named after Andropov, which trained personnel for the First Main Directorate of the KGB of the USSR (intelligence).

But Pavel never had the chance to become a scout. The year he was supposed to start studying at KI, the USSR collapsed. Realizing that the path of James Bond no longer brings the same dividends, Astakhov, without studying for a day, hastened to change his spy cloak to a lawyer's robe.

Business of the Overlords

At that turbulent time in Rus', there were a lot of swindlers who also happened to be businessmen. It was they who became Pavel Alekseevich’s clients. Thus, his first high-profile case was connected with the founder of one of the financial pyramids, which in the nineties became as common a phenomenon for Russians as commercial tents on the streets and Royal alcohol in these same tents.

The strategist in the skirt was called Valentina Solovyova, she, with her “Vlastilina” pyramid, deceived about seventeen thousand investors in the amount of over five hundred billion rubles. And today this is a considerable amount, but at that time this money could not be called anything other than crazy.

Astakhov was the true hero of the trial of Solovyova. He did not get out of the news stories and, it seemed, even overshadowed the defendant herself. The trial lasted a good five years, but the fraudster still received a guilty verdict. Despite the failure, Pavel Alekseevich earned himself a solid media background; he began to be recognized along with such masters as Heinrich Padva and Henry Reznik. The promotion of his name was also facilitated by publications in such publications as Autopilot, Itogi, Rossiyskaya Gazeta and Medved.

Career building

At the beginning of the 2000s, when echoes of the freedom-loving times were still felt, Astakhov built his career on criticizing the authorities and participating in high-profile political processes. First of all, he took on the case of former US Navy military-technical intelligence officer Edmond Pope, who was arrested by the FSB and accused of espionage. Contrary to the behests of his grandfather and forgetting about his albeit short “KGB” past, Pavel Alekseevich zealously began to defend the spy, and even as his final speech at the trial he presented a twelve-page poem. It is surprising how the lawyer’s poetic work was not perceived by the court as an insult, because Astakhov did not allow himself to do this later, even in his famous television program “Hour of Judgment.” But ultimately the case was lost. Pope was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but was eventually pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which he left for the United States.

No sooner had one high-profile case ended than Pavel Alekseevich again got involved in the fight against the authorities, and his client turned out to be none other than the head of the largest media holding in Russia at that time, Vladimir Gusinsky. There was talk that Astakhova was sent to Gusinsky (as well as Pope) by the FSB as a lawyer. Like, there are no former employees. But this version does not seem plausible, especially considering that the media mogul, in principle, liked to surround himself with former employees KGB. So, for example, I worked for Vladimir Alexandrovich former head Fifth (ideological) directorate of the KGB Filip Bobkov.

Whatever it was, this time Pavel Alekseevich managed to ensure freedom for his client. First, he ensured that the arrested oligarch was released on his own recognizance. Then, through the joint efforts of Astakhov and another famous lawyer, Henry Reznik, they managed to drop the case. However, it was soon resumed, and along with it another criminal case was opened against Gusinsky, who, however, by that time had already managed to hide in Spain. But Interpol officers were waiting for Vladimir Alexandrovich on the Iberian Peninsula.

And here Pavel Alekseevich came into play again, who conducted a loud and very competent PR campaign, thanks to which the fugitive oligarch, persecuted for fraud, appeared before the world community as a “victim of the regime.” Gusinsky was initially released on bail, and then a Spanish judge refused to extradite him to Russian law enforcement agencies.

Upon returning to Russia, Astakhov immediately took up a new business. This time his client was famous TV presenter Sergei Dorenko, who ran over a captain of the first rank from the General Staff of the Navy on a motorcycle. And again Pavel Alekseevich tried to transfer the matter to the political plane.

Despite his connections with the family of Yuri Luzhkov, which he acquired through communication with Gusinsky, Astakhov argued that the criminal case against Dorenko was initiated precisely at the instigation of the mayor of Moscow, because Sergei Leonidovich at that time published a lot of incriminating evidence on Luzhkov and his wife Elena Baturina. As a result, Dorenko refused the services of the famous lawyer when he was sentenced to four years of probation.

American past

Thanks to the high-profile cases of Gusinsky and Pope, Pavel Alekseevich aroused considerable interest among Americans. He was invited to round table, organized by the US Congress, and then offered to study at the University of Pittsburgh. If now Astakhov does not advertise his American past, then in those days he liked to mention the “higher” education received in Pittsburgh, calling the USA, with a breath in his voice, his “second home.” In fact, obtaining a higher education at an American university was reduced to just a year-long course at the School of Law at the University of Pittsburgh, and defending a dissertation (as Pavel Alekseevich himself loudly called his work) was just writing a term paper.

Having left his overseas alma mater, Astakhov returned to Moscow, where he continued to adhere to the principle: the more scandalous the occasion, the better for his legal career. In 2003, he volunteered to defend Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who had been overthrown by American troops. As a result, the former Iraqi leader was executed without using the services of a Russian lawyer, but Pavel Alekseevich’s “recognizability bank” once again received more capital.

The girl got the Tajik drunk

But Astakhov gained the greatest popularity in 2004, when his program “Hour of Judgment” was broadcast on the REN TV channel. The show featured a trial in which Pavel Alekseevich, banging his gavel, called the actors portraying the plaintiffs and defendants to order, and after the show explained to the audience Russian laws on which he made this or that decision.

Modern "Romeo and Juliet"

In 2005, Astakhov again found a high-profile case for himself. It’s hard to believe, but the future Commissioner for Children’s Rights took it upon himself to protect... a pedophile. This story happened with a ten-year-old orphan girl who lived with her grandmother, who rented one of the two rooms of her apartment to a young Tajik Bakhtier. This same Bakhtier seduced a girl, and she gave birth to a child a year later, at the age of eleven. Since the Tajik, according to documents, was only fourteen years old, the media presented this story as a modern variation of “Romeo and Juliet.” But “Romeo” turned out to be an impostor, since he was not fourteen-year-old Bakhtiyor at all, but eighteen-year-old Khabibula Pakhtakhonov, who lived according to the documents of his own younger brother. It would seem that there could be no excuses for this, but Pavel Alekseevich nevertheless volunteered to lead this case.

As usual, Astakhov actively used television to promote his popularity. He willingly gave comments and dragged the young defendants in the case to various programs. Pavel Alekseevich’s main argument was the fact that the girl had previously been raped by Caucasians. Not only was this argument strange, to put it mildly, but it also did not correspond to reality. However, the victim confirmed everything, receiving fees for appearances on television programs.

At the trial, Pavel Alekseevich even put forward the version that a ten-year-old girl gave the poor Tajik a glass of champagne and seduced him, because she really liked him. As a result, Khabibula received a suspended sentence, Russian citizenship and began living with the girl and her child on child benefits and her grandmother’s pension. But viewers of all kinds of talk shows were able to rejoice at the modern “Romeo and Juliet” and once again admire the lawyer from “Court Hour”.

Book about a lawyer

In 2006, the mayor of Volgograd, Evgeniy Ishchenko, was accused of abuse of power, illegal business and storage of ammunition. The head of the city's fortune at that time totaled $70 million.

And again Astakhov, not afraid to “get dirty,” volunteered to defend Yevgeny Petrovich. As a result, the thieving former mayor was given one year in prison on two charges, which he had already served in pre-trial detention, and on the third charge he was completely acquitted.

In addition to his career as a lawyer and TV presenter, Pavel Alekseevich also tried himself in the writing field. In 2007, his book was published about a lawyer fighting for the truth with "". The aspiring writer in his book did not always even change the names of actual government representatives. It is difficult to say how critics assessed the work, but the Main Investigation Department of the Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate noticed this book, considering it “slanderous.” Astakhov was summoned to the Koptevskaya interdistrict prosecutor's office “to give an explanation.”

It cannot be said that this particular incident radically influenced Pavel Alekseevich; most likely, the lawyer simply realized that today it is necessary to act according to new stencils. One way or another, he abandoned his struggle with the system and decided to completely fit into it. In November 2007, Astakhov founded the “For Putin” movement, which he himself headed. Then there was a large-scale meeting of the movement in Tver. At first, Pavel Alekseevich intended to collect signatures in order to current president agreed to lead the country for the third time in a row. But when the head of state made it clear that he did not intend to violate the Constitution, Astakhov said that in the person of Vladimir Putin he was not choosing the President, but the “owner of the country.”

Member of the Public Chamber

Astakhov's reformatting did not go unnoticed. In 2008 he was elected a member of the Public Chamber Russian Federation, where he joined the Commission on Communications, Information Policy and Freedom of Speech in the Media, as well as the Inter-Commission working group on organizing the expert activities of the Public Chamber.

It was then that he first became involved in the problems of children, taking part in the development of the “Concept public policy in the field of spiritual and moral education of children in the Russian Federation and the protection of their morality.” Despite the fact that the Concept was criticized even by pro-government media, Pavel Alekseevich’s diligence was appreciated, and already in December 2009 he was appointed Commissioner under the President of the Russian Federation for Children’s Rights. The powers of a member of the Public Chamber of Astakhov were terminated.

Children's Ombudsman

The Children's Ombudsman took off right off the bat and began visiting the most different corners our vast country. He traveled all over the region, and everywhere he visited orphanages, boarding schools, schools, orphanages, personally communicated with children and delved into all the problems. Only the rider that the human rights activist presented as a greeter aroused quiet bewilderment and indignation among them. Most often, you could see an AUDI A8 or Mercedes S-Class car, an escort in the form of a traffic police crew, security, a double luxury room with a treadmill, and lunch in the diocese was often included as an obligatory item. At the same time, he resolved all issues with dismissals. After Astakhov’s visit, the heads of children’s institutions very often lost their posts, and this in no way depended on how much they really deserved such a decision.

Pavel Alekseevich, accustomed to noisy PR, was actively looking for a topic that would give him the opportunity to promote himself as a defender of children's rights. And such a topic appeared in 2010. American Torrie Ann Hansen returned to Russian Orphanage the child she adopted six months ago, Artem Savelyev. It was then that Astakhov realized that today the fight against Americans who abuse adopted children from Russia may be more relevant than ever. Despite the fact that, for example, in 2009 Russian families More than eight thousand children were returned to orphanages, and only one was foreign. The Commissioner for Children's Rights replicated this case with enviable success.

Pavel Alekseevich publicly stated that he would not give “his Artemka” to anyone. According to Astakhov, a whole queue lined up to adopt Artem Savelyev, and the family of the famous Russian diplomat was number one in it. Years passed, and Artem Savelyev continued to live in a family-type orphanage, the so-called. children's village "SOS". Pavel Alekseevich no longer remembers him.

In the same year, there was another high-profile case involving the children's ombudsman. A pupil of boarding school No. 2 in the city of Izhevsk, Artur Rubinchikov, who was expecting his majority any day now, provoked a riot in order to fire the director of the boarding school. Arthur incited other students to revolt with the help of threats and stabbings. The Commissioner for Children's Rights, who arrived at the scene, insisted on the dismissal of the director of the boarding school, as well as a number of ministers of Udmurtia and other officials. The children from the boarding school tried to keep their mentor and even wrote a letter to Astakhov, but he was adamant, noting that it was inappropriate to take into account the children’s opinion in such matters. As a result, the director was indeed fired.

How strange it is, but an ardent opponent of foreign adoption actively participated in the creation of a bilateral agreement on adoption between Russia and the United States. True, this agreement was more like a lobby of business agencies for international adoption, since an American family could now shelter an orphan from Russia only through specific accredited agencies, whose services cost from forty to fifty thousand dollars.

Ban on adoption

However, during a “direct line” with Vladimir Putin, who at that time was the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Pavel Alekseevich proposed banning foreign adoption altogether. At the same time, Astakhov was not at all embarrassed by the fact that his proposal contradicted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. For this statement, he was criticized by his colleagues.

For example, the Commissioner for Children's Rights in Moscow, Galina Semiya, drew attention to the fact that the Children's Ombudsman deliberately promotes a few cases of cruel treatment of children in foreign families who have adopted a Russian child and does not pay attention to the same facts in Russian adoptive families, although they are much more common. Alina Levitskaya, director of the department of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, spoke about the same thing. Even the then President Dmitry Medvedev directly pointed out to Pavel Alekseevich this fact in person.

But, despite all the comments, Astakhov was already so incensed by his activities in this area that he began to see this as almost the main mission of the Commissioner for Children's Rights. Therefore, when the question arose of how to respond to the American authorities, who had just adopted the Magnitsky Law, Pavel Alekseevich was already standing at the door of the Kremlin offices with a ready-made project.

For some reason, the children's ombudsman proposed a response to the law that closed American bank accounts for Russian officials with the help of Russian orphans who could find a home in an American family. The ban on American adoption caused bewilderment among most representatives of the presidential administration and government, because it was enough that Russian citizens had priority in adoption over American ones.

But Astakhov raised and disseminated a scandalous story concerning the one-and-a-half-year-old child Dima Yakovlev, who died in 2008 in the USA. Dima was adopted by an American family from a Russian orphanage. Adoptive parents They left the child in the car in thirty-degree heat for nine hours, which is why he died. A few years later this tragic story began to be used to promote a ban on American adoption. Pavel Alekseevich claimed that the grandparents were prevented from establishing custody of the child and their signatures authorizing the adoption were forged.

Eventually, a law prohibiting US citizens from adopting Russian children was passed. This law was nicknamed “Dima Yakovlev’s Law.” Because of his adoption, 46 orphans were unable to find a family, only because the adoption procedure was not completed on time. Astakhov urged not to make a tragedy out of this. In his opinion, there was nothing wrong with the fact that the children had already become accustomed to their potential parents, because they still “remained in the bank of orphans left without parental care.” For some reason, Pavel Alekseevich was sure that this fact should console them.

Adoption plan

The Commissioner for Human Rights himself promised that the system of orphanages and boarding schools would be destroyed in the near future, and that he would be able to find families for all orphans through monetary incentives. He began to put his promises into practice without choosing any methods. Orphanages were given standards to fulfill the adoption plan, and increased cash benefits were provided to help them. foster families. As a result, families who simply wanted to improve their financial situation flocked to the orphans. But no one was going to check their readiness for adoption and the sincerity of their desires, because no one wanted to lose their places for not fulfilling the plan. As a result, the rates of secondary orphanhood have increased significantly. At the same time, for children who are returned to an orphanage for the second time, the chances of being re-adopted are low, not to mention the psychological trauma they receive. As a result, the number of orphans only began to grow.

In 2013, Astakhov reported that a Russian orphan, Maxim Kuzmin, adopted by this family, died in one of the American families. According to the children's ombudsman, the child's adoptive mother fed him psychotropic substances and severely beat him. The child, according to Pavel Alekseevich, received multiple injuries and died a violent death. As it turned out later (Astakhov himself, in particular, admitted this), all this data did not correspond to reality, since the child received a fatal injury while playing on the playground.

Remained in the American family brother Maxima, Kirill. Pavel Alekseevich found him my own mother Yulia, brought her along with her next partner to Moscow, where she, for a separate fee, appeared on a central television program and announced that she had found a job and intended to get her son back. Returning home, Yulia and her partner, being in drunk, created chaos in the carriage of the Moscow-Pskov train, for which they were thrown out. As it turned out, Julia did not find any work and continued to lead a riotous lifestyle, and she was unlikely to return the child.

It was rumored that Astakhov specifically carried out this kind of PR because he hoped to create a separate ministry for orphans’ affairs. But not everyone approved of such working methods. And then it turned out that Pavel Alekseevich’s doctoral dissertation entitled “Legal Conflicts and modern forms their permission (Theoretical and legal research)”, is almost completely falsified. And when the doctor of legal sciences was asked about his supervisor, he could not even remember his name. Demands poured in from various movements and parties to remove Astakhov from the post of Commissioner for Children's Rights. But this never happened.

France Lover

It should be noted that various calls from politicians and social activists regarding Pavel Alekseevich were heard more than once. So, after the adoption of the “Dima Yakovlev Law”, the human rights organization “Children’s Right” appealed to French President Francois Hollande with a request to ban Astakhov from entering the country. It was not by chance that they chose France, because that’s where the “patriot’s” family lives. And the “Russophile” prefers to spend his holidays abroad, for example in Monte Carlo.

Pavel Alekseevich once said on the radio: “I want my children to grow up here, so that my grandchildren will be Russian and speak Russian.” But the most youngest child Astakhova, Arseny, was born in France. This is where the Astakhov family lives, which has an apartment in Monaco with an area of ​​176 square meters. Not only did the birth take place in one of the most expensive clinics in Europe (and in the ward in which Angelina Jolie lay before his wife), but the Astakhovs also baptized their child in Cannes. At the same time, Pavel Alekseevich explained this by saying that clinics in Russia are very expensive, and in France there is excellent service. Why didn't he like it? Russian churches, he never bothered to explain.

Children abroad

At the same time, his eldest son spent half of his childhood in America and England. He even studied at Oxford, but did not complete his studies because he was bored there. He continued his studies in London, but the young man did not like it there either, since they taught “not practical, but theoretical things.”

It would seem that we have before us a true patriot, but alas, Anton Pavlovich also speaks unflatteringly about Russian schools. According to him, in Russian schools he “only spoiled his language,” but when he began to travel to America, “he began to speak normally.” In Moscow, Anton became famous primarily for causing an accident in his BMW 5 Series on 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street, while being drunk.

The middle son Artem modestly studied at elite school in Moscow, where children arrive in Rolls-Royces. But Artem Pavlovich, unlike his older brother, was always distinguished by his piety, and even helped lead Sunday services in Orthodox churches. True, for some reason he chose the Russian church in Cannes for good deeds.

Early emancipation

As you can see, when necessary, Pavel Alekseevich easily compromises his principles. So in May 2015, in the Chechen Republic, an illegal wedding was arranged between a seventeen-year-old girl and the fifty-seven-year-old head of the Nozhai-Yurtovsky district police department of the republic, Nazhid Guchigov, who already had a wife. This fact did not bother Astakhov, he only noted that “in the Caucasus, emancipation and puberty occur earlier,” and women there “are already wrinkled at twenty-seven years old, and by our standards they are under fifty.” In response to this, Russian women began posting photos of themselves on Instagram with grimaces on their faces and the hashtag #wrinkledwoman.

For his ability to grasp “where the wind is blowing”, Pavel Alekseevich is also often met halfway. Thus, the Office of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights was given an entire floor of the building of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, where expensive renovations costing almost half a billion rubles were recently completed. It is difficult to imagine how many employees must work to support the activities of one ombudsman.

Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov chose “self-PR at any cost” as the principle for building his career. At the same time, he doesn’t care how this “self-PR” will take place: through frowning eyebrows in a television program simulating a trial or cheerful poetic graphomania during a real trial; fighting the system or completely integrating into it; protection of pedophiles or bans on adoptions by foreign families; boasting about American education or pompous patriotism. Astakhov understands that anything will do, you just need to choose the right place and time. While teaching us all to love our Motherland, the Children's Ombudsman hardly attaches much importance to his words. After all, his heart is now in Monaco, where he is best able to reflect on the fate of Russian children.

In the fall of 2016, Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov was relieved of his post as Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights. The decree was signed by Vladimir Putin.