A resident of Togliatti settled in a sewer after a divorce: a neat man with a beard

This story began with a call to a local volunteer. One of the residents of Togliatti drew attention to a man who every day climbs into a sewer manhole on one of the city’s busy streets. This neat man with a beard is often seen near the church, where he finds food for himself.

But his relatives don’t know anything about him, or rather, they don’t want to know. The ex-wife, daughter, three brothers and sister seemed to have agreed: Shurik is dead.

“Uncle Sasha, can I see you?” – the volunteer shouts into the sewer hatch. He holds the lid ajar, steam is pouring out of the hatch. A minute later, a man emerges into the light of day. He is only 53, but looks a lot older. The face is covered with a beard, the hair is tousled, the cheeks are sunken. Speech is slightly slow, as if after a stroke. The wandering lifestyle undoubtedly left its mark, but Shurik cannot be called an old man. He clearly wants something more from life. When asked how he could be helped, he immediately said: “Find a job.”

“A stranger called me and told me about a sewer resident. The guy says he’s good. Don’t lie around drunk. He goes to the local temple. There he sits on the porch, begging for alms. In return, he helps with work in the temple. I do not smoke. Obviously, he has no place in the sewer,” said volunteer Anton Gletcherov.

Shurik has a gold wedding ring on his hand. If he were a drunkard, he would drink first. But it is obvious that a valuable thing is not a simple decoration. Alexander carried the symbol of love through the years and his stormy wandering life.

– My ex-wife lives in the Samara region. There is a daughter, Masha,” says Alexander. When speaking about his daughter, the man’s voice trembles.

When my daughter was about three, he went to prison. Caught petty theft. They gave it a year. When he came out, his wife pointed to the door. He left with one suitcase and moved to his aunt in Tolyatti. In a big city he found a second wife, Lyudmila, and a son was born. Then – a new tragedy. The child died. My parents started drinking heavily.

When asked about relatives, the man turns away. Obviously the topic is unpleasant to him.

The MK correspondent decided to find Alexander’s relatives and was surprised to learn that the man had many of them. The current inhabitant of the sewer was born into a large family. In addition to his brothers and sister, he has a whole scattering of nephews. And this is not counting his ex-wife and his own daughter. But for some reason everyone decided to think that Shurik had died. And if so, then there is no need to help him.

– He lived in a large five-room apartment from the state farm where his parents worked. The family had five children. Shurik is the penultimate son,” the daughter-in-law of a sewer inhabitant told MK. “I was married to his older brother. The wedding was just taking place in their apartment. It was fun. Shurik was the most cheerful. Always with humor, always joking. And what golden hands he has! Can do everything around the house. Cooks well. I remember being taught how to bake pancakes. He makes them look so thin. And so trouble-free. When he comes home to us, he immediately sees that it’s not working. Will fix it instantly.

Shurik found his wife in the Samara region – about 70 kilometers from the state farm. Svetlana studied to be a teacher. Daughter Masha was born. Shurik moved to live with his wife. The young family was given a one-room apartment.

Now the original five-room apartment has gone to the state farm. He left his wife’s apartment. In Tolyatti, he and his second wife Lyudmila rented an apartment, but when they started drinking after the death of their son, they were asked to go outside.

“They didn’t even invite him to his mother’s funeral.” They already thought that he was gone,” said the ex-wife of Alexander’s brother.

Shurik never left Tolyatti. Wandered here. The city is big, you can feed yourself. At first I lived in an abandoned store. Then I looked at the sewer. The workers know him and don’t kick him out.

– Everyone thinks that he doesn’t remember anyone. No. I once met him near the temple. I ask: Shurik, do you remember me? He nods. Of course, he remembers everything. “He just doesn’t want to impose himself on anyone,” says the tramp’s daughter-in-law.

Three brothers disown Alexander. My sister lives in Moscow. When asked about Alexandra, she asked not to bother her. His wife doesn’t want to know about him.

– Svetlana is a well-known teacher in Samara. She doesn’t want to be associated with a sewer tramp. My daughter grew up without her dad and therefore is also not eager to help him, says Shurik’s daughter-in-law.

After a volunteer published a video with Alexander on his page, his aunt was found in the city. The woman bought food and came to the hatch, but did not find her nephew there. Also, as it turned out, all this time Shurik was helped by his stepson – the son of his second wife. He took him to live with him, but the man was embarrassed to eat at someone else’s expense. He returned to his sewer again.

– He cannot get a job on his own because he has no documents. To restore them, you need money. Vicious circle. Well, registration is required. And where to register it is still a question,” says volunteer Anton Gletcherov.

Now the dungeon dweller is being helped by volunteers and caring city residents. The philanthropists are going to restore the documents at their own expense and look for a job for Shurik. Fortunately, he has golden hands.

– Sasha worked at AvtoVAZ until it closed. He’s a mechanic, he’s good at cars,” says Shurik’s relative.

In the meantime, the man clearly needs a medical examination. Needless to say, life in the sewer did not do him any good. Volunteers are trying to negotiate a rehabilitation course without accompanying documents. Where Alexander will live after being discharged from the hospital is still a big question. For now he continues to live in the sewer.