Andrei Makarevich, following Vaikule, declared himself “the breadwinner of the entire USSR”

Musician Andrei Makarevich, following Vaikule, declared himself “the breadwinner of the entire USSR”

Musician Andrei Makarevich, recognized as a foreign agent in our country, has settled down in Israel, devoting himself to caring for his little son, born from his Ukrainian wife, and to everyday affairs. Periodically, the 70-year-old rock star organizes concerts for local fugitives from Russia. The musician’s new compositions are not intended for the Russian public, although Makarevich still yearns for the times of popularity of the Time Machine group in his homeland.

Either the hot sun of Israel baked Makarevich’s head, or the elderly star was overtaken by delusions of grandeur, but the musician once again “issued” a very controversial statement. In a recent interview, Makarevich stated that during the Soviet years he actually maintained Rosconcert, bringing into the country’s budget an income similar to the “average size of a Soviet plant.”

“Without false modesty, I will say that our concerts were financed by Rosconcert, because we brought in income comparable to an average Soviet factory. We received only 10-20 rubles for a performance,” Makarevich said in the “Honest Word” program on YouTube.

The artist added that in 1983, when his group went on strike, art officials literally crawled to them on their knees.

“After “Blue Bird Stew” (the article was published in Komsomolskaya Pravda in 1982), we were ”taken off the route” and told to work on the program. Then we staged a sit-in strike – we didn’t speak for three months. Periodically they called us and said: “Rosconcert is starving.” We said: ”Let’s work,” says the musician.

These statements by Makarevich caused outrage among viewers of the show on YouTube. Many remembered similar words from Laima Vaikule. A singer living in Latvia recently said that in the 80s she actually supported the entire Soviet Union, performing in front of full stadiums and donating the rest of the money to the country’s budget.

After moving from Russia, Makarevich closed his business and got rid of Moscow real estate, transferring his apartment on Leninsky Prospekt to his son, actor Ivan Makarevich. His mansion in the Moscow region is now registered in the name of his sister.