“If you find it, you have to give it back” – Picture of the Day – Kommersant

constitutional Court explained the difference between found and stolen things. Kommersant asked politicians, cultural figures, public figures and bystanders if they tried to return the finds.

Svetlana Zhurova, Olympic champion in speed skating, State Duma deputy:

— My amazing discovery happened in early childhood, when I was in the first grade. As a family, we planted potatoes in the spring, and my uncle lost his golden wedding ring. You can imagine how upset he was, but a miracle – when we dug up the harvest in the fall, I found the ring and returned it to my uncle. To celebrate, he gave me a gorgeous gift.

The opposite case, when a lost thing was returned to me, I often cite when I explain to women that they should trust their husbands. It so happened that I left in the container for things, which is used to pass the control on the flight, my deputy certificate, it leaned against the wall of the container and was almost invisible. Surprisingly, after a rather long time it was returned to me by one of the employees of the State Duma apparatus. He used the same container a little later and automatically took my ID, mistaking it for his own – they look very similar.

When the man returned from the trip, my wife found my ID and made a crazy scene of jealousy. That’s how an absurd accident almost destroyed the family. It took a lot of effort to avoid a break.

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Andrey Ananov, President of the Russian Jewelery Art Company:

– In Soviet times, when I was already carried away by jewelry, for a long time I could not find the necessary machine – rollers. And suddenly, passing by a truck in which the pioneers were loading scrap metal, I saw familiar outlines. Having paid three rubles to the driver, I became the owner of the machine. Having cleaned it of rust, I could not believe my eyes – I saw it in the pictures of the Faberge workshop! It was handmade, and some parts of the machine have a unique look.

I did not try to return it – the thing was thrown out for recycling by an unknown person. And the restored unique machine still serves me.

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Andrey Zhitinkin, director, People’s Artist of Russia:

– I had a small, burgundy volume of Pasternak from the Poet’s Library series, which I love very much. The volume was compact, fit well in the pocket, and I always flew with it on tour. I don’t know who, but it was stolen from me. In Soviet times, it was very difficult with books, and I understand that the thief understood this, because then Pasternak was a kind of currency. I grieved terribly, I had to make some kind of photocopier.

Many years later, on tour in Kursk, in a second-hand bookstore, I saw him – this burgundy volume. I could not believe my eyes, I shook, ran and bought it, I do not remember for what money. For a whole month I was in a great mood and everything worked out. This season there was a wonderful premiere, I received the title of People’s Artist. This volume, I thought, is helping me for my loyalty to him.

I often found different things, and twice found crosses. One was very simple, and the second was golden and obviously expensive. Both times I took crosses and immediately carried them to the nearest church. Everyone should know this – if you find some kind of jewel, do not be deluded by its value and do not take it. You will lose more than you gain. Especially the cross. If you take it, you will appropriate other people’s sins and other people’s problems.

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Oleg Zholobov, Deputy Head of the United Russia faction of the Moscow Regional Duma:

– In the first grade in Volgograd, I found a small white fluffy dog ​​on the street. I brought her home, and my mother said that I had to choose: either she or the dog. I had to give it to some distant acquaintances.

When I lived in Mitino near the radio market, I found lost phones several times. Always called and returned them to their owners free of charge. I myself know what it means to lose a phone, so I treat it with trepidation. My mother brought me up not to take what was found, and if you find it, then you have to give it back. Therefore, I don’t leave anything that I found at home, it won’t bring anything good, it’s someone else’s thing.

A couple of times I found money in a restaurant and gave it to the reception. While doing this, there was a feeling that they would not be given to anyone from there, and there was no desire to give your phone number and say that they should call. My friend did this, and then they called him and said that there was more money in there than he said.

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Elina Denisova, wine expert, member of the Russian and Moscow sommelier associations, Ambassador of Armagnac in Russia:

– As a child, I found some small items that then seemed to be valuable. When she grew up, she did not find anything significant and valuable.

Once in a pedestrian crossing I found rolled up 500 rubles. They obviously fell out of the man’s back pocket, because women never wear money like that. She looked around, but there was no one around, she did not look for the owner, but took them to the church and gave them to the poor on the porch.

In different countries I often found different trifles, coins of small denomination. They say different things about such finds: either that it is not necessary to refuse the find and it is better to bend down and pick it up, or that it is better not to take it at all. I most often picked up what I found, put it in some prominent place or carried it to the temple, where I gave it to the poor.

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Nathan Mirow (rapper Natan), singer, songwriter:

— The most memorable discovery occurred on April 1, 2010. I walked around the net for a long time and in an instant I saw in VK the very one who became my wife! To this day, I am incredibly happy about it and I will not give it to anyone!

And I definitely return things, because I believe in karma and in a boomerang. I can imagine what a pleasant feeling it is to get what you have lost when there is already no hope for the return of the thing. And from this my soul is calm and joyful. But I don’t remember a response miracle with my losses. The last time I was left without a new Gucci wallet with all bank cards and 15 thousand cash. It was a pity only the wallet, and I really hoped that it would be returned. But no one answered.

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Sergey Tokarev, General Secretary of the Russian Council of Entrepreneurs in Dubai and the Northern Emirates:

– I rather sometimes help at the request of friends in the search. For example, I found several very expensive jackets in wardrobe trunks, each costing under $10,000, which they had forgotten at the Dubai airport. I was allowed into Lost & Found, a room of forgotten things at the airport, where for two hours I “walked” around a giant warehouse with kilometer-long racks, wondering what people manage to forget or lose and not look for.

Of course, I always do it for free, and not because in Dubai there is a law on rewarding people who return found someone else’s property, up to 10% of the cost. Such a policy of the authorities and the police in the UAE encourages people, they are written about almost weekly in newspapers or social networks.

Every year, taxi drivers, hotel and beach attendants, ordinary residents who only return hundreds of passports, several thousand smartphones, laptops and tablets, tens of thousands of dollars or euros and millions of dirhams become such heroes. But unfortunately, I hear more and more often about cases when the forgotten is not returned or you have to look for it yourself without guarantees of success.

And just recently, on the way to the office on a busy highway, they found a homeless kitten with a broken paw. Trying not to interfere with the movement, they picked it up, washed it, pierced it with antibiotics, had an operation on its leg, and received vaccinations. The owners did not respond, but very successfully found a new family for the handsome black man. These are our friends, we often visit our “find”.

Group “Direct speech”