Iosif Prigogine called the difference between Kikabidze and Galkin

After the death of Vakhtang Kikabidze, Iosif Prigogine posted on the social network: “A person close to me has disappeared. We were connected by many years of friendship. Buba was the godfather of my daughter Danae. We loved him endlessly, despite political views and differences. The producer mentioned that they haven’t seen each other lately, only talking on the phone, and even then rarely.

– How did it happen that Vakhtang Kikabidze became your daughter’s godfather?

– We were very close friends, Vakhtang was like a father to me. You can say he replaced my father, – says Iosif Prigogine. – The fact is that at the age of 25 I became his producer. It was 28 years ago. We have worked together for almost 10 years.

He was already popular back then.

– He was popular, but unclaimed, that’s the problem. There was a war in Georgia. During that period, he was left with nothing at all. And then a young guy appeared, whom he trusted. As a result, we have achieved good results.

We had a lot of interesting things. And I am grateful to him for the trust he placed in me in 1994. We were one family. Therefore, he became the godfather of my daughter Danae. I was friends with his family: children, wife, the kingdom of heaven to her. Irina Grigoryevna was a brilliant ballerina and a fantastic woman. Kikabidze worked all his life for the family, plowed, so that you understand. Gave children education. I know that after the death of Kikabidze’s wife, it was no longer very interesting to stay in this life. What has he not seen yet?

– Did you know about his illnesses?

– I knew about all his illnesses. I remember he had a brain tumor. He was operated on by the surgeon Konovalov at the Burdenko Academy. That was a long time ago. Kikabidze went through fire, water and copper pipes.

– Your relationship has not deteriorated due to different political views?

– It was difficult for us to communicate precisely because our political views did not intersect. I had one vision and he had another. But that didn’t stop us from talking. I think that we should still remain civilized people, it is stupid to break off contacts and relations. I still treated him with respect due to his age, position and situation. I even allowed myself to argue with him on certain topics, but within the limits of what was permissible.

– Didn’t it get to a serious swearing?

– No, it wasn’t. We just started talking less. He had his vision, I had mine. I defended my position, he defended his. Sometimes my arguments won out, sometimes his vision won out. Nevertheless, we appealed with arguments. Still, Kikabidze is a smart, grown-up person, and I can’t make him think differently. He has his own story.

– Why do Kikabidze forgive his position, but our other stars, the same Maxim Galkin (recognized as a foreign agent by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation) are not?

What does it mean to forgive or not? Let’s start with the fact that Kikabidze is a citizen of Georgia. And he did not receive anything from modern Russia. He did not use state subsidies, did not work on federal channels. He chose the position of remaining in Georgia with his people. He didn’t like everything that was going on here. After 2008, he has never been to Russia. Didn’t like our government. He chose this position. If he were cynically hypocritical, came to Russia, earned money here, and then returned home … But he did not come to Russia. Didn’t give concerts here. He was honest about it. And it is necessary to separate the flies from the cutlets. And the same Galkin is a citizen of the Russian Federation, he was an employee of Channel One, for a moment. So let’s not mix everything together. Kikabidze didn’t even have an apartment in Russia. He did not live in Russia. He did not enjoy the benefits of the Russian state.

And today it is not necessary to pit people. I understand his position. I know and respect his position, it is what it is. I told him: “I do not divide us and never want to divide.” He tried to be a cultural bridge between our relations, including between our country, without cutting off our ties with him.

Kikabidze knows life not from stories. He has his own vision and, as a citizen of another state, he has the right to express his point of view. You see today all federal channels show Kikabidze. Because he is a personality, we cannot cross out our past, our history. That’s what we’re talking about. And our president is talking about it.

– Are you going to the funeral?

– Unfortunately no. Firstly, I will not be in time purely physically. Secondly, getting to Georgia is not easy. Thirdly, I do not know the point of view of his family. Maybe I’ll be unpleasant to them at that moment. Although I respect his family. And our disagreements should not prevent me from having a past with Vakhtang.