Senator Dzhabarov invited 94-year-old Nikolai Ryzhkov to work more

Nikolai Ryzhkov left the Federation Council. The oldest Russian senator, who celebrated his 94th birthday on September 28 this year, surrendered his mandate ahead of schedule. He explained his decision, which came as a surprise to everyone, very simply: “I looked at my passport and said to myself: enough is enough.” But his colleagues in the ward do not want to let Nikolai Ivanovich go.

Patriarch, man-era, man-loyalty. This is how his colleagues in the upper house of the Russian parliament speak about Nikolai Ryzhkov.

Although Nikolai Ivanovich himself does not like to be praised. Even when he was honored at a meeting in the Federation Council on the occasion of the anniversary, the politician said that “you have to have a healthy heart to listen to this.”

He came to the upper house of parliament in 2003. Ryzhkov already had the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and eight years of work in the State Duma under his belt. He led the headquarters for liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and participated in the rescue of victims of the terrible earthquake in Armenia in 1988. And when, following the Kyiv Maidan, shelling of Donbass began, Nikolai Ivanovich headed the committee of public support for residents of south-eastern Ukraine.

Colleagues in the upper house are surprised by Ryzhkov’s gift of foresight. Ryzhkov knew what needed to be done with the regions, which today are already full-fledged subjects of Russia, eight years before the start of the Northern Military District. He proposed to organize work on providing medical care and supplying medical equipment, focused on issues with humanitarian aid and food, as well as protecting the rights of children and their evacuation from combat areas. In addition, the politician insisted on the need to reduce the processing time for documents for residents of Ukraine who want to work in Russia.

For example, in the Belgorod region, whose interests Ryzhkov represented in the Federation Council, he considered it extremely important to turn off Ukrainian TV channels. And not only there, but in all border regions of the country. The politician spoke about this back in 2019.

First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs Galina Karelova said that in any situation Nikolai Ryzhkov always found time to solve social problems.

– Nikolai Ivanovich is a man of constancy, a man of loyalty. This, in my opinion, is the main thing about him,” said Galina Karelova. – Maybe because he grew up and matured on the Ural soil. In some incomprehensible way, she “introduces” these qualities into people. For him, the main thing is serving the country.

Nikolai Ivanovich’s colleague on the committee, Anatoly Shirokov, noted that the politician was never shy about being tough.

True, Ryzhkov always combines this rigidity with extreme calm. Whatever he did – whether he spoke from the podium in the Federation Council, or defended his point of view within the walls of a committee – he never raised his voice. Moreover, despite his age, he rarely looked at papers or took notes.

“I get the impression that he still has in his head the economy of the entire country, starting from the Soviet years. He knows the history of problems, many of which migrated to us from the USSR,” said Anatoly Shirokov.

Ryzhkov proposed to transfer much of the Soviet past to modern Russia. For example, he believes that the national idea and ideology of social justice were lost after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But only by restoring them, “the people will know for what they live,” says Ryzhkov.

Nikolai Ryzhkov’s proposals from any platform were always sharp and bright. MK collected several of his quotes.

For example, Nikolai Ivanovich proposed returning to the state plan:

“We can talk a lot about the State Planning Committee. Today we don’t understand much about what needs to be done. A real-life example: there are 12 presidential decrees. Why are they needed? In the Soviet Union there was no decree system, but every 5 years they set a goal – where to go. Today’s decrees are the same. Don’t trust anyone that everything will regulate itself, it’s all bullshit.”

The politician proposed educating young people the way it was done in Soviet times:

“Young people need to be educated in the spirit of patriotism, and not in the spirit of “become the same as Abramovich.”

He also proposed returning the state monopoly on the sale of alcohol and called its abolition a frivolous decision:

“We were then reproached that the country’s budget was “drunk.” Indeed, 30% of the budget revenue came from alcohol, but let’s look at the numbers – in the USSR, annual alcohol consumption per person was 12 liters, and now this figure is close to 18 liters, while the world norm is 8 liters… Where is this money? They exist, and they are in the pockets of the vodka oligarchs.”

And Ryzhkov has always been a supporter of a strong state:

“I am still absolutely convinced: with weak state power it is impossible to carry out successful economic transformations. There will definitely be destruction.”

The former head of the USSR Council of Ministers and the oldest Russian senator spoke about himself with restraint: “I can calmly walk the streets and look people in the eyes, and this is not given to every politician.”

The news about Nikolai Ryzhkov’s resignation from the Federation Council came like a bolt from the blue and came as a complete surprise to everyone. At the meeting on September 25, Valentina Matvienko did not say anything about the fact that the oldest member of the upper house decided to surrender her mandate. But there was an explanation for this. It turns out that Ryzhkov made a decision a little later. So the ceremonial part of the Federation Council meeting, dedicated to the luminary of Soviet and Russian politics, is still ahead.

Well, Nikolai Ivanovich himself will not leave big politics and will be an adviser to Valentina Matvienko on a voluntary basis.

— The fact that Ryzhkov decided to resign (from the post of senator. — Approx. “MK”) – it is not right. Need to work. It would be great if he worked some more,” Vladimir Dzhabarov, the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, expressed hope.