Life "Let's Kiss": Six women's stories about Boris Nemtsov
Prepared by: Yulia Taratuta
Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister, leader of the Union of Right Forces party, deputy, oppositionist and politician with what seems to be the most unusual career story in Russia, was killed exactly two years ago. Yesterday, rallies and processions in his memory were held in Moscow and other Russian cities. On February 23, the documentary film “Too Free a Man” by Mikhail Fishman and Vera Krichevskaya was released - an amazing political biography of a specific person and an entire country. We are publishing fragments from the working materials of the film that the authors shared with us: these are six women's stories about Boris Nemtsov, they are told in turn by his daughter, wife, colleague, friend, confidant and daughter of the first president of Russia, who persuaded Nemtsov to move to Moscow.
Irina Khakamada
ex-colleague of Boris Nemtsov in the government, co-chairman of the Union of Right Forces
During the SPS elections in 1999, Borey Nemtsov and I worked for young people - we went on tour around Russia. Endless rock concerts, we were both dancers and screaming from the stage. At first Borya was wildly irritated by this. He said: “Ir, I can’t, I don’t know how to dance. My knee hurts. I can’t sleep so little.” I joked: “Bor, I’ll teach you how to dance rock and roll, but you need to sleep less.” Gradually he got excited and even got a taste for it. In one of the cities, when the stadium was already in complete euphoria, the presenter from the stage began to shout: “Guys, we love freedom, we love Russia. Let's all kiss." And then Boris says: “Irk, let’s kiss.” And we kissed right there under the spotlights.
Once Nemtsov and I went to a conference in Belarus - we were friends with the local opposition. We arrive in Minsk, there are about ten of us. Everyone calmly descends the ladder. And suddenly a closed UAZ drives up, they take prisoners like that, take Nemtsov by the arms and take him there. And they say to me: “Irina Mutsuovna, you can get on the bus, they will take you to the conference.” I told them: “I’m not going anywhere. And I won’t just hand Nemtsov over to you. Then take me along with him.” We sat down together and were taken somewhere. It took a long time, about two hours. Boris Efimovich kept calling his assistants, trying to get in touch. But I am a big adventurer, I suggested not to get in touch and disappear - for two days in Belarus. Firstly, I say, there will be a scandal. Secondly, we will have great ratings. But Nemtsov didn’t like the idea. He says: “Ir, are you stunned? Now they will take you to the Belarusian forests and shoot you.” I insist: “They won’t shoot us, we are state people.” Nemtsov didn’t listen, he called the right person, and they brought us back to the airport. They roll out a suitcase with our party brochures, and when they open it, it turns out that instead of brochures there are artificial dollars, dusted with copies of the covers.
Nemtsov reached for the suitcase, and I again yelled: “Don’t touch, don’t leave fingerprints.” I seem to remember all the detective stories I’ve read in my life. They ask us: “Is it yours?” We say: “No, not ours.” Then we were put on a plane and sent to Moscow. We arrived, and a day later Nord-Ost began.
When Nemtsov was arrested for the first time, I thought that it was not very scary, there is an unwritten law: if you were in the nomenklatura, you will be bullied less in prison, and the merits of the past still apply. But, of course, I was worried and called him: how are you, how are you feeling. And he says: “Ir, everything is fine with me. It’s generally great here.” And then he continues: “Here, you know, there’s one thief, a young guy. He's just crazy about you. Can I give him your phone number? I say: “Fight, stop! What are you doing?" - “No, he’s really good. I'm just so in love with you. It turns out there is a TV here, and he watches all your debates. He is Armenian, by the way. You have Armenian blood, right?” He still gave him my phone number, and we even corresponded for some time. This is the “good guy” that Boris Efimovich is all about.
Zhanna Nemtsova
daughter of Boris Nemtsov
In 1992, literally a few months after my father’s appointment, I gave the first interview in my life, after which I didn’t give another interview, it seems, for ten years. When I was asked, “What should a governor do?” - I said: “Resign.” In principle, I still agree with this - in Russia, all politicians should resign, and not sit for fifteen years. But at that moment it was completely wrong - I was talking about my dad, who was very young, became a governor at my age, solved a huge number of problems, carried out, perhaps, not the most popular decisions. I realized that I had said something stupid. And the journalist who was interviewing (by the way, it was Nina Zvereva) began receiving letters: “Why was this little fool - well, something like that - released on the screen?”
Actually, I was very embarrassed that my dad was a governor. I wanted equality. And I tried my best not to stick out who the dad was, although everyone knew about it. We lived in the country, dad had a Volga, it drove not only him, but also us. She drove me to school. And I always asked that this Volga stop not opposite the school, but a kilometer away, so as not to draw people’s attention to the fact that I was driving a car. This was probably an open secret. But I felt more comfortable this way.
My life at that time was semi-wild, I rode a bike a lot, walked through the forests and picked berries. That is, she led a hermit’s lifestyle. Sometimes my dad and I went, of course, to all sorts of areas of the region. Once we were at the opening of a maternity hospital in the city of Vache, the money for which was given by Mstislav Rostropovich, he was a great friend of Boris Efimovich. I also remember there was a concert by Alla Pugacheva in Nizhny Novgorod. Then there was a feast, and I was impressed by Alla Pugacheva, because she is a wonderful storyteller.
When we were driving back to Moscow, I said: “You will win the elections.” He says: “Come on.” I say: “You’ll see.” There was a feeling of victory
When my parents divorced, the three of us went to celebrate. Haha. I remember it was the Kolbasoff restaurant, I think, on Taganka. The parents maintained a good relationship. And then dad went to the rally. In 2010, on December 31, there was a rally on Triumfalnaya Square in support of Article 31 of the Constitution on freedom of assembly. And my dad was arrested and imprisoned for 15 days. And Judge Borovkova tried him. I was at this meeting and gave testimony along with my friend, but they were considered biased and were not taken into account. When he came out of the special detention center, I met him, we just went to a cafe. And he felt bad because he was sick. And when we were leaving, the “nashi” tried to throw a net at him. This was their favorite technique. But they couldn't. My dad had a great reaction.
When dad was elected to the Yaroslavl Duma, part of the campaign was devoted to a healthy lifestyle. And he called me to star in a video with him. We went to the park of the 1000th anniversary of Yaroslavl. At first we thought about tennis, but tennis is kind of like a Moscow sport, and besides, I can’t play now, I have problems with my joints. Dad decided we would run and do exercises. And we've been making circles around this park since eight in the morning. The video was completely trivial - without planes. And then dad pulled himself up, did the classic lift-up and flip and said something like: “Stop drinking, let’s build sites.” By the way, he later sent his parliamentary salary to the construction of sports grounds near schools. When we were on the train back to Moscow, I told him: “You will win the elections.” He says: “Come on.” I say: “You’ll see.” There was a feeling of victory.
Tatyana Yumasheva
daughter of the first Russian President Boris Yeltsin, ex-adviser to the President
To be honest, I don’t remember exactly how we met Borey Nemtsov. But during the first presidential term, we sometimes met during dad’s vacations. For example, our whole family rafted down the Volga and stopped in Nizhny Novgorod, and Borya, of course, as governor, met us and spent the whole day with us. They often sat alone with dad and talked for a long time. I remember once we were on vacation in Sochi and came to the Big Hat tournament - a tennis tournament where Borya played. And my dad and I were sick.
Borya always gave the impression of a bright and, I would say, unusual official and governor, he infected everyone with his energy, positivity, smiled, and joked. And we have a good relationship. Dad generally loved such energetic, independent people.
Bori always had his own opinion on every issue, and he absolutely fearlessly defended it to everyone, including the president. Of course, sometimes dad wasn’t very pleased with this. But he appreciated this quality in Bor. Dad, I remember, told Borya: “Why does Zyuganov speak so much in Nizhny Novgorod during the election campaign? Almost immediately from Nizhny Novgorod (in 1996, presidential elections were held, in the final of which Boris Yeltsin opposed the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov. - Ed.).” Nemtsov said: “Well, Boris Nikolaevich, everything is legal. Democracy. You see, I give everyone a voice. I'm here for you. But elections are elections.” Well, dad understood this, of course.
I still have his number in my phone. And I can't erase it, it doesn't work
When Borya arrived in Moscow (for the post of Deputy Prime Minister, Tatyana Yumasheva also conducted negotiations with Nemtsov at the request of President Yeltsin - Ed.), I felt a little responsible for the fact that he changed his life so dramatically. And of course, I tried to help, maybe solve some everyday problems. Bori had absolutely no time for this: he was busy from morning to evening with work in the government. I tried to help his family settle in Moscow. Find a good school for your daughter, recommend apartments. Well, in general, I did everything I could.
It seems to me that there were moments when dad considered Nemtsov as his successor. The future president of Russia. There were qualities in Bor that impressed dad and were close to him. True, he and I never talked about this. But then, it seems to me, this desire faded away.
So much time has passed, but it’s still impossible to believe that he’s gone. It seems like he’s about to come in, so energetic, with a white-toothed smile, and make jokes. I still have his number in my phone. And I can’t erase it, it doesn’t work.
Raisa Nemtsova
wife of Boris Nemtsov
Borya entered the dining room - we called them regional committee - and everyone gasped. Well, I mean the girls who were nearby. Because he was an unusually handsome young man, with a very bright appearance. Almond-shaped eyes. With a huge head of hair and a beard. We were stunned by such beauty. Tall too. He was hyperactive and very noisy. And always in the spotlight.
We met when he was 23 and I was 26, respectively. I worked in the library, and Borya was a scientist. We started going to Sverdlov's kindergarten, there was a tennis court, and we just learned to play tennis. I'm self-taught. Borya also, in principle, maybe took a couple of lessons. But he is very capable.
We also ran. Borya taught me to run, we have the Gorky Sea, and we went there on weekends. There he forced me to run and do pull-ups. We were somehow running through the forest with him, and there were guys from his institute coming towards us. They say: “Bor, is it really possible to force a girl to run?”
I usually called when I heard that he had been arrested. I asked if everything was okay? “Yes,” he said, “I’m in the paddy wagon.” Or: “That’s it, they’ve already released”
How did he come into politics? In Nizhny Novgorod, within the city limits, a thermal nuclear power plant was being built. This meant that the station generated heat, water was heated using nuclear reactors and supplied through heating mains to houses. Bori’s mother, a pediatrician, was terribly against this, literally beside herself, especially after the Chernobyl accident. And she was the first to go outside. She sat down somewhere there, on Freedom or Gorky Square, and began collecting signatures against the construction of the station. And then she turned to Bora, saying, this is terrible, you should make every effort, support me and generally declare this publicly somehow. Borya said - he wrote, in my opinion, an article for the Nizhegorodsky Rabochiy newspaper. The article caused a great resonance. There was a big discussion, he spoke on television. Then the time of rallies began. And naturally, Borya took part in this. I rarely went to rallies: I had to cook and feed the crowd of people who came to our home afterward.
We separated when I found out that he had an additional family. I tried to find a new life partner, but it didn’t work out. It was very easy with Borya, you know? Funny. Easily. Is not boring. And in general, I felt protected. This feeling was always that you were protected. I do not know why.
I usually called when I heard that he had been arrested. I asked if everything was okay? “Yes,” he said, “I’m in the paddy wagon.” Or: “That’s it, they’ve already released me.” One time he was taken away from me. We were getting divorced that day - we were sitting in a restaurant, waiting for a lawyer. We sat for a long time, just discussing something, then we went and submitted an application. And then we heard that people were organizing some kind of rally. And we went together - me, Zhanna and Borya. We left the Mayakovskaya metro station and walked from there. They were already waiting for him.
Nina Zvereva
journalist, confidant of Boris Nemtsov in the elections
We had good television in Gorky. And I taught him where to look. He hated looking at the camera. He said: “I don’t want to look into this black hole, I need a person to sit.” But he could spend hours explaining what private property is and what freedom is.
When Margaret Thatcher arrived, he was worried like a boy. He repeated: “I can’t say anything! Nina Nikolaevna, I can’t say anything.” Actually, all our meetings took place on the tennis court. Both Yeltsin and Luzhkov fought to the death. Everyone except Margaret Thatcher seemed to play tennis with Boris. He loved it very much. He had a beautiful uniform, he looked chic in it.
Once Nikita Sergeevich Mikhalkov brought it to the Nizhny International Film Festival. Everyone was waiting for Richard Gere, finally he arrives, a formal meeting. Gere, so luxurious and gray-haired, looks like he stepped out of a Hollywood screen. And Borya also stands tall and handsome. Gere comes up to Bora and says: “Oh, Richard Gere.” To which Nemtsov replies: “And I am Boris Nemtsov.” It was just wow. When meeting. I am Gir. I am Nemtsov.
I also remember a funny story - how Borya lost weight. And Borya was losing weight all the time. He came and sat down at the table. He said that there would be nothing to eat today. He endured it for an hour, and then he ate everything that was on the table and left terribly dissatisfied. This is also Borya.
One day Borya and my daughter Katya decided to dance rock and roll on my birthday. The apartment was small, so Borya smashed the chandelier to pieces with Katya’s heel. But in general he danced very well, he danced with his daughter Zhanna at her wedding - truly, with pleasure. And when Zhanna was little, I remember Borya and Raya rented an apartment - a wreck, but it was always full of people. Raya cooked, everyone ate everything. And Zhanka always hung out with adults. I remember she really wanted a cat. And she was going to name him Andrei Dmitrievich, in honor of Academician Sakharov.
Evgenia Albats
journalist, close friend of Boris Nemtsov
In Soviet times, I was a “scientist” - I wrote about the physics of elementary particles. And my friend Lev Erukhimov said that in his laboratory (they were working on ionospheric physics) there is such a Borya, and sent an excerpt of an article about him from the institute newspaper. Borya at that time protested against the construction of a nuclear power plant. And since he was a bright and attractive person, he immediately became the leader of the protest movement. Then I published one of my first materials about the KGB in the Moscow News newspaper and in the spring of 1988 - I was still pregnant with my daughter - I went to Gorky with a visiting performance, and that same Nemtsov appeared in the hall. Such was the hair and absolutely impudent eyes.
In 1995, I was doing research for my Harvard dissertation on bureaucracy. I needed a province, and naturally I went to Borka. I remember it seemed to me that his mind was a little blown away. Something appeared in him, you know, from Ostrovsky - he seemed to become the master of life. Of course, I told him this right away. And he was very upset. He came to my hotel in the evening and explained for a long, long time that this is such a game, the bureaucracy must feel that he is all the boss. He told how he first tried to kick out all the old officials. And then I realized that it was completely impossible without them. For example, he had a clerk, a lady, who said: “When I find an error in a government document, I have an orgasm.”
In the fall of 1991, there was absolute famine in Gorky. Borya reached an agreement with the military district and placed military field kitchens right on the streets of the city - he fed the people. There were also tobacco riots in Gorky - there were no cigarettes. He, of course, suffered greatly. Since there was nothing to eat in the country, my husband and I went to the Gorky region to pick mushrooms in the Kerzhen forests. You will laugh, I rolled fifty cans at a time; with potatoes you could last through the winter. But there were no roads - to get through, you had to put chains on the Volga. So, we must pay tribute to Bora, in 1995 roads appeared in the city.
Borya, of course, was imprisoned for a long life. He has an unfortunate fate in some sense. He was a brilliant man, his colleagues said that he was a very good physicist. He was one of the best governors of the Russian Federation. As Deputy Prime Minister, he visited the miners who were on strike in the mines. He spoke easily with people, they believed him. In a normal country, Boris would have had a wonderful political career. He was the successor to the first president of Russia. He had a real chance to become the president of this country.
I had a terrible fight with him because of his loveliness. She kept saying: “Borya, this is impossible. You are a public person. Well, stop for one second." He could not. He had an incredible amount of energy. Every morning Borya went to the gym. Why do I know about this? Because while he was running along the track, we were chatting. We talked to him every day. He told me: “Albats, tell me!” And I told him something or advised him, or he told me something. And I called him about everything and asked: “Fight, should I change dollars or not change dollars?” I really, really miss him.
Photos:
Personal life
Raya was 26 years old when she met her future husband Boris. The guy built a career in science and was a junior employee at a radiophysical institute. The couple's first meeting took place in the dining room, where they saw each other several times after that, while away the time in the same company.
Dear Dina Yakovlevna!
Although I haven’t called you that for a long time. Happy 90th birthday! I am proud of you: your strength, your... Published by Raisa Nemtsova Friday, March 2, 2021
Raisa Nemtsova, her husband Boris Nemtsov, daughter Zhanna and mother-in-law Dina Yakovlevna
According to Raisa, Boris charmed her immediately. He was handsome, tall, bright and charismatic, then she could not even think that such a guy could show interest in her. Moreover, at that time he was already dating a girl, and Raya did not want to be a homewrecker. But after Borya broke up with his beloved, they began to get closer.
A joint trip to Moscow also had a positive effect on the lovers’ relationship. Boris introduced the girl to his father and brother, and revealed a new side to her as a serious and responsible person. Therefore, she soon agreed to become Nemtsov’s wife. Since the young family did not have enough money, the wedding was modest, only the closest ones were present.
When her lover began to make a career in politics, Raya was against it. In her dreams, her husband was a great scientist, because he had the rare makings of a brilliant physicist. But the girl was unable to influence her chosen one: despite all the persuasion, he was attracted to public activity.
Soon the couple had a daughter, Zhanna Nemtsova. The man dreamed of a girl and chose the name for her himself. The couple argued, choosing between Anna and Yana, but Boris decided to combine the two names, and this is how Zhanna turned out. Meanwhile, his career was going uphill, and the family moved to Moscow.
During this period, the husband was at home less and less, while Raya mainly managed everyday life and took care of her daughter. Then she considered herself happy, because her lover filled her life with bright colors, it was fun and interesting with him. But everything changed when the woman found out that Boris had someone else - journalist Ekaterina Odintsova. At that time, the mistress had already given birth to a son, Anton.
After her husband left the family, Raisa was left alone with her daughter. At first it was difficult, the man allocated money only for the maintenance of Zhanna, but soon Raisa managed to recover from the breakup and even establish friendly relations with her former lover. Nemtsova was never able to arrange her personal life, so she was in no hurry to file for divorce.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Zhanna Nemtsova (@zhannanemtsova2018) on Apr 2, 2019 at 2:26pm PDT
Raisa Nemtsova and daughter Zhanna Nemtsova
In subsequent years, the couple saw each other only at family celebrations. The woman continued to try to dissuade the man from a political career and foresaw trouble. Her intuition did not deceive her, and on February 27, 2015, Nemtsova received news of the tragic death of her former lover. Later she came to say goodbye to him at the funeral, which took place at the Troekurovsky cemetery.
Years later, Raisa Akhmetovna has not forgotten Boris and every year, on Memorial Day, she devotes touching posts to him on the Internet. After the tragedy, Zhanna moved to Germany, founded a foundation named after her father, and ensured that a square in Prague was named in his honor. The mother believes that her daughter has grown up to be a copy of the politician in character and thinking.
