Alexander Shestun is an entrepreneur and former head of the Serpukhov District of the Moscow Region. The regional official gained scandalous all-Russian fame after the Prosecutor General's Office discovered more than 600 real estate objects and 22 vehicles in his possession for a total of 10 billion rubles.
Biography: early years
Alexander Vyacheslavovich Shestun was born on October 26, 1962 in Serpukhov. Grew up in a simple Soviet family. His parents were native Serpukhov residents, his father worked as a mechanical engineer at a local factory.
As a child, Alexander was fond of photography, loved to read books. He also attended music school. After graduating from eight classes, Shestun entered vocational school, where he mastered the specialty "Master of weaving looms". He practiced his practice at the Serpukhov cotton factory "Krasny Tekstilshchik" (in 2008 it stopped its work).
After working in his hometown for about two years, he left for Kostroma. There Alexander entered the local technological institute. However, he studied there for only a year: after the first year he was called to serve. According to Shestun himself, the army tempered his character and revealed leadership qualities in him. After service, he continued his studies at the Kostroma Institute, and also began to lead the student construction team and the KVN institute team.
In 1988, Shestun became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and in 1990 he received a diploma as an engineer-technologist in weaving production.
After graduation, he returned to his native Serpukhov. At that time, cooperatives began to appear in the country. Shestun did not stand aside and went into business. He often went abroad. So, from Poland he brought cheap fashionable clothes, and from India - jewelry with precious stones. Shestun exported recyclables abroad.
In the 90s, Shestun's business flourished and expanded actively. In 2000, he opened a chain of stores of building materials "Bravo" in Serpukhov and established a legal consultation, the services of which were in great demand among the population at that time.
Career in politics
In 1999, Alexander became a deputy of the Serpukhov region. The people liked him very much, because thanks to him, tariffs for communication services were lowered, and the police began to work more efficiently. Three years later, he began to chair the local Council of Deputies, and also took over at the helm of the regional Union of Entrepreneurs. In 2003, Serpukhov residents elected him as the head of the district.
In 2008, Shestun went to a second term. In the elections, residents gave him great support. More than 70% of voters voted for his candidacy. Serpukhovites appreciated his efforts. By that time, Shestun had significantly improved the situation with gas supply, repair of roads, schools and other social facilities in the region. According to rumors, he did not forget about his relatives and friends. So, Shestun allocated a tidbit of land for the dacha to the prosecutor of Serpukhov, Sergei Abrosimov.
In 2009, Shestun was involved in a criminal case. A local businessman accused him of extorting money. Shestun recorded a video message to then-President Dmitry Medvedev. After that, the case was dropped.
Corruption scandal
In 2013, Shestun became the head of the district for the third time. A year later, his relations with the new governor of the Moscow Region, Andrei Vorobyov, deteriorated. The stumbling block was the Lesnaya landfill. Shestun sided with local residents who were against the landfill in their area. He strongly supported popular rallies. Naturally, Vorobyov did not like the position of the regional official.
The time came for the next election campaign, and they began to put a spoke in the wheels of Shestun. He was offered "in an amicable way" to resign, but he continued to conduct campaigning activities. According to rumors, Vorobyov sought to ensure that he could not participate in the 2018 elections. Shestun recorded a video message to Putin. However, the president did not react to him. And in June 2018, Alexander was taken into custody, accused of abuse of due authority.
Soon the Prosecutor General's Office calculated the losses. The result was a record amount of 10 billion rubles. So, it turned out that the former official owned the Drakino park-hotel, which was recognized as the best in Eastern Europe, and the Bear's Den recreation center in the village of Priluki. He bought up land in almost entire villages. Several dozen objects were recorded in the name of the ex-official's mother, who is over 80 years old. Shestun's property was immediately arrested and confiscated. This was done prior to the sentencing.
After Shestun's arrest, the landfill was reopened. A few months later, the Serpukhov region ceased to exist, joining Greater Moscow.
Shestun has been in jail for over a year. He does not admit his guilt and does not agree with the prosecutor's charges. In protest, the ex-official went on a hunger strike. The wife actively supports her husband. She records video messages addressed to Vladimir Putin with enviable persistence. But the president is in no hurry to react. His press secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that he had nothing to say on this issue.
Shestun's wife in an interview called the case against her husband a political racketeering. She considers herself the modern “wife of the Decembrist”.
Personal life
Alexander Shestun is married to Yulia Alekseeva. The couple have five children: two daughters and three sons. When Shestun was arrested, the last child, Matvey, was two years old.
In June 2019, Yulia and Alexander got married in a pre-trial detention center. The wife noted that the ceremony took place through glass, but she was still happy.
