In ancient times, when people in Russia were just thinking about freedom and democracy, the now well-known expression sounded - you may not be a poet, but you must be a citizen. This idea, this message was addressed to the representatives of a narrow stratum of the creative intelligentsia. In folklore, there is a different teaching - from the bag, but do not renounce prison. Alexey Valentinovich Ulyukaev, a scientist, politician and government official, found himself in a difficult life situation. Will his lesson be another science?
Soviet childhood and students
The biography of Alexei Valentinovich Ulyukaev could have been copied by filling out questionnaires for citizens of the Soviet Union born in 1956. The child was born into the family of a researcher who worked at the Moscow Institute of Land Management. Journalists, greedy for "fried" facts, do not miss the opportunity to note that Alexei's grandfather earned his living by working as a janitor. If you evaluate this fact by fair standards, then you will not find such a civilized country on the planet where the grandson of a janitor can take a ministerial chair.
It must be said that four years later the boy had a brother. Alexei, as the eldest child in the family, had to deal with the baby. This tradition has been observed in Russian families from time immemorial. At school, Ulyukaev studied no worse than others. In the summer I rested in a pioneer camp. In winter I played Zarnitsa. On the street he knew how to get along with his peers. He was not a desperate bully, but he knew how to stand up for himself. From an early age he was interested in literature, read a lot and tried his hand at poetry.
Of course, looking at his father, Alexei thought about his future life, career and family. Having received a certificate of maturity, he decided to enter Moscow State University. The first attempt failed - it did not pass the competition. Young people from all over the country were eager to enter a prestigious educational institution, as they say. Ulyukaev had to work for a year as a laboratory assistant at the Department of Physics at the institute where his father taught, and thoroughly prepare for the entrance exams. He knew how not to dissolve snot, but to pull himself together and concentrate on achieving his goal.
Most people who received higher education remember their student years with pleasure and nostalgia. Alexey Ulyukaev is no exception in this case. First, he liked the main subject - economics. He often discussed many topics with his father. Secondly, student everyday life is filled with pleasant and new sensations. He was actively involved in the rowing section. I went on hiking trips along difficult routes. It was during this period that Ulyukaev saw his poems published in the journal Student Meridian.
Scientist and politician
For the sake of objectivity, it should be noted that student Ulyukaev studied pretty well. You might even say good. Otherwise, he would not have been accepted after receiving his diploma in graduate school. Four years later, in 1984, he easily defended his Ph. D. thesis. Simultaneously with the work on the dissertation, he begins to lecture to students. His scientific and teaching career is going well. The prospect of further professional growth is clearly visible. It was during this period that Ulyukaev met Yegor Gaidar and Anatoly Chubais. It is not difficult to guess that the aspiring scientist has contracted the sticky "reform virus".
It's funny to note that none of the future reformers worked in the real sector of the economy. In those sectors where potatoes are grown and are fighting for the harvest. At enterprises where metal is smelted and cars are assembled. But they enthusiastically discussed the concepts of the famous, by that time Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek. The situation was qualitatively similar to that which developed in the enlightened strata of Russian society at the end of the 19th century. Only then did Russian intellectuals "from now on" study the works of Karl Marx.
When perestroika, launched in the country by the highest ranks of the CPSU, gained momentum, Alexei Ulyukaev also contributed to the destruction of the country called the USSR. The piquancy of the situation lies in the fact that Yegor Gaidar invited him as deputy editor-in-chief to the Kommunist magazine. On the part of the main reformer, this was the correct and accurate decision. Ulyukaev, being a highly qualified specialist, was fluent in the style of presenting complex ideas in simple words. And this magic of the printed word played its own, albeit not very large, role in the re-education of the "masses of the people."
As soon as the national flag was lowered over the Kremlin, Alexei Ulyukayev was appointed economic advisor to the new Russian government. The country was solving large-scale tasks for the transition of the economy to market principles. It was necessary in the shortest possible time to launch a mechanism for the formation of private ownership of the means of production. In turn, for this it was necessary to carry out privatization. In all these processes, Aleksey Valentinovich took an active part, not leaving his teaching activities.
Minister and bribe-taker
In all areas where the fate of the liberal economist and politician threw himself, Aleksey Ulyukaev kept himself confidently and did not change his convictions. He worked at the Central Bank of the country. For more than five years he worked as President of the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange. At the top of his career, he headed the Ministry of Economic Development in the Government of the Russian Federation. I must say that active participants in the reforms in the country have always maintained informal ties. They helped and supported each other.
When the Minister of Economic Development was arrested for accepting a bribe in November 2016, many of his associates came to his defense. There is no need to retell all the details of this scandal. By the verdict of the court, Aleksey Valentinovich Ulyukaev was sentenced to eight years in prison. Someone rubs their hands with satisfaction, and someone is perplexed. Why was this particular person made the "scapegoat"? After all, the existing socio-ethical system in the country tacitly presupposes bribery. And kickbacks.
Getting to prison bunks in adulthood is a dubious pleasure. Personal life remained behind the wall. It should be added that the ex-minister Ulyukaev is married for a second time. The husband and wife are raising a son and a daughter. In total, Alexei Valentinovich has three children. It is difficult to say how their fate will turn out. And the head of the family himself still needs to endure public humiliation and heal psychological trauma.
