vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #154 / Special reports / Reading article...

Valentina Cherepkova sat next to her husband in the Naval Hospital and sobbed. Vladivostok’s mayor, Victor Cherepkov, had just been rushed from the krai court to the hospital complaining of heart problems, and the stress of his illness, as well as the political pressure of his job, was too much for her to take.

When she left, Cherepkov looked up from his bed. “I’m losing my wife,” he said. “She now says she wants to take her own life. But what can I do? If I leave with my family, those who are with me will think that I’m a traitor. The political situation will change abruptly in this region.”

A week later, on Nov. 11, Cherepkov announced in a radio address that he plans to resign from office. The decision surprised political friends and foes alike, none of whom – even his own press center – had any warning.

As Cherepkov lay in a hospital bed seven days before, the stress was clearly getting to him. He said enemies in the krai government are plotting to assassinate him, and his self-described role as Vladivostok’s embattled moral leader was becoming too heavy a burden to bear. Still, letting go of the helm, Cherepkov said, would result in virtual chaos. “Those for whom I serve as an example will step aside, and having lost their leader, will never take up a stand of principle,” he said. “We will live like animals, and the corrupt power will have the final victory.”

But in his resignation announcement, Cherepkov said he could not longer tolerate working in the region’s corrupt political structure, which prevented him from doing his job and led him to fear for his life. “Anything I do will be appealed by the prosecutors and condemned by the court,” he said.

The last straw, Cherepkov said, was when krai officials allegedly prevented the acting mayor and head of the City Civil Defense Commission Nikolai Markovtsev from viewing the site of a recent arsenal explosion on Pacific Fleet grounds.

Cherepkov’s image as an honest politician above the moral fray is one he has carefully constructed during his tenure as Vladivostok’s mayor. Portraying himself as a white knight who protects local citizens against corruption at any cost, the mayor casts blame at virtually everyone but himself – the mafia, the federal government, krai officials, and the general state of affairs in Russia.

Cherepkov is also convinced that the legal system does the bidding of krai officials. As a result, cracking down on crime here is impossible. “How do you fight the ones who are not sueable?” he asked. “The real power in this country – the courts and the constitution – is lost. The scary thing is that instead of the red terror, Russia now has a gangster state with gangster laws.”

Nevertheless, Cherepkov is still embroiled in a civil suit brought against him by the Krai Duma – under consideration at the krai court. And Gov. Yevgeny Nazdratenko also accused Cherepkov of spiriting away money from city coffers.

In August the Duma sued Cherepkov on charges of carrying out own political misdeeds: illegally redistricting the city, canceling City Duma elections, and refusing to pay city workers. As court proceedings dragged on, the Duma suggested that Cherepkov was stalling to save his own reputation.

Cherepkov freely admitted that he will continue to stall the case against him, but not because he fears the legal consequences of losing. “The court is delayed for one reason. As soon as [the Krai Duma] finally loses in court, they will start a new program – to kill me,” he said.

It is still unclear whether the krai’s charges will be dropped if Cherepkov does actually resign. In a television address late Nov. 11, Nazdratenko hinted that the Krai Duma may forget it’s bone with Cherepkov if the mayor goes quietly. “If he is courageous enough to resign, the citizens of Vladivostok might forgive him of a great many things,” he said. But Nazdratenko, like many local officials, said the move may be nothing more than another political trick. Cherepkov has not made any official statements or scheduled press conferences to brief the public on his decision, nor has he signed a letter of resignation.

Presidential Representative Victor Kondratov said he won’t comment until he sees proof. “I think it’s a bluff,” added Pervomaisky District Prosecutor Alexander Scherbakov. “Until he announces this officially and writes a letter of resignation, we shouldn’t believe it.”