There was Mikhail Petrushin, a man who stood at the origins of the Minsk courier and STV

Former Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Mikhail Alekseevich Petrushin died on September 9. He was 75 years old. Minsk-Novosti correspondent remembers a man who left his mark on the life and development of the capital.

Tears conquered laughter

Suffice it to say that at the junction of the 1990s and 2000s, Mikhail Alekseevich oversaw the main issues of the Minsk ideology, and before retirement, he headed the capital’s department of the Social Protection Fund for the Population for many years, making everything in this system function very clearly and clearly.

One of the lifetime publications dedicated to him was called: “In life I had to cry and laugh at the same time.” Unfortunately, tears came to the fore today. But everyone who knew him (and did not know him) will forever remember and keep in mind the trademark Petrushin smile.

Sea young soul

Now I can say that he was able to surprise with all his life. In his youth he graduated from the Kaliningrad Higher Marine Engineering School. By the way, he studied and all his life was friends with one of the most brilliant artists of the Soviet and post-Soviet stage Oleg Gazmanov. He laughed, saying that he and Oleg glorified their sailor like no one else, although they did not become sea wolves.

Petrushin himself made several trips around the world, learned a lot about maritime romance and was always inspired when the conversation touched on this topic. But life developed so that in 1975 he began land life in Minsk, which became his native for 50 years. Here he was waiting for love, family happiness, life success and recognition - probably the most important thing in the life of any person.

It makes no sense to list his career achievements. Fate often turned out to be favorable to him, but sometimes it hit hard. A few years after his appearance in the capital, M. Petrushin was already elected the first secretary of the October district committee of the Komsomol. It was an absolutely dizzying career. For three years of living in Minsk, a former ship mechanic becomes the leader of the head youth organization of a large metropolitan area. There was a dizzying party career, and work on the famous association “Integral”, where he headed the party. But the country was collapsing, and the pride of our industry had no money to pay the wages of the workers. What was it like to feel for a man who was sincerely rooting for his work and never lost his conscience and honor?

Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Mikhail Petrushin presents a certificate to the commander of the border guard ship "Minsk" captain of the second rank Andrey Andrenko, 2000

There was no room for error

In 1991, a few months before the collapse of the USSR, Petrushin became the main communist in his native Oktyabrsky district. And before his eyes, such a harmonious system was falling apart. In these conditions, he remained a Man, managed to help many colleagues in the district get a job thanks to good personal connections, the ability to communicate and make friends. At 40, he became a post-Soviet unemployed man with a very uncertain future.

Then he spent almost 10 years in a small business that allowed him to support his family. I ended up back in the clip. Yeah, yeah. He was the deputy head of the administration... yes, his native October, was appointed to the post of deputy chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee. I liked to talk about the coordination stage at the level of the head of the presidential administration. This position was held at that time by Mikhail Myasnikovich, a future colleague in the Council of Elders. There was a similar dialogue between them:

Mikhail Alekseevich, you have been very well received here since ancient times, but for some reason I do not remember you at all from work.

- The point is, Mikhail Vladimirovich, that at that time you were actively performing from different stands, and I used to listen to you from the audience.

Of course, in the memory of Mikhail Alekseevich this time of work in the main city headquarters, the Minsk City Executive Committee. And today, what he said about this time sounds special:

- A quarter of a century ago we were like sappers and had no right to make a mistake. A lot of it was new. The first film festival “Listopad”, which stars then came to Minsk – crazy. And the creation of TV channel STV? Until the last one, I was not sure what would happen. And now it is an influential TV channel of the republican scale. Few people know that I initiated the idea of returning to life the city newspaper Minsk Courier, which was popular before the revolution. I remember how the font and other nuances for the first issue were claimed. I am glad that so many talented people who are still hearing today were able to prove themselves. This is Igor Karpenko, Vadim Gigin, Marianna Shchetkina, and many others. They took seriously my half-joking slogan: “As long as the Komsomol members are in power, you need to move and turn around to the fullest extent of your capabilities.”.

Photo by Belt

Open final

But this laconic monologue, voiced a few months ago, sounds just like a will:

- I had the honor to be responsible for the multifaceted direction in the development of my native city, which combined big and youth politics, plus culture, sports, religion, and just the atmosphere and soulfulness. For some reason, it seems that my work with the team did not spoil the lunch. And those who came to replace us did not start with a clean slate or in a clean bare field, figuratively speaking.

All of the people who crossed paths with him agreed on one thing: he was light and warm on the one hand, and on the other - extremely responsible and decent. And that's an incredible amount - at all times.

A man has passed away who has proved himself worthy of living. For the past few years, he has been struggling with the disease, which only the closest people knew, and others did not know. On September 9, this struggle ended. But not defeat. Mikhail Alekseevich Petrushin, quoting Esenin indirectly, until the very end showed "the highest art in the world, remaining smiling and simple.".

We express our deep condolences to the family of Mikhail Alekseevich, to all his relatives and associates in the Council of Elders.

The Minsk City Executive Committee, the Minsk City Council of Deputies and the Council of Elders under the Minsk City Executive Committee also express their deep condolences to the family and friends of Mikhail Petrushin.

Farewell to him will take place on September 11. Unfortunately, he did not live to see the holiday – the day of his beloved city.