A year ago, trouble happened in the family of a resident of Khabarovsk Olesya Smirnova: the father took his daughter for a walk and stopped communicating. After some time, it turned out that dad secretly took the child to the United States.

Many caring people tried to help Olesya, including the current acting governor of the Khabarovsk Territory Mikhail Degtyarev, who at that time held the post of head of the State Duma committee on physical culture, sports, tourism and youth affairs.

As a result, the daughter was returned to her mother. He mentioned this story at a meeting with Khabarovsk journalists and bloggers, which took place on July 21. Olesya Smirnova herself spoke about how she managed to return the child home in an exclusive interview with RT.

- Olesya, were you not surprised when you heard that Mikhail Vladimirovich mentioned you at his press conference?

- Did not expect. During the press conference itself, links immediately began to come to me in direct, what they say about me. In fact, as soon as I found out that he was a candidate for the post of interim governor, I immediately dedicated this post on Instagram, noting that I support his candidacy, because he responded to my personal request for help and did everything that was in his power.

- Can you tell us the details?

- It was a year ago. My ex-husband took the child for a walk and stopped communicating. For half a year I have not heard or seen my daughter. At that time, a huge number of people responded to my request for help, did everything possible to find a child: someone repost my messages, someone sent money. Mikhail Vladimirovich was also among caring people, he helped to solve the problem at the international level.

- How?

- It turned out that the husband flew with the child first to South Korea, then to Japan, and then to the United States. Mikhail Degtyarev flew to Khabarovsk a year ago, my friends approached him, explained the situation, he promised to help.

Then I myself wrote to him on Instagram, he left me his work mail. I sent a request, and they began to help me. I do not know whether a criminal case was initiated with his submission or not, but the story has shifted.

I flew to America with lawyers, took my daughter and came to the local police, where we spent four hours. As a result, the daughter was given to dad, arguing that Vika is not in the wanted list on the Interpol website. I then directly turned to Mikhail Vladimirovich, and he made it so that in just a couple of hours Vika appeared there. And already by an emergency court decision, my daughter was handed over to me before the main court session. It is not known what would have been the course of this whole story in the opposite case.

- Do you personally know Degtyarev?

- Yes. When I was in Moscow, I met with him to thank him for his assistance. When we returned to Khabarovsk, we were received very warmly. I sent him photos from the airport: with flowers, firecrackers and so on. He was very pleased.

  • Instagram
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- How do you feel about the fact that he is now acting as the governor?

- For me, he is, first of all, a person who personally helped me. I think that since our region was entrusted to him, it means that he has everything to cope with this position. Therefore, I am certainly glad to welcome him to Khabarovsk.

He is a man of his word: he promised - he did. Initially, we were not personally acquainted with him, he just believed in my story, realized that the child was in danger, did everything in his power.

A lot of people helped, and he is one of those who are not indifferent to my misfortune. Therefore, I hope that a politician is the same as a person: strong, kind and brave. I would like to believe that the residents of the Khabarovsk Territory will love and accept it very quickly.

- Do your relatives share this position?

- All relatives and friends know who helped me and how. Of course, they support Mikhail Vladimirovich, it cannot be otherwise. And how else, if there is a fact of gratuitous and disinterested assistance. Having the opportunity, the man took and helped. He could say that he was busy, ignore, forget. But he responded and helped, just like that.