For a long time I said nothing — it is wrong to clash publicly with allies. Last year I removed Ivan Zhdanov from his position as director. It was my decision, and it was not an easy one. I turned to Leonid [Volkov] for advice on what to offer Ivan so as not to simply push him out with nothing. Leonid tried to find a way forward. The negotiations were difficult: Ivan refused to step down and put forward impossible conditions. We met one on one. Later, at a meeting with Leonid and Maria [Pevchikh], he called them traitors for not standing up for him. Ivan was removed from his position — he was not fired from the organization.

His interview came as a shock to me. The claim that the [Anti-Corruption Foundation] FBK had supposedly abandoned the principle of “don’t lie and don’t steal” stunned me. That is a lie. If it were true, Ivan himself would bear full responsibility for it. We conducted an audit without him, and everything is in order.

Ivan was never an “internal critic” of the FBK. He criticized and argued far less than others. There were many complaints about him: from losing interest in his work in favor of personal projects to ignoring my instructions. He is indifferent to what happens in the organization.

I will acknowledge some of Ivan’s contributions: the search for Alexei [Navalny] during the transfer to Kharp, and the organization of his funeral. But on the whole, I considered him a weak manager and decided to remove him. It is a shame it had to be said publicly. I will not be making any further comments. I wish Ivan all the best — and above all, I hope he can work through his outsized grievance against everyone.