Stable development impossible without reviving true philanthropy in Russia
"I grew accustomed to be proud of Moscow
And everywhere I repeated these words:
My dear capital, My golden Moscow!"
These strong emotional words from Mark Lisyansky’s epochal poem dedicated to Moscow, which is now the official Hymn of the Russian capital, underline Boris Pashintsev’s attitude to, and love for, his native city, its residents and Russians in general, a fact that is evident in his elaborate philanthropic programs and projects in the city and throughout the country.
The last decade of the last century, which has gone down in contemporary post-Soviet Russian history as ‘the troubled 1990s,’ brought the nation no less sorrow than all the world wars of the 20th century combined. Consequently, the country now has more orphans and destitute than in the post-revolution and post-WWII years. Practically, all pensioners, war and labor veterans were robbed of their savings as a result of the poorly thought-out reforms, while the most active members of society found themselves among the ‘humiliated and insulted.’
That time also marked the arrival of western philanthropic organizations in Russia, where they handed out powdered milk to schoolchildren, canned meat to impoverished civil servants, second-hand clothes to pensioners, toys and foodstuffs to orphans and financial grants to university professors, whose salaries were unpaid for months. Whilst accepting such humanitarian gifts from western charities, Russians struggled to comprehend the real ulterior motive behind foreign philanthropists’ actions. This generated suspicions, mistrust, misapprehension and deep-rooted belief that philanthropy is something ‘deceitful and alien’ to Russians.
However, the first philanthropic organizations for helping the needy first appeared in Russia, and not in the United States. “Moscow, what an enormous hospice thou art; All the homeless in Russia; We all will come to thou,” Marina Tsvetayeva, a famous poetess, wrote at the beginning of the 20th century. Orphanages for the homeless, schools for the orphans, etc., were established in Russia on Russian philanthropists’ funding. Many of the Moscow’s oldest hospitals that have survived till our days were created by philanthropists, who were much nobler than they were rich. All the Moscow theaters, excluding the Bolshoi, were either built by merchants such as the Maly Theater, or established by them, such as the Moscow Art Theater, which was founded by Konstantin Alekseyev, the head of a major company, who later became more famously known as ‘Konstantin Stanislavsky.’ The Moscow Conservatory, higher educational courses for women and workers, etc. were founded by pre-Revolution philanthropists.
“Like most famous pre-revolutionary Russian philanthropists, Boris Pashintsev sees the meaning of life not in amassing wealth for its own sake, but in using it to do good things in the society.”
One of these philanthropists, Timofei Prokhorov, the owner of the Trekhgorka factories, believed that the main enemies of Russian businesses were poverty, illiteracy, lack of culture and drunkenness, and, therefore, zealously built schools, hospitals and houses for his employees. Similarly, Nikolai von Meck, who became a millionaire by building railways, did not only create an extensive railways network, but also a village, called Otdykh or Rest, along the Kazansky Railway, to serve as a recreational place for his employees. One of the key features that distinguished 19th century Russian capitalists was that they saw their capital as a tool to solving social issues. This is evident in the fact most pre-revolutionary Russian industrialists shared the ideas first articulated by the famous Russian merchant, Pavel Tretyakov: “My goal right from youth has been to generate wealth and return it back to the society in forms of useful social institutions.”
Reviving good, old traditions
It was only at the end of the last century that the first charity foundations aspiring to revive the spirit of true Russian philanthropy started to spring up in the country. One of these new pioneers is the Moscow charity foundation ‘Tverskoi’, founded in 1994 by Boris Pashintsev. Being both an honest and energetic person, Pashintsev told TRCW that he could not remain indifferent in a situation, where most of his compatriots were forced to pay too high a social price for the radical financial reforms executed in those years that left thousands of teenagers without proper care and deprived them of free and useful extracurricular activities in the Pioneers Cultural Palaces, turning most of them into ‘socially dangerous’ individuals.
Pashintsev said it was from his parents, who were professional teachers that he learned that true happiness comes not to people that ‘amass and grab’ wealth, but to those, who ‘share.’ Like most famous pre-revolutionary Russian philanthropists, he sees the meaning of life not in amassing wealth for its own sake, but in using it to do good, evident in the good work done by the Tverskoi Foundation in the past 15 years. Thousands of schoolchildren from needy families had been sent to resort centers, hundreds of war and labor veterans got foodstuffs and financial help, while free meals arranged for pensioners and homeless in canteens. Also, some computers were donated to the Mendeleev Russian Chemico-Technological University to enable it carry out fundamental researches in environmental studies.
Pashintsev often uses teachings from the Bible and other great writings to support his life philosophy. “Train a child in a normal way, so that when he is old he shall 
not depart from it,” he noted, citing the Holy Bible’s Proverbs. Such philosophy helps explain why Pashintsev and his foundation have been helping to train children at the Naval Young Eaglets patriotic military club. The foundation ensures that Club’s educational programs are diverse and that children acquire sound knowledge of Russian history, Army and Navy at various training camps. For over 20 years, the Club has been headed by Vasily Midtsev, described by those familiar with him as ‘a man with an open heart.’ Thanks to the foundation, the “eaglets,” as the children are fondly called, have taken part in 35 boating trips of different degrees of difficulty on various Russian rivers.
In winter, the “eaglets” go to a training camp in the Kirov Region, where officers at a nearby military unit help with training, which includes defense tactics, combat drills, shooting, guard duty and weapons-use skills. In summer, they go to various camps at the navy’s unit deployments. Thus, both past and present “eaglets” have visited the Russian Navy’s fleets, where they got acquainted with different weaponries, including the heavy nuclear powered missile cruisers. One of the most memorable moments for the “eaglets” was boarding ‘Peter the Great’ missile cruiser in July 1998, where they had heart-to-heart talks with then-Defense Minister Marshal Igor Sergeyev. The “eaglets” have their uniform, club standards, banners, insignia and merit decorations. They are given the official club uniforms after a year of training, and the Club Veteran badge after three years, which makes them eligible to become an instructor.
Many “eaglets” got a real start in life in the Club, rising to become naval officers in the Russian Navy. An example is the Putovs family dynasty. “The family head, Yevgeny Putov, an honorary Club member and member of the Club Parents’ Council, is a navy captain, an officer on the Pacific Fleet ‘Frunze’ cruiser. His sons, who studied in the Club, rose to the highest ‘ranks,’ and then got admissions to the famous Nakhimov Naval School, from where, after graduation, got enlisted in the Navy. Such is our good Club family tradition.”
Despite the fact that the Club is not a specialized institution, the ‘eaglets’ are subject to the strictest discipline and subordination rules, just like in any military ship, but these rules are not enforced via harsh punishments, but nourished through genuine interest in and love for the navy, national history and the noble traditions of the Russian Armed Forces. The Club helps nurture ‘masculine’ character, as it teaches the “eaglets” order and discipline, independence and responsibility, and to always help those, who are weaker than them. Currently, the Club has over 4,000 graduates, but wherever they find themselves or do in the future, the skills acquired at the Club will invariably come handy, helping them to safely navigate the ‘often troubled waters’ of a grown-up life.
The cost of providing an “eaglet’ with all required necessities – uniform, equipment, practices in shooting range, vacationing in winter and summer camps, trips to bases and sites of the Russian Navy, etc. – totals about Rub4,000 a month. Most of the ‘eaglets’ parents simply do not have that kind of money. And, without the support of the Tverskoi Foundation, the Club would have ceased to exist long ago, leaving these kids at the mercy of Moscow and all its temptations.
Philanthropy alien to modern Russian capitalism
Pashintsev has attributed the current pathetic state of philanthropy in Russia to the fact that the society still views ‘charity’ as a shameful phenomenon. In the famous Soviet cult movie “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed,” which is more popularly known in the West as “The Age of Mercy,” from the title of the novel written by brothers Arkady and Georgy Vayner, Police Detective Zheglov, the movie’s star hero, says: “Charity is a priestly word,” the main philosophy, on which the Soviet citizens were brought up. In other words, “to be weak is shameful, as it is equally shameful to sympathize with the weak.” This philosophy was epitomized by Maxim Gorky, the ‘thunderbird’ of the Soviet Revolution, when he declared, “Pity humiliates a man.”
“One of the key features that distinguished 19th century Russian capitalists was that they saw their wealth as a vital tool for solving key social and other problems in their communities.”
As a result, the lion’s share of charity donations in Russia, one of the richest countries in the world with the highest number of billionaires and oligarchs, are not made by Russian, but by foreign philanthropists, according to the All-Russia forum, titled, “Charity in Russian Regions: Problems and Development Prospects.” This is collaborated by the data provided by Sergei Abakumov, the deputy head of the Public Chamber’s Commission for Philanthropy and Volunteerism Development: “In our country, all types of unselfish deeds are not different from any other commercial ventures. In other words, charity is also taxable.”
This stance contrasts sharply with the practice in the West, where most business owners enjoy lots of privileges as far as taxation is concerned, Pashintsev noted, and called on the government to change the present legislation on charity to encourage philanthropy, dispel people’s mistrust about charity and teach society to differentiate between selfish manipulations of trust from real charitable deeds. To achieve these goals, more focus needs to be placed on positive philanthropic experiences, deeds and actions. For instance, there are Carnegie Hall and Rockefeller University in the United States and McGill University in Canada. These institutions have immortalized the names of the philanthropists that had helped their societies in times of difficulties, he added. “And, this brings us to a logical question, “Why are there currently no ‘Norilsk-Nickel Hospices for the aged, LUKoil University or a Yuganskneft Symphonic Orchestra, etc., in Russia today?”
Pashintsev attributes this negative trend to the fact that it is currently not fashionable to highlight philanthropy in today’s Russia. At the end of the 19th century, the Prokhorovs, who were major industrialists, received the French’s Legion of Honor Order at the Paris Exhibition for their care for workers. But, today, the French and English tabloids are flooded with juicy details of reckless Russian billionaires wasting money and spoiling Europe with lavish tips and implausible revelries, he added. “These Russian ‘nouveau riche’ have neither the desire nor motivated necessity to engage in philanthropy in the country. This is why it is acutely necessary to make philanthropy more popular and attractive, develop a system of rewards for charity donors, so that people, who do good, feel that they and their actions are valued.”
Bureaucrats’ indifference undermining philanthropy
Citing his experiences, Pashintsev says his foundation wastes lots of efforts on exasperating correspondences with bureaucrats to prove the necessity of its philanthropic deeds. “Regrettably, we have to defend all our socially vital philanthropic projects, as no initiatives can escape the excessive red tape, which at times gives the impression that bureaucrats would have preferred to see all the charitable organizations gone.”
As an example, Pashintsev cited his foundation’s plan to fund the construction of a military nautical school. “At first, the proposal was approved. However, after spending considerable sums on planning and documentation, the authority balked at the last moment, saying such school was unnecessary. The foundation also had another project, “which was to build a Charity Palace in Moscow, but this great idea was also ‘nipped in the bud’ by our bureaucrats.” Pashintsev says it seems that raising youth in spirit of true patriotism is now seen as ‘old-fashioned and non-prestigious’ in Russia. “The mass media do everything to discredit such noble notions as patriotism, love for motherland, heroic past, etc. For them, it is more profitable to raise the youth not in a patriotic way, but to corrupt them sexually.”
All these, Pashintsev notes, have convinced him that such foundations as his Tverskoi, which looks after the interests of ordinary folks, have become ‘a thorn in the flesh’ of the apathetic bureaucrats. “They are not worried by the problems of the widows, orphans and pensioners, as they often overlook the obvious fact that these people, who have failed to fit into our ‘new cruel’ society, usually join criminals and other law offenders,” he noted. “In the West, it has long been understood that it is much cheaper to feed and cloth such people than to let them roam the streets,” he added. “In Russia, the bureaucrats hope to escape from them behind six-meter-high walls constructed around their enormous palaces and guarded round-the-clock by heavily armed bodyguards. But they need to remember that even the highest walls and the most capable bodyguards cannot solve all security problems or free them from the Judgment Day, when everyone will have to personally account for his deeds.”
“It is necessary to note that the achievement of peace and public accord in modern Russian society will depend on how much the powers that be will cater for the majority of Russian citizens. In this context, everything depends on incumbent Russian leaders — President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin — as their political will define Russia’s future in the 21st century.”
Pashintsev believes that everyone should strive to do good. “Make haste to do good,” these words, which have been pronounced more than once by different people – doctors, writers, religious leaders, fiery revolutionary patriots, etc., are still very relevant today,” he added. “Hurry up to do good because the span of human life is very short. Make haste to do good now because lots of people need your help today. Make haste, because good cannot defeat evil without your direct interference today.”
This plea, “Make haste to do the good,” is repeated in the Bible, Koran, Talmud and in the teachings of Buddha, Confucius, Plato and Aristotle, etc., Pashintsev said. “Tverskoi Charity Foundation is rushing to do kind deeds. Let us help it in all its endeavors.”
In conclusion, it is necessary to note that the achievement of peace and public accord in modern Russian society will depend on how much the powers that be will cater for the citizens. In this context, everything will depend on Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, as their political will define the future of Russia in the first half of 21st century. A lot has already been done by these Russian leaders, but a lot more work still needs to be done now and in the future.
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