Anton Dolgov was born in Soviet Sverdlovsk. Today we are walking in the park of his childhood — in the Yugo-Zapadny district of Yekaterinburg. Finding free time in the referee's schedule is difficult, even on weekends the busy schedule of cases: from eight in the morning hockey training, then English classes. In the afternoon, he walks the dog. I join the walk, but remembering the previous many hours of interview, I immediately set up the pedometer. Bob's four-year-old beagle, and according to his dog's passport — Bob Marley, is only glad to see the prospect, looking for new friends among the trees. & Nbsp;
— Boba has an old friend, a Dalmatian, — says Anton Yurievich. — But it has already grown to the size of our guy, and now they have a war for primacy.
Anton Dolgov and Bob's beagle. Photo: Fedor Telkov/specially for «Novaya»
Shame on the school
Remembering his family, Anton Dolgov speaks first of all about his grandfathers. He was fortunate enough to be friends with both. Both grandfathers fought, were wounded, but went through the whole war. Mother's lineage is from the Krasnodar Territory, on the father's side — from the Kemerovo Region. In his youth, his father came to Sverdlovsk, studied at the law institute. Now he is a retired colonel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, retired. He retired from the post of deputy chief of the Internal Affairs Directorate of Yekaterinburg.
It would be worthwhile to assume that Anton followed in his father's footsteps, if not for one «but»: Yuri Dolgov was against his son studying to become a lawyer, since he believed that the boy had a technical mindset, which was worth developing.
— After the eighth grade, I really went to an auto technical school, — Anton recalls. — But there the teachers assured me that I was not a techie, but a humanitarian. Although I still understand the mechanisms. It is clear that since the eighties car engines have changed significantly, nevertheless, I can work with my hands too.
— To begin with, I was the disgrace of the school, a local bully, — laughs my interlocutor. — My class teacher constantly predicted that I would end up in prison. I myself did not doubt it. I was ready that sooner or later I would get there.
My dad encouragingly repeated to my next hooligan trick: “It's hard only for the first five years in prison, then you get used to it.”
My younger brother was also a great hooligan, so our parents were tormented with us.
In elementary school, Anton was an excellent student, all subjects were easy for him. And if everything is easy, then there is no need to strain. Then he became interested in hockey and dropped out. In the future I saw myself as a professional player. In general, according to him, he was a hockey player and gouged without any interest in studying. In the seventh grade, I took up my mind, decided to go to a technical school, then to the army, and after service — to a law institute.
I implemented everything planned, with the exception of the army. He went to the technical school, because the teachers at school were against him staying in the ninth grade. Also influenced by my father, who said that a lawyer is not a profession, first you need to get some kind of male specialty, which will come in handy in the army. By the way, in the past, men were not taken to the legal profession if they did not serve, the only exception was for those who could not serve for health reasons.
— The funny thing is that if I had stayed at school, I would have graduated in 1988, and just in the spring of this year, the ban was canceled, and they began to take legal work right after school, — Dolgov recalls. — In general, I went to a technical school, received the specialty of a car mechanic in the hope that it will be useful in the army. Also in 1986, I took a shepherd dog, began to train it with the aim to serve as a dog handler somewhere on the border. But by the end of the technical school, the rules for entering a law school were changed, the army was no longer a prerequisite. I entered the Faculty of Investigation.
Love of Riddles
— Why an investigator? — the former investigator for especially important cases of the prosecutor's office reflects. — I loved to read detective stories. My father subscribed to the magazine «Soviet Militia», a small supplement was issued to it, in which domestic detective stories were printed — a kind of test of the pen of former and current employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the prosecutor's office. The plots of the stories were usually based on real events, and the main characters were investigators and operatives. These fascinating stories gave me an interest in investigative work. The profession of an investigator in Soviet times was popular, symbolized the fight against evil, and was generally shrouded in a halo of romance. This is already in modern Russia we see the degradation of the profession.
Photo: Fedor Telkov/specially for» Novaya «
When my father was on duty, I often went to his work, talked to different people there — it was incredibly interesting. I saw that the investigators are smart, dignified and intellectually developed people. I wanted to be like them. This also played a role in my choice of profession. I was taught that goodness, justice and protection of the weak are above all, no matter how trite it sounds today.
The father, of course, was against the admission of his son to the law institute, but he did not interfere with his choice. Anton took the entrance exams after four years in a technical school, where for the last two years he taught only technical subjects. There were 8 people in the legal institute for a place. I had to seriously prepare, independently master some humanitarian subjects, and improve my English. For half a year yesterday's hooligan conscientiously attended courses where he studied history and social studies. I didn't get out of textbooks for six months, but at the very first exam — an essay — half of the applicants dropped out, there were 4 people per seat. This is what Anton did. His father discreetly congratulated him on the victory.
In his fourth year, he began to work in the prosecutor's office. I came there for a month's practice, but stayed for years.
Everything was interesting in the work of the investigator: the inspection of the scene of the incident, and the technique of interrogation, and searches. The romantic image of a person solving crimes has not lost its attractiveness. On December 9, 1995, a fourth-year student, Anton, was accepted as an investigator of the prosecutor's office. Already in 1999, he worked as an investigator for particularly important cases.
— What about the years of study to remember? Dolgov ponders. — It was fun. We drank a lot of alcohol. Although there was a shortage, the anti-alcohol campaign in the country took place during this period. I also received vodka coupons. I remember a terrible story: a guy who studied a course older than me also got a job in the prosecutor's office. He worked in the district, then went to the city with the material, and he was stabbed to death on the way. It was a tragic story that made a strong impression on all of us. And so, of course, they usually joked and talked. My best friend is from the student body. Sometimes we go on vacation with our families.
In the technical school he became interested in boxing. From 1986 to 1993 he was engaged, achieved the first category, planned to take it to the CCM. But boxing for me ended on December 9, 1993, when I was hired by the prosecutor's office. The work took so much time that it became physically impossible to continue training.
“It was difficult to work and study at the same time,” says Anton Yurievich. — Probably, these were my most difficult one and a half years. I was a full-time student, and not all teachers approved of my free attendance schedule. The vice-rector, Peter Ivanovich Savitsky, also taught my father. When I came to ask for a free schedule, he was indignant, said that the current generation is already morons. “Your father was smart, but you are still a moron,” he shouted to me, but he signed my application. Some teachers were loyal to me, made concessions when I did not attend seminars, but came to take exams with the group. And some teachers are not in any way: if you missed a seminar — work it out.
I was lucky with my wife
Anton stopped playing hockey in the seventh grade. He studied from 9 to 13 years old. He returned to the game when he was already working as a deputy prosecutor.
— For my birthday, my friend, with whom we played together in childhood, gave me skates and a club, — Anton Yuryevich smiles. — And after a 17-year break, I returned to the ice. Those who have learned to swim will not forget how to swim. Likewise in hockey, skills never go away. The guys I train with now participate in different competitions, but I can't join them yet, as I work in another city. I hope I'll come back to Yekaterinburg someday and play in the veteran league.
Photo: Fedor Telkov/specially for «Novaya»
“On vacation, my family and I go snowboarding,” Dolgov continues. — My wife and I wanted to learn to ski, but my teenage daughter told us to leave the venture with these «retirement skis» and put us on snowboards. We took a couple of lessons from a professional instructor, and since then we have been driving. A friend of mine from the institute also sometimes joins in skiing from the mountains, he — in alpine skiing, I — on a snowboard. It's great, stress goes away instantly. Air, adrenaline — all this has a great effect on health.
Anton Dolgov has two children, a son and a daughter. He got married in 1996, in 2021 he and his wife celebrated a silver wedding — a quarter of a century together.
“I was lucky with my wife,” he is sure. — We met on duty, and never parted. It's hard to find your man in life. I found. I always feel good, easy and comfortable with her. Oksana is my soul mate, she will always understand me.
The son is already an adult, now he is studying to be a psychologist, he is not yet working in his specialty, he just earns money, but in fact he is gaining independence. Anton also started working at the age of 16. He is convinced that children need to be given the opportunity to express themselves.
“From childhood, my brother and I were taught that everything in life must be earned on our own,” recalls my interlocutor. — My father said that «he only helps those whose back is sweating.» Children must be efficient, because in the normal course of things, we, the parents, will die earlier.
Children should be ready for life, be able to work and provide for themselves and their offspring. It is important for a parent to leave life calmly, to be sure that nothing will happen to the child without him.
Despite the fact that my father held a rather high position, I was not a major. My father always repeated: «Work conscientiously, and glory will find you.» He is aware of the current situation, but what's the use of talking, he's out of it. And give advice? Well, who can give me any advice? Dad is a smart man, and usually fools come with advice.
“I have a son and a daughter,” he continues. — Two completely different children. I love both of them. But the boy and the girl require a different approach to education. In any case, you love in different ways, and you bring up in different ways, and the attitude is different. Or to prepare a man for life, or a girl.
My son also showed a temper and rebelliousness, but I always remembered myself as a teenager. Of course, we are all different. I had difficulties with both father and son, but I have never doubted and do not doubt one thing: parents always love their children.
The story of the affair with Queen
Anton learned about the existence of the Queen group in 1986. I watched the program «Before and After Midnight» with Vladimir Molchanov on Saturdays. In one of the programs, he told about his favorite band and showed a video for the song «Somebody to Love» — Freddie Mercury with long hair, no mustache, a young man with a slender figure. The fact that this video was filmed in 1976 was not said. Then the guy listened to them, but was not particularly impressed.
— Later I watch the program “What? Where? When? ”, A musical pause, Dolgov recalls. — And again they show the Queen group, but the recording from the 1985 festival, and Mercury is completely different — with a short haircut, with a mustache, the figure already looks different — athletic. I was very surprised that I did not recognize the soloist at all two different groups with the same name. I remember that in 1986, at the peak of popularity, there was a completely different kind of music: Modern Talking, Joy, C.C. Catch and other pop music.
Later, the young man became interested in the Sverdlovsk «Nautilus Pompilius» and foreign Scorpions. Mercury died on November 24, 1991, a few days before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The first news on the Vremya program was that the lead singer of the legendary Queen group died of AIDS. And a video sequence was broadcast: shots where he with long hair, then shorter, and at the end with a mustache. It was only then that Anton realized that this was one group, it was just that the person's appearance had changed a lot over the years.
Photo: Fedor Telkov/specially for “Novaya”
— One evening, my brother and I went to bed in our room, he turned on the radio on the radio, the song of Mercury sounded there, — continues Anton. — We managed to record on cassette four songs from the album «Innuendo», which sounded on the air. And then, as they say, my roof was blown off. The song «Innuendo» itself is like love at first sight to me. I came home from school, turned on the tape recorder and chased and chased these songs over and over again, I could not hear enough. From that moment my romance with the work of the Queen group began, for thirty years I have been their fan.
Collapse of the Union
“I was twenty years old,” Dolgov says. — We were politicized, we had a lot of different information available. Loud revelations sounded from all sides, and there was constant talk of democracy and glasnost. They discussed the cult of personality and repression, attacked the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. I heard about repressions from my grandfathers. For example, Stalin took and shot the entire government. By the way, both grandfathers fought, but none of them said that they went into battle with the name of Stalin on their lips. On the contrary, they argued that this had never happened.
We, the youth, of course, were ardent supporters of the opposition. A rebellious spirit, my head is empty, there is a lot of energy. What will be poured into your head is true …
Was there a feeling of loss? What could a 20-year-old guy have to lose? Everything was going to collapse, and it was clear that this would happen.
The republics talked about sovereignty. And Gorbachev was perceived as an increasingly weaker leader. Although at first after his speeches it seemed that positive changes awaited the country. And they all did not exist and did not exist. So the attitude towards him was gradually changing. Now you already know some facts, you understand those processes. We thought that Gorbachev was to blame for the empty shelves in the stores, but now we know that there were goods, but a shortage at the local level was artificially created to make the people even more embittered.
I worked as a dump truck driver then, listening to the conversations of adults. There was a referendum and 78% voted to preserve the country. And then these results were ignored. But no one took to the streets. This inability to defend oneself and one's claims is surprising.
The first victory of the investigator
When Dolgov came to work in the prosecutor's office, a murder took place in his area. At first, the scene of the crime created the illusion of suicide. The woman was lying on the rails, next to her was her two-year-old daughter. It seemed they were killed by a train collision. But the young woman had a knife wound on her neck, and she was dragged onto the rails from behind the railway embankment, already dead. The girl actually died from a train collision, but she was slightly strangled beforehand, so the child was unconscious.
