Anyone who complains about Russia has not worked in Germany yet

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

German Stefan Duerr came to Russia 26 years ago as a student for an internship. Today he is the head of the largest enterprise for the production of raw milk in Russia and Europe - EkoNiva

When Stefan Duerr came to build a business in the Voronezh region, the locals were surprised: what kind of good-natured, smiling foreigner is the boss?

Has dual citizenship: Germany and Russia, but at the same time criticizes the policies of Western countries and strongly supports Vladimir Putin. To find out what it is like for a foreigner "to live and work in Russia", the special correspondent of "Komsomolskaya Pravda" Elena Krivyakina went to the Voronezh region.

You can do without bribes

150 kilometers from Voronezh. The village of Zaluzhnoye and its surroundings. Everywhere you look - fields and cowsheds, cowsheds and fields. All of this is the estate of Stefan Duerr. In the Voronezh region alone, 100 thousand hectares of farmland is the inheritance of 22 Soviet collective farms. All in all, Dyurr has 200,000 hectares of land in Russia. “EkoNiva has subdivisions in six regions.

- You seem to be a local oligarch? - I ask Stefan, who has sat down to chat with me in the gazebo overlooking the pasture.

- I am still far from the oligarch. Yes, probably not necessary, - the businessman answers in perfect Russian.

- Can you have the same farm in Germany?

- Of course not. One hundred cows there is good, two hundred is already a lot, and five hundred is already a very large farm. And we have 54 thousand cows!

- HM. And they say that it is difficult for a Russian to survive in the countryside, and even for a foreigner, even more so. It turns out that the bureaucracy has not strangled you?

- I didn't strangle. And then, today it has become much easier to work. In the 90s, it was impossible to keep such a farm. Everyone hid their business so that it would not be taken away.

- How can you hide the cows?

“We had no cows then, only seeds. I believe that now in Russia there are normal conditions for business, although, of course, in different regions it is different. But those who complain about working in Russia have not worked in Germany yet. And not everything is sweet there.

- Do they take bribes too?

- Not. We are now talking about bureaucracy. As for bribes, this is not accepted in our company. Sometimes, of course, it is more difficult to solve some issues this way, but you can live in Russia without bribes.

- You are not lying?

- Not. At least in agriculture you can. I don’t know about other industries. To say that there is no corruption in Russia is, of course, naive. Just like in Germany, it is, however, the scale is different there.

- Our businessmen still often complain that they have not been given a building permit for a long time.

- If we compare with German farmers, they go to the authorities for at least two years to get permission to build a cowshed. And we in the Voronezh region spend a maximum of a month on this. Although here, too, a lot depends on the region.

The West should think more

When Stefan Duerr came to build a business in the Voronezh region, the locals were surprised: what kind of good-natured, smiling foreigner is the boss? He dresses in a simple way, does not lift his nose, drives through the fields on a bike and in a jeep. Duerr has not changed over the years.

- You had your own farm in Germany, you sold it and came to work in Russia. Why?

Today he is the head of the largest enterprise for the production of raw milk in Russia and Europe - EkoNiva

- Sold for family reasons. If I hadn't sold it, I would now be a farmer in Germany. But all is for the best … In the first five years I did not think that I would stay here. He thought that he had arrived for a short time. Then I liked it.

- Something connected you with Russia: friends, your beloved woman?

- Nothing. It was only later that everything appeared here.

- During these 26 years, have you ever regretted moving to Russia?

- No, on the contrary, I am grateful to fate. Of course, there were times when I wanted to give up everything. In the early 2000s, it was very difficult, after the 2008 crisis - too. But a lot of people told me: "Stefan, don't be upset, everything will be fine." The support was great. The Russian person is very sincere. And then, in Russia there are completely different opportunities for creativity, which are not in the West. Everything is clear there, step by step, what will happen in three years, in five years.

- It seemed to me that the business wants to make money in peace, and not improvise.

- Yes, but let's compare: in Germany, growth of 3 percent per year is already good for a company. And our company is growing by 20-25% every year. This is unthinkable in Germany. True, losses in Russia are much stronger.

- There are rumors about you that you are a friend of Putin.

- This is an exaggeration. True, they tell me that he respects me … And someone even said: “He fell in love with you,” Stefan suddenly bursts into childish laughter.

- I suspect that Putin may have "fallen in love" with you after you suggested that he impose retaliatory sanctions against the EU.

- Not. He just loves Germany very much, he has many friends there, his children studied at a German school at the FRG embassy in Russia.

- Clarify the history of counter-sanctions. Why did you, a foreigner, offer this to Putin?

- The idea was not mine, but I supported Putin in this matter. It would be more correct to say so.

- How it was?

- It was during Putin's visit to Voronezh. The Governor of the Voronezh Region Alexei Gordeev invited me to take part in the meeting. We started talking about counter-sanctions.

- You are a native of Germany, don't you think that this is unpatriotic on your part?

- Yes, probably.

- Your advice was not regarded in Germany as a betrayal?

- There were different responses. Many people told me that it was right, that this should not be done with Russia. I had a great interview in the central German newspaper Die Zeit. After him, many people called, wrote, said: "Well done, it's good that you said so." But there were also those who were silent. As I understand it, they just had a different opinion, but did not want to spoil their relationship with me. There were a couple of people who told me to my face that this is not done. At the average bureaucratic level, there were dissatisfied. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Germany called me, we discussed this topic for a long time. And he told me: "Actually, I understand!" Many people in Germany are against sanctions. But if earlier the game was one-sided, then later the West realized that in return you can get something. This is the main reason why I advocated retaliatory measures: so that people in the West began to think more. Russia is a respected state. I don't even want to discuss who is more right about the situation in Ukraine and who is less. I believe that Russia is more right than Europe. Someone thinks differently. But we can only solve problems together.

- Why is the German food lobby not trying to influence Merkel?

- In Germany, many people do not understand why Merkel is going against the will of her people. The German economy is hit hard by the sanctions. And I am deeply convinced that the issue is not in Crimea. If Russia had returned it tomorrow, they would have found another reason.

Putin is not what they want to present him

- What do your friends and partners from Germany think: will the sanctions be lifted soon?

- They ask me: "When will Russia lift the sanctions?" I tell them: ask not in Moscow, but in Berlin or Washington. As soon as they take a small step back, I am one hundred percent sure that Russia will take it too.

Dürr hasn't changed over the years

- Did Putin tell you this?

- I know this from people around Putin. I am deeply convinced that Putin does not like this conflict either. It is not in his happiness, not in joy. On the contrary, I think he is very worried. He wants to be a member of the world and European society, but not on the terms of an errand boy, when some big guys determine the rules of the game. You can not do it this way. There must be equality. Otherwise, the Americans are allowed to do everything, but Russia should look at it in silence. I am sure that Putin wants one thing - for Russia to be respected.

- And in the West they believe that Russia wants to crush everyone, they are afraid of Putin there.

- I'm trying to explain to everyone that this is not so. Putin, of course, is a calculating person, but at the same time, warm and sincere, and not tough and cold, as they try to represent him in the West. I know Germans who know him much better than I do. And everyone says that he is a very good-natured person. Yes, he is very smart, clear-cut. But in Russia there is no other way. Russia cannot be governed like Merkel. Although Merkel is very tough. But all the same, she plays more with democracy. In Russia, people would not understand this. In Russia it is necessary to clearly say: "We do this!". And be responsible for this.

- That is, our people do not want to bear responsibility?

- Less than in the West. But I think that German society in terms of freedom and democracy has passed its optimum. There must be a certain order, especially if some reforms are carried out. In a crisis situation, Russia can feel good enough, because there is a person who is managing it competently.

- It seems to me that it is rather you who are in love with Putin, and not he in you.

- I respect him very much.

- And you like everything in the Russian government?

- I don’t like the fact that in many regions the institution of power does not work at all, they do it only when Putin says. I think that the problem is largely rooted in the 90s. Banditry, corruption, incapacitated president. And around they did whatever they wanted. At that time I could not imagine how then to restore order in Russia without bloodshed. It was possible, as in China: to appoint so many officials in Red Square, to publicly execute them. But such steps were not taken, thank God! Take our small company, for example. Do we have corruption in the company? - There is.

- Do you know about this ?!

- I would be naive if I thought that she was not there. From time to time we catch someone stealing. But it is clear that not all of them. What to do about it? You can build a system of concentration camps. Many of my fellow businessmen initially consider all their employees to be thieves. No one is hired to work without a lie detector, everyone is eavesdropped on, video surveillance is conducted.

- Are these foreigners working in Russia?

- No, Russian colleagues. They track every step of their employees. But I don't think it's effective and I don't want our company to have an atmosphere of hatred. It happens that employees write me anonymous letters at each other. In principle, I do not consider them. I trust only the facts, we have our own security service. So, even within the framework of my company, I don’t know how to fight corruption so as not to create a concentration camp. And here is a huge state. Corruption can only be eradicated gradually.

- 1, 5 years ago you received Russian citizenship.

- Yes, "for the contribution to the development of the agro-industrial complex of Russia." Gordeev proposed this to the president. One evening before the New Year, he calls me and says: "Why are you not happy?" - "Why rejoice?" - "The President signed the decree." I sat and just cried. Citizenship is as if he signed with a girl with whom he lived for a long time. To somehow legitimize what has already taken shape in life. In my heart, I have long considered myself to be largely Russian.

Why does the orphanage need 20 tons of Camembert?

- How do you like the story of the destruction of sanctioned products? What would the West do in a similar situation?

- I think the West would have done the same. Of course, as a person who produces agricultural products, it hurts me to see when it is destroyed. On the other hand, what to do? I know many German dairy companies that, as they brought cheese to Russia before the sanctions, have continued to do so. “Kind” people came to their leaders - mediators …

To find out what it is like for a foreigner "to live and work in Russia", the special correspondent of "Komsomolskaya Pravda" Elena KRIVYAKINA went to the Voronezh region

From Russia?

- There were Albanians, Poles, Germans, maybe Russians too. They told the dairy leaders: “We will solve your problems. You used to sell a kilo of cheese for 3 euros, give it to us for 2.50”. And they agreed, because they suffered heavy losses. They just turned a blind eye to where this cheese would go next, although we knew perfectly well where. At first, they wrote that this cheese was not from Germany, but from Albania. And then everything was on the shelves with German or French labels. It was just funny. And if the sanctioned system is not destroyed, but simply confiscated, then what to do next with it?

- Many suggested sending her to social institutions.

“For example, they confiscated 20 tons of Camembert at the border. Okay, let's take him to the orphanage. But until they figure out what to do with this cheese, it can go bad. And the documents for him have been falsified. It is clear that this Camembert is not from Albania, but from France or Germany. But not a single German bureaucrat would ever take responsibility for taking cheese with falsified documents to an orphanage. Who will be responsible if something happens? From a purely organizational point of view, it is not so easy to send a "sanction" somewhere. And so - they took and destroyed, at least the effect was.

- Is import substitution really going on?

- Even faster than I thought. Previously, it was almost impossible for regional enterprises to get their products into large retail chains. Now the import has disappeared, and the networkers themselves came to us. Many new brands have appeared.

- And yet: did you gain or lose more from the sanctions?

“In my case, the benefits gained from the introduction of retaliatory sanctions do not counterbalance the losses. The main problem is the difficulty of lending in Russia, since our banks are now unable to borrow money from the West. Government subsidies do not fully offset our costs. But far more harm than sanctions is inflicted on us by counterfeit products with the addition of palm oil. It is added to cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese. "Palm" is cheaper than animal fat, we cannot compete with it.

- How much should a liter of real milk cost in a store?

- If the price is below 50 rubles, I would not buy. There is either milk powder, or the addition of vegetable fat and some non-dairy proteins. More problems not even with milk, but with cheese. The purchase price of cheese for the store, taking into account all expenses and the cost of milk, cannot be lower than 400 rubles. Well, plus the promotion of the store itself. But the problem is that palm oil is increasingly found in expensive cheese.

Stefan has dual citizenship: Germany and Russia, but at the same time criticizes the policies of Western countries and strongly supports Vladimir Putin

"Foreigners are like salt in soup, there shouldn't be much"

We sit in Stefan's jeep and go to inspect the pastures.

- Mishk, come here! - the shepherd calls the most beautiful bull to take a picture with Stefan.

- No, no, don't, - laughs Duerr. - Here we have meat cows graze, they eat grass, but we also feed them with what the dairy cows did not eat - corn, soy, barley. The Americans would say: “And the grass is enough for them, but we are - with a Russian soul!

Leaving, Duerr firmly shakes hands with the shepherd and says: "Thank you very much!" We are moving to milking. Stefan slaps in sandals on the wet floor and runs to greet the milkmaids. Those do not even lead an eyebrow: for them this is clearly a familiar thing, you think, the director looked in.

- Do you know how to milk a cow yourself? - I ask Duerr.

- Certainly. As a student, he milked cows for at least five years every morning and every evening.

- Do you still have foreigners at your enterprise, or just you and the cows, which, they say, you bought abroad?

- These were their grandmothers and mothers were foreigners, these were all born here. And of the leaders, besides me, there are four more foreigners. There should not be many of them at a Russian enterprise. It's like salt in soup: overdo it and ruin everything. Foreigners are needed only to throw up new ideas. In Russia, there is a different way of thinking, here you need to communicate with people differently. Sometimes rigidity is required. Somehow they made me very angry, I called a meeting and, almost swearingly, gave a full dressing down. So then people came up to me and said: “What a good meeting today! So they explained everything clearly! And abroad, many would quit after such a meeting.

- They say you dance with milkmaids on holidays?

- Who told you that ?!

- I made inquiries. What else are you doing here? Maybe you drink moonshine too?

“Not anymore,” Stefan laughs. - In early January, we simultaneously celebrate the New Year and Collective Farmer's Day in the company. We invite 300 best employees to our House of Culture. As a rule, I try all evening not only to dance with the milkmaids, but also to sit down at each table, talk for at least 5 minutes, and have a glass of drink. And the next day, the only time in the year, I do not go to work in the morning.

- Looking at your daring life, do your foreign friends have a desire to move to Russia too?

- Many people want to create their own business in Russia. I tell them: "I will completely help you, but one condition is that you yourself will live here, or your brother, or your son." And they want to stay abroad, and in Russia to have their own farm, to come only to harvest. That will definitely not work.