Podlodka Kursk ("Submarine Kursk")

Podlodka Kursk
c/o PHRI (Public Health Research Institute),
455 First Ave.,
New York, NY
10016

or

c/o PHRI (Public Health Research Institute)
119048
Moscow,
8 Malaya Trubetskaya, 11th floor.Tel:
Contact Name: Alex Goldfarb

E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.themoscowtimes.com/indexes/89.html

As the tragedy of the Kursk submarine unfolded last week, individuals and businesses throughout the country rushed to help the families of the crew, with donations ranging from 60 kopeks to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At least five funds have been created for the families of the 118 sailors who died last week in the Barents Sea. Two of them are managed by the state, two are connected to nongovernmental organizations with many years of experience in philanthropy and a fifth is sponsored by an association of naval officers.

The plethora of funds has been met with cynicism by some observers, and many potential donors worry that contributions might not ever reach their intended destination.

"We know a lot of examples of numerous telemarathons after which millions of rubles vanished into thin air," said Valeria Pantyukhina, spokeswoman for the Foundation for a Mother's Right, an organization that for the past 10 years has assisted the families of soldiers and seamen who died in uniform.

A Mother's Right keeps records of deaths of servicemen during peacetime due to hazing and accidents and provides legal aid to families, often helping them sue the Defense Ministry for such deaths. Pantyukhina said the fund her organization set up last week was reliable because Mother's Right is in direct contact with the families.

A Mother's Right, along with St. Petersburg's Submarine Seamen's Club f which unites former navy officers in northwest Russia f were the first to start collecting cash, medicine and gifts for the families, and helped fund their sad trips to Severomorsk.

About 400 family members are now in Severomorsk. Many of them require medical and psychological assistance.

"We called the hospital in Severomorsk, and the doctors told us that everything that is said on TV about them being well equipped and having enough medicine is a lie," said Captain Yevgeny Zabava, a member of the Submarine Seamen's Club. "The doctors said they need a lot of medication for hearing and also a lot of tranquilizers."

Zabava said his group had sent medical supplies along with relatives of the crew members who are from the St. Petersburg area.

He said most of the money that the organization has collected has been brought in cash. "Already 131 people have brought money, about 100,000 rubles. One boy brought 60 kopeks," Zabava said.

After the needs of the 10 families in his area are met, Zabava said his club will use leftover money for a memorial plaque in St. Petersburg's St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral and will forward the rest to a state fund for the families.

Another fund, Podlodka Kursk, or the Kursk Submarine, has been created by Kursk region Governor Alexander Rutskoi and tycoon Boris Berezovsky.

Rutskoi told ORT television this week the fund would be headed by writer Vasily Aksyonov and that he, well-known lawyer Genri Reznik and Irina Lyachina, the widow of the Kursk's captain f would sit on the foundation's board.

"The fact that Irina Lyachina will participate means that the help will get to families of the seamen," said Pavel Arsenyev, the fund's coordinator.

Donations from abroad will be managed by the New York Public Health Research Institute, Arsenyev said.

Alex Goldfarb, head of the Moscow office of the PHRI, said he was told by Rutskoi that various contributors had already pledged $1 million.

"We opened a special bank account this morning and will be distributing money to personal accounts of the family members as the supervisory board decides," he said.

Goldfarb's office is no amateur at managing charitable funds. Over the past eight years, about $140 million passed through the Moscow office, including donations for scientific research from George Soros and other American entrepreneurs, the U.S. government and the Russian government, Goldfarb said. Alex Goldfarb <[email protected]>

The Murmansk region government and the Northern Fleet have also opened accounts for donations.

Murmansk Governor Yury Yevdokimov said in televised comments that his fund had already received 500,000 rubles from his own administration and another 500,000 from federal coffers. LUKoil spokesman Igor Beketov said his company had transferred 200,000 rubles to the Murmansk account and was planning further donations.

The account set up by the Northern Fleet has received 500,000 rubles from Slavneft oil company, Slavneft spokeswoman Yekaterina Arkusha said.

State aid has also been organized. Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said each family would receive 1.5 million rubles from the government. It was not clear who would manage those funds.

Meanwhile, at least one company is openly trying to make money on the tragedy. A message at the web site www.kursk.com reads, "We are currently holding this domain for a client," against a grim photograph of waves crashing against rocks.

Interfax quoted David Pearce of BLTC, the British owner of the domain, as saying the company was aiming to sell the domain for pounds 3,000.

For banking details and mailing addresses of charities discussed here, check www.themoscowtimes.com/indexes/89.html

Where to Send Donations:

Podlodka Kursk
Donations in checks:
c/o PHRI (Public Health Research Institute),
455 First Ave.,
New York, NY
10016

or

c/o PHRI (Public Health Research Institute)
119048
Moscow,
8 Malaya Trubetskaya, 11th floor.

Bank transfers:
Chase Manhattan Bank,
New York,
USA,
Account 114917590,
ABA 021000021

Last updated:    September 2000

A print version of much of the information contained in this NIS Third Sector Organizations section can be found in the The Post-Soviet Handbook (Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1999).

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