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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends,

Today, we have gathered to pay tribute to Anatoly Sobchak.

He became the first mayor of St Petersburg at the height of his nationwide fame and popularity. This is exactly who he was – a brilliant and unique man – for his university peers and, of course, for us, his students, including me.

A professor, teacher, and distinguished lawyer, he stormed his way onto the political scene after winning the election. Upon becoming a People’s Deputy of the USSR, he immediately established his reputation nationwide as an outstanding speaker and educator. Anatoly Sobchak was an avid supporter of such values ​​as the power and culture of law, justice and human dignity. As a legislator, he did not just draft legal norms; he proposed ideas and approaches that were timely and relevant to society.

During his tenure as deputy, Mr Sobchak gained immense recognition as a responsible politician of a national and Union-wide calibre. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that he was among those who created the foundations of today’s Russia. As mayor, he had a mindset that was expansive, profound, and insightful. I say this confidently as I personally witnessed the way he thought and spoke, and what he spoke about; his ideas and projects were inspiring.

I spent a lot of time with him, including during major national, Union-wide election events. It was a very challenging period; many of those present here can remember it. While touring with him across Russian regions during various major national election events, I sometimes thought, “Why are we going there? Nothing good will come of this.” And when we entered the hall, I would think: “I am right.” Because I can tell you, as soon as he appeared in the hall, the audience was literally buzzing. But in the end, they all cheered for him. It was incredible. He was an immensely talented speaker and person.

Why did it happen that way? I believe that, besides being brilliant, he also knew how to inspire people with his ideas. He was sincere and spoke from his heart – and the audience always responded to this with trust. He strongly believed in the things he spoke about, proposed and advocated.

The Sobchak era was undoubtedly a time of immense upheavals for both the country and for him personally. Anatoly Sobchak took the collapse of the Soviet Union very hard; it was a deep and painful blow. I can share things that only he and I knew, and I will do so today, as we are honouring his memory. I remember being at work in Smolny when he returned from Moscow. He sat down, tossed some papers aside, stared into the distance for a moment, and then said, “Why are they doing this?” I asked, “What do you mean?” And he replied, “Why are they destroying the country?”

I will not comment further now, but many of those present here today understand exactly what he meant. It is true that the left-wing political spectrum did not exactly embrace him – he was a fierce critic of the Communist Party and everything associated with it. But, and I will talk about it more, he was a statesman. He never advocated for the destruction of our former shared homeland – never.

One of his statements has since become well known. Speaking about the political elites of certain former Soviet republics, he said ­– publicly, in fact – “If you want to leave the Soviet Union, leave with what you brought to Russia.” Today, those words sound prophetic. If only Sobchak’s lesson had been heeded, we might have avoided many tragedies and losses.

You know, I may not get another chance to say this. As I mentioned, he was constantly at odds with the Communist Party, and while our views did not always align – then or now – that is not what matters. What matters is how he viewed history and the foundations of our statehood.

I recall another moment in his office. Bella Kurkova came in, placed a piece of granite on his desk, and said, “Here, this is revolution. In Moscow, we just tore down the monument to Dzerzhinsky.” Sobchak picked up the stone, examined it, and said, “Revolution is one thing, but we should not be tearing down monuments.”

I am being honest now, I was genuinely surprised. I say this with absolute sincerity. Given his stance – if not outright anti-communist, then certainly highly critical of that political ideology – I had not expected those words from him. It was unexpected, and it left an impression.

As an individual and based on his education and legal views, Anatoly Sobchak was definitely a proponent of a strong state. As I said, he believed that the sovereignty and integrity of our country were no less important than democratic values and human rights, and he never abandoned that view. He was an outspoken, honest and decent person.

He dealt with a wide range of issues, including a multitude of important daily economic matters, and he kept a close eye on critical services in St Petersburg. He paid a great deal of attention to that. He faced a lot of problems, including those he inherited from the past, and some new challenges, when many projects had to be implemented from the ground up.

Some said that a refined man like Professor Sobchak was not up to the job. I do not agree because I worked with him, and I saw how he addressed extremely difficult and seemingly technical matters.

Of course, he was not an expert in urban economy. I see my current and former colleagues in this room who worked with Anatoly Sobchak, some dealing with economic matters, and others with property and finance. While a top leader does not need to delve into every paragraph of a decision, and there is no need for that, Mr Sobchak focused on issues when necessary and found solutions in his usual brilliant manner. On the other hand, it was impossible to solve all the problems because the conditions were not right for that. This remains a challenge today, but the current situation cannot be compared to what the city and the country faced when he headed this city with a population of five million.

He upheld the principles of professionalism in approaching any problem. He fought hard and won, showing strong will, courage and resolve. When it was necessary for the city and its people, he found the arguments to convince high-ranking officials that his approach was correct, ensuring the implementation of large projects, securing the necessary funds and rallying support from the federal centre, as we now say.

He regarded the office of mayor not just as an administrative position but also took a broad perspective and looked to the future. The city developed and was revitalised as an open and modern metropolis, a true cultural and historical capital of Russia.

It was on Sobchak’s initiative that the city regained its historical name. He did everything in his power not only to return the name but also to revive the glory of St Petersburg. This could only happen during Sobchak’s term.

Anatoly Sobchak loved his city – our city very much. As mayor, he was intrinsically linked to St Petersburg, in the development of which he invested his talent, intellect and kinetic energy.

He also lived through hard challenges here, including betrayal and deception. But he never retaliated in kind; he was above that. He always remained a man of honour and dignity, and that is how we will remember him.

Thank you.