Ruslan Shcherban: After I have watched the Heir, my key conclusion is that it was an absolutely right decision not to be a part of it

After I have watched the Heir, my key conclusion is that it was an absolutely right decision not to be a part of it. It is called "an investigative film", but it has got everything but the investigation itself. The whole story is my brother's monologue with some videos from our family archive. It contains no evidence or any reliable documents whatsoever. 

How did I feel when I was watching it? I felt ashamed for my brother and I felt pity for him. First, he put videos from our personal family archive in the public domain. It was me who did the archive and it was not my intention to use it for entertainment of hundreds of thousands of onlookers. It's hard to give any comments regarding the fact that images from the airport were released in the film (it was me in the airport, not him). I believe that it's not ethical at the very least. My brother can't even scratch the surface of what I went through that day at the Donetsk airport, he cannot imagine how I felt. I do not want to sink into those memories again. And I do not want anyone to use these memories in their own self interests.

Secondly, this film obviously is nothing more than a blackmail attempt. It has a plain agenda of making profits, instead of exposing the assassination masterminds who we've been looking for 24 years now. All of my brother's deliberations can be summarised in one phase, "give me a billion, 'cause I want so". In reality, myself and anyone with the slightest awareness of what truly happened, and even he, I think, know that those are nothing more than words, fantasies. There are no pending property issues. Let me remind that when our father was assassinated my elder brother Yevgeniy was 26. He was mature enough to take over father's business processes. However, my brother was more into spending money than earning it at that time, and still is decades later. And he was fine with everything, since 3 November 1996 and almost till today he's been leading a carefree life.

Now, as Yevgeniy turns 50 and for the first time ever has to earn money himself, he fails to come up with anything better than blackmailing our father's allies and close friends of our family. Blackmailing by creating reputation problems. The script writers and characters of the Heir may have no evidence, but have constructed the narrative of this almost theatrical film oh so well that the audience has an illusion of obviousness. This "obviousness" leaves my brother hopeful that for those affected by defamation it will be easier to buy their way out than trying to convince people of their innocence.

My brother is trying to cast a shadow over Rinat Akhmetov, a person I've known for over 30 years now, our family friend, my father's friend, who supported us when father died, helped us grow and develop. I am still on good terms with Mr Akhmetov.

Yevgeniy put Iosif Kobzon, a close friend of our family and a man who is no longer alive, for public discussion. I am still friends with his family. He defamed his name, calling him an "arbitrator" in some squabbles by the unwritten rules of the underworld.

Why did he do it? I have no answer, just assumptions. He might have been paid for this. He might be intimidated. I cannot believe that a person of sound mind would want, without any pressure and of his own free will, to slander the people who helped us. I highly value the relationships with these people, they are dear to me. And I will not let anyone – even my own brother – to blame them groundlessly for the sake of his own interests.

Nevertheless, Yevgeniy is my brother. I don't know who "inspired" him to broadcast lies, but I am sorry that he became a puppet in someone's hands. The question is who's behind it. What is the agenda of this person or persons? Again, I have no answer. But I am very sorry that my brother has compromised himself. That the desire for fame has made him forget about both dignity and honour, made him speculate on the memory of people who are no longer alive, endanger my relations with the people who are significant and close to me, and dishonour our family name.

Now Yevgeniy claims that he has been conducting his "investigation" since 2013. However, it was in 2013 when we publicly told the same journalist who would later make the film that the issue was off the table and there were no claims against anyone. Now my brother has drastically changed his rhetoric. And the journalist followed him for some reason. But I am not going to do it. I will not call the white black and I will not act against my conscience. I know for sure that nothing good will come out of such games.