There is another high-profile crime in Ukraine, this time in Dnepropetrovsk. Two policemen died. A former fighter of a volunteer battalion formed... by the same Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs is suspected of murder. The circumstances of the tragedy are being investigated, but the heads of law enforcement agencies have already announced the need to significantly expand the powers of the police. Lenta.ru looked into what happened in one of the largest cities in Ukraine and what the possible consequences were.
Fatal shots
At about 10 am on Sunday, September 25, not far from the city center, near the bus station, patrol officers - 27-year-old Artem Kutushev and 36-year-old Olga Makarenko - stopped a Citroen car for driving through a red light. The driver presented documents of a participant in the so-called anti-terrorist operation - this is how the fighting in Donbass is called in Kyiv - addressed to Alexander Pugachev and tried, as they say, to “negotiate”. However, it was not possible to do this, and the patrolman got into the car to draw up a report. “The attacker (...) pointed a gun at him and ordered him to return his documents and put his service weapon aside. The patrolman’s partner, who observed the incident, prepared to shoot, but did not do so so that the attacker would not open fire on the patrolman,” the security forces said at the briefing.
Nevertheless, the shooting began - the policeman was killed on the spot, his partner was seriously wounded and died a few hours later in the hospital, and the attacker also received a bullet in the stomach. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is now promising to do a second-by-second analysis of the tragedy. Much is still unclear. At first, the security forces said that the attacker took the pistol from Kutushev, and the patrolwoman managed to wound the attacker. This version was supported by the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov. However, then they offered another version. Department spokesman Artem Shevchenko referred to new circumstances - photographs taken with the chest camera of the killed patrolman. In the photographs, according to security forces, the suspect’s right hand shows a weapon, “from which the fatal shots were fired.”
Photo: Arsen Avakov’s personal Facebook page
Pugachev fired eight shots at a minibus whose driver was trying to block his car. All security forces of Dnepropetrovsk (or, as this city is now officially called in Ukraine, Dnepr) were raised to their feet for Operation Siren, an impressive delegation from Kyiv arrived, and the Interception plan was introduced along all major highways of Ukraine. At first, the police followed the wrong trail - security forces blocked the house where the alleged criminal was supposedly located. Only after the assault it became clear that there was no one there. Then information spread that Pugachev had taken an entire family hostage. Police reported multiple attackers. “Several people are suspected of attacking police officers in Dnieper (...) We believe that one of the suspects is a man who is now wanted: Alexander Andreevich Pugachev. We cannot yet announce the name of the other one,” said the head of the criminal police, Vadim Troyan, at that time. The quiet disappearance of the second criminal from the agenda is another problem in this high-profile case. The suspect was detained on the same day in the evening in one of the central hospitals of the city, where he sought medical help, introducing himself as citizen Mikhailenko.
Became a hero while wanted
According to Ukrainian security officials, the main suspect, Alexander Pugachev, was born in the city of Michurinsk, Tambov region of the Russian Federation, and lived in the Donetsk region, in the city of Torez. He more than justified his reputation as a representative of Tornado - he was previously charged with kidnapping, rape and creating a criminal group, and since 2015 he has been officially wanted in Ukraine. “This is a real and daring bandit who was hiding from the investigation. He opened fire on the patrol officers because he would have been detained immediately after his identity was established,” Shevchenko emphasized.
Medics removed the bullet from the suspect's stomach. His condition is stable, there is no threat to life. He can even answer questions. He does not admit his guilt and claims that his last name is not Pugachev at all. The Ministry of Internal Affairs says that there is more than enough evidence, and the investigation will take no more than a couple of months. Verkhovna Rada deputy Anton Gerashchenko, closely associated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, suggested that the detainee could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
A certain volunteer Roman Sinitsyn reported that Pugachev received a certificate of participation in hostilities in the Donbass while already on the wanted list. The police declared the ID a fake. But Sinitsyn insists that the document was issued in November 2015, and Pugachev was put on the wanted list in October 2015. There have been no official clarifications on this matter yet.
Obedience to the police is the basis of order
The main idea that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine has been persistently pursuing for the last two days is that the tragedy in the Dnieper (Dnepropetrovsk) should change the attitude of Ukrainians towards the police. The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov that citizens of the country must from now on unconditionally obey the police. “First obey - then appeal, there is no other way to build an effective law enforcement system,” he emphasized. And these are not just words - the department is already preparing to introduce to parliament a package of laws on expanding the rights of security forces based on the principle of the presumption of the police being right.
It seems that the relevant initiatives have been worked out for a long time, they were just waiting for the right moment. Avakov is echoed by his faithful advisor and squire in the Rada, Gerashchenko: “The familiar and boorish attitude towards police officers is no longer acceptable. All their orders—put your hands on the dashboard, get out of the car and turn your back, take your hands out of your pockets and others—must be carried out unquestioningly!”
The head of the National Police of Ukraine, Khatia Dekanoidze, also called on all politicians, deputies and social activists to remember that police officers need uniforms, weapons, laws and powers. “And if all this is not ensured, there will be no law and order,” she said.
"Gang called "Tornado""
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko also supported the demand to expand the powers of the police, and some deputies of the Verkhovna Rada call for emulating the United States in this matter. “Perhaps the cost of such powers will be that the number of deaths from firearms is equal to the losses in war. But this is the price of security for law-abiding citizens - the policeman needs to be given not only a new uniform, but also a mandate to use weapons,” says member of parliament Viktor Baloga, who once headed the administration of President Yushchenko.
It is very likely that the screws will really be tightened in Ukraine and the police will become a separate caste. But to do this, the current leadership of the security forces must first survive themselves. Let us recall that in the last days of August, the image of the police was dealt a severe blow when local security forces in the Nikolaev region dealt with particular cruelty to 32-year-old Alexander Tsukerman.
A draft resolution was submitted to the Rada to remove Avakov from the post of Minister of Internal Affairs, and the author of the initiative, Sergei Kaplin, reported a sufficient number of votes to resolve this issue. The Ukrainian parliament recently returned from its summer recess, and the matter has not yet come to a vote on the resignation of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but recent events may spur the situation. Naturally, Avakov’s opponent MP did not remain silent this time either. “We have police reform, but it was carried out so quickly that all that was left of it was just a show. However, those who must fight today, investigate crimes, prevent crimes, fight against crime - they are all dispersed, lustrated and the like. And that’s why it’s bandits like this Pugachev who roam the country, commit crimes, seize cars, engage in raiding, organized crime, and they are covered by Avakov,” said Kaplin, recalling that it was the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who at one time created “a gang called "Tornado"".
And people's deputy Vitaly Kupriy, who represents Dnepropetrovsk in parliament, intends to initiate the dismissal of the chairman of the National Police, Khatia Dekanoidze. Kupriy is convinced that Dekanoidze is personally responsible for the death of the patrolmen, who, in his opinion, were not sufficiently prepared for duty. In general, as always after another police scandal, a struggle for power and influence is unfolding in the highest echelons of power. And the winner, obviously, will be not the one who is more professional, but the one who has more political flair.
Reportage
26.09.2016 17:06
Ukrinform
They showed that you don't have to be afraid...
On Monday, September 26, in Dnipro they said goodbye to the deceased patrolmen - Artem Kutushev and Olga Makarenko. Despite the rainy weather, hundreds of people came to pay tribute to human rights defenders - relatives, friends, colleagues, friends and complete strangers. A queue formed at the entrance to the Academic Drama and Comedy Theater. Many did not hold back or hide their tears. The priests held a funeral service.
Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov and Head of the National Police Khatia Dekanoidze, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko, Chairman of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional State Administration Valentin Reznichenko, Mayor of Dnipro Boris Filatov, and people's deputies arrived at the ceremony to honor the memory of their fallen colleagues.
In a comment to journalists, Arsen Avakov emphasized that the Ministry of Internal Affairs will now propose to parliamentarians to implement the “presumption of the policeman’s correctness”; this, in his opinion, should become a social norm: first obey the policeman, then appeal.
Friends and colleagues remember Olga Makarenko; they say she was very disciplined, energetic and proactive.
“We met while recruiting for the police. Then we formed a whole group of like-minded people, and together we experienced the exciting stages of selection. Olya immediately became the positive spirit of our “gang”, I never saw her without a smile, she always treated everything with a sense of humor. When recruiting, I was very worried that she was 35 years old, and therefore she might not get into the police,” said Pavel Karmanov.
“Our crew was one of the first to come to the aid of Olya and Artem. Artem could no longer be helped, but Olya could still communicate. She asked to contact her husband and family and begged them to take her away from here as soon as possible. 3 minutes later she left in an ambulance. Everyone was sure that the wound was only in the legs, there was not even blood at the scene, no one doubted that Olya would live,” noted a police colleague.
“He was not a “green”, inexperienced police officer. He served in the Ukrainian Air Force, after which he immediately went to work in the authorities, he was devoted to his service for many years, loved his work, was an honest and conscientious guy. He was also a very positive, cheerful and friendly person,” said Raisa Kapranova, a friend of Artem Kutushev’s family.
“I came to thank them, young and inexperienced. When I hear them called - “candy wrappers”, “selfies” - I can hardly restrain myself. They protect you and me!” emphasized Valentina, a resident of Dnipro.
As City Council deputy Kamil Primakov noted, it is now difficult to understand how this could happen in Dnipro. “The war is creeping into the country. Illegal weapons, hiding criminals - this is not the Ukraine we want and are used to seeing. Together with the whole country we mourn. We lost not just patriots of Ukraine, but brave and responsible police officers, police officers of a new type. Artem Kutushev and Olga Makarenko did not just die in the performance of their duties. After all, they could have released the criminal and not pursued him at the first sign of a threat to their life. You could just step back and let go. They showed that there is no need to be afraid. That no matter how complex the system is, it needs to be changed,” Primakov said.
As it became known, the city government fully covered the funeral costs of both policemen. Artem Kutushev is buried at the Sursko-Litovskoe cemetery, Olga Makarenko is buried at the new cemetery on Zaporizhzhya Highway. A memorial sign will also be installed at the site of the tragedy near the bus station.
Now a lot of people want to do something to help the families of the victims, where small children remain, this can be done through accounts in Privatbank: 5168742336088244 Makarenko Andrey Yurievich, 5168757314181431 Kutusheva Anna Vladimirovna.
Artem Kutushev has a 3-year-old daughter, Olya Makarenko has two children.
Today, mourning has been declared in Dnipro, entertainment and social events have been cancelled.
Lyudmila Blyk, Dnipro
In memory of the fallen patrolmen. What has changed since the death of police officers in Dnieper
In memory of the fallen patrolmen Photos from open sources
Artem Kutushev and Olga Makarenko, patrol policemen, were killed 40 days ago
The profession of a police officer involves risks, sometimes life-threatening. When going out on patrol or on duty, even in the most prosperous country in the world, a cop cannot be sure that he will not encounter an armed criminal. The reality is that the algorithm for police actions in emergency, non-standard situations is usually written through mistakes and the blood of colleagues.
At the Dnieper bus station on the morning of September 25, ex-Tornado fighter Alexander Pugachev shot and killed two patrol policemen in cold blood - Artem Kutushev and Olga Makarenko. The murder of the patrolmen led to loud statements from the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Police about systemic changes and approaches to the work of police officers and no less loud statements about providing compensation to the families of the victims. What has changed since the death of the patrolmen and what changes has this led to?
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First, and perhaps most important, the shooter was arrested. Before his death, patrolman Artem Kutushev managed to wound Pugachev, which, however, did not prevent him from escaping from the crime scene, despite the attempts of the minibus driver, 62-year-old Valery Timonin, to block his car. All possible forces were deployed to capture the criminal; special forces managed to visit his home, but by the evening of September 25, he himself came to the Mechnikov hospital, where he was detained. He was operated on and transferred to a pre-trial detention center.
Olga and Artem were buried on September 26. Hundreds of people came to say goodbye to the patrolmen, including the mayor of the city Boris Filatov, the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, and the head of the National Police Khatia Dekanoidze.
Farewell to the dead Artem and Olga Photos from open sources
After the funeral of the patrolmen, Avakov awarded Valery Timonin. The minibus driver received an award pistol from the hands of the minister himself for showing courage and attempting to detain an armed criminal.
Facebook Anton Gerashchenko
Avakov also said that the families of the victims will receive 725 thousand UAH in compensation and a two-room apartment. 27-year-old Artem Kutushev has a 3-year-old daughter, and Olga Makarenko has two sons, 10 and 14 years old.
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On the occasion of Defender of Ukraine Day, President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree awarding Kutushev and Makarenko the Order of Courage, III degree, posthumously. Avakov presented the awards to the relatives of the victims on November 1.
At the presentation of orders Photos from open sources
The reaction of the security forces at the level of organizing the work of the police followed almost immediately. Avakov said that in Ukraine it is necessary to introduce a presumption of the correctness of the policeman. His expression “obey and then appeal” caused a wave of criticism: they say this will lead to a violation of constitutional rights and freedoms. Few people have heard the argument that these are “safety rules” for both police officers and citizens.
Later, the police explained that this initiative of the Minister of Internal Affairs involves introducing changes to a number of laws and will be an independent document. In particular, it is proposed that:
The policeman will be able to warn the driver or passenger of the car he stopped about the need to stay inside and not go outside;
The policeman will have the right to take the driver’s documents into his hands (this is currently prohibited);
It is planned to increase the punishment for the driver who fled the scene of an accident;
Related news
Conduct tests for alcohol or drug intoxication of the driver without the participation of witnesses;
Oblige a police officer to stop offenses regardless of position, time spent and time of day;
Clarify the measure and right of a police officer to inspect the interior of a car.
True, the relevant bills have not yet reached the session hall of the Rada, and they are already being compared with the “draconian laws of January 16.” The prospect of adoption of these bills in the Rada is rather vague.
As a result, it turns out that nothing concrete was done during the elapsed time. It was not possible to find out anything concrete about the fate of the apartments and compensation, but one can only hope that too little time has passed for the clumsy state machine.
Today in Dnieper a police squad was shot. Artem Kutushev died on the spot. His partner Olga Makarenko died on the operating table.
The police stopped a silver Citroen that ran a red light near the bus station, and there its driver committed violence against the police. He killed Artyom on the spot, Olga received three bullets, one of which got stuck in the spine and caused the death of a young woman, a mother of two children. Artyom's pistol disappeared from the scene. Some sites reported that the policeman was shot with his own weapon.
Alexander Pugachev, in the past a not very law-abiding private entrepreneur, and in the recent past a soldier of the Tornado special forces regiment, is suspected of the crime. At the time of the crime he was wanted. Towards evening he was detained in the OKB. Mechnikov with a bullet in the stomach. According to the head physician Sergei Ryzhenko, he went there out of old memory, because it was at Mechnikov that he was treated for a combat wound.
To shoot or not to shoot?
Let's look at the footage of the shooting of a police squad. Many people had questions about the quality of patrol officers’ training. The most important thing: why did the police put the criminal in the back seat of their car?
Only a few months have passed since the country enthusiastically welcomed the appearance of new police officers on the streets of Ukrainian cities, so similar to American cops.
But then real life began and it turned out that the ability to masterly drive a car comes over the years, after hard training.As well as skill with weapons. And if Ukrainians were ready to forgive broken Priuses to smiling police officers, the question of the legality of the use of force by representatives of the law was discussed a lot and emotionally.Society was not ready to trust the police and began... to feel sorry for the offenders.
Remember the police chase through the streets of Kyiv after stoned youth in February of this year. Let me remind you that a group of young people in a state of drug intoxication tried to escape from the police in a BMW, while they reached speeds of up to 190 km/h. They did not respond to legal demands to stop; the policeman used a weapon and killed a seventeen-year-old boy, a passenger in the BMW. The examination established that 77 shots were fired, 14 of which hit the car. The police actions were immediately declared unprofessional. The policeman was taken into custody and criminal proceedings were opened.
The second story is a case in the village. Crooked Lake, Nikolaev region. The police, who responded to the woman's call, shot the family brawler, her husband, with a traumatic weapon. The people rebelled, the top police in the area fled, and one participant in the events was accused of murder. The rest are involved in the case as witnesses.
The incident in Nikolaev is the story of drunken majors who rushed at people in the city center. The police didn’t shoot here, but they still turned out to be guilty. Assistant Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko immediately promised to fire the police for inaction. Were the five crews that arrived at the scene fired at once?
The new police are disoriented, and the old one is unviable. Let us remember that the same Alexander Pugachev, who shot the patrolmen in the Dnieper, was wanted for a whole year and at the same time calmly moved around the city, without hiding too much. Why weren't they looking for him? n Head of the GUNP of Ukraine in the Dnepropetrovsk region Igor Repeshko, serious reductions in the national police force, staff turnover and an increase in crime in recent years have led to a colossal burden on investigators. Some of them have up to 400 criminal proceedings in progress at one time. What quality do you think these investigations will be?
Meanwhile, in the first half of 2016More than 29 thousand crimes were registered in the ERDR. In 2015 - 25,299. V2016 compared to the previous year became43% more serious and especially serious crimes.
Where are the reforms of the Ministry of Internal Affairs going?
Let's leave aside the economic situation, the war, the number of weapons in the hands of civilians, and even Savchenko's law. Reforming the law enforcement system against such a background is an extremely difficult task.It is especially difficult to find honest and intelligent professionals who are willing to work their butts off for a 3.5-4 thousand UAH salary in a police uniform. In the Dnepropetrovsk region as a result It was recommended to dismiss 21 out of 57 senior managers, and demote 10.Where to get a replacement for them is an open question. And none of the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs can solve it. The system needs to be changed, and this is the prerogative of the Verkhovna Rada.
What do deputies think?
People's Deputy Vitaliy Kupriy blames the death of policemen from the DnieperpersonallyKhatia Dekanoidze and demands her dismissal. In his posteOn Facebook, he told how back in February, after the Kyiv chase, at a meeting of the legislative support committee, together with Yuriy Lutsenko, he proposed to Khatia to strengthen the training of cops. ButsheI didn’t agree then.Specialists of the national police of the Dnepropetrovsk region, who are not part of the patrol police, have repeatedly offered assistance to their junior colleagues in improving their skills. But Khatia’s position has not changed: “We don’t want anything to do with the old system.” According to Vitaly Kupriya, it is Khatia who is to blame for the fact that the patrol police report directly to her and do not report to the heads of the regional police department. While for the indicatorsdisclosuresThey are the ones responsible for crime. Vitaly Kupriy’s conclusion is that it was impossible to thoughtlessly destroy the system, it was necessary to take the best from it.
Non-factional deputy Viktor Baloga, due to the tragic events in Dnepr, called on the Verkhovna Rada to adopt a law on the mandate for the use of firearms: “Ukraine will never become a safe state until a police officer has the same rights to use weapons as an American cop. Perhaps the cost of such powers is that the number of deaths from firearms is equal to the losses in war. But this is the price of security for law-abiding citizens - the police must be given not only a new uniform, but also a mandate to use weapons. And for this, we in the Verkhovna Rada must adopt the same laws as those in force in the United States.”
The discussion on who is to blame and what to do in Ukrainian society is still just unfolding. But it is already clear that the death of police officers from the Dnieper is just the beginning. In a criminalized society, untrained police officers have a very high chance of being shot by a criminal. And that’s exactly what we have. In Germany, to become a police officer, a person studies for two years, in France – 16 months. In Ukraine – 2.5 months.
At the same time, the permissiveness of police officers in the United States is a myth. An American policeman, like a Ukrainian one, should not open fire without an objective reason. But there is only one objective reason - a threat to life - one’s own or those of others. By the way, American police are prohibited from shooting at an unarmed fleeing person. Each case of use of weapons is investigated.
By the way, Khatia Dekanoidze has repeatedly stated that she is ready to resign. How to reform the police without replacing reform with a general fight against corruption, how not to turn young guys into cannon fodder, how to stop the growth of crime - society still has to answer these difficult questions. In the meantimeThere is either a true or fictitious story floating around the interneta conversation between an ordinary person and a policeman, the main idea of which is that if you are in trouble, the policeman will not be around. , by the way, on the website of the Gun Owners Association.
Mourning was declared in Dnieper on Monday. Citizens are starting to raise funds to help the families of fallen police officers. But if important systemic issues of organizing police work are not resolved, this may not be the last funeral of young beautiful people in peaceful Ukrainian cities.
For those wishing to help the families of the victims, we publish bank card details:
"PrivatBank":
5168742336088244
Makarenko Andrey Yurievich
"PrivatBank":
5168757314181431
Kutusheva Anna Vladimirovna
Marina Deobald
Today the Dnieper was shaken by terrible news: an unknown person shot two patrol policemen near the bus station.
Who is the criminal
The criminal was identified from the video. As reported by Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko, the suspect is Alexander Andreevich Pugachev, born in 1983, an employee of the Tornado special-purpose battalion. The attacker had previously been convicted and at the time of the incident was wanted under Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
First Deputy Head of the National Police Vadim Troyan said that Pugachev is a native of the Russian Federation who has been wanted for more than a year.
“Since the start of the ATO, he moved from the occupied territories to peaceful lands. To search for him, we involved the police in five regions,” he noted.
Who was hurt?
The head of the National Police of Ukraine, Khatia Dekanoidze, spoke about the dead. According to her, the patrolman who was shot was 27-year-old Artem Kutushev, who left behind a three-year-old daughter. Artem studied at the Dnepropetrovsk University of Internal Affairs, receiving a degree in Law Enforcement.
On January 16, 2016, when the Dnieper police took the oath, he was appointed to the position of inspector of company No. 8 of battalion No. 4 of the Dnieper police department.
The girl who died in the hospital is Olga Makarenko, born in 1980. The bullet hit the policewoman's lungs, liver and leg.
The deceased girl is a police lieutenant, graduated from the National Law Academy. Yaroslav the Wise. Worked as a lawyer in the education department of the Industrial District Council in Dnieper. She was also appointed on January 16, 2016 as inspector of company No. 4 of battalion No. 8. Olga Makarenko is survived by her husband and two children.
How the suspect was detained
At about 18.30 Alexander Pugachev was detained in the Mechnikov hospital. Chief physician of the Children's Clinical Hospital named after. Mechnikov Sergei Ryzhenko said that the attacker himself sought medical help.
“He had a gunshot wound. He told our doctors that he trusted only them, since he had already been treated here once after being wounded in the ATO zone,” Ryzhenko said.
The emergency room doctor contacted law enforcement agencies and told the police about a man who had arrived with a gunshot wound.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that the criminal was injured in a fight with patrol officers.
“The police officer fired and hit before she died. The suspect is being operated on in one of the Dnieper hospitals,” Avakov said.
Vadim Troyan said that the attacker came to the hospital under a false name - Mikhailenko.
“But by all indications, he fit our description. The police who arrived at the scene found that the patient was the one we were looking for,” he added.
How is the suspect feeling?
First Deputy Head of the National Police Vadim Troyan said that the detained suspect in the murder of two policemen, Pugachev, is now under anesthesia. According to him, doctors removed a bullet from his stomach. He was recently taken out of the operating room.
Mourning for the dead
In the evening, honor the memory of the fallen police officers near the police station Their colleagues and concerned residents of the city gathered in front of the police. Flowers were brought to the portraits of patrolmen.
The head of the National Police, Khatia Dekanoidze, also came to the funeral event.
“Every person who lives in our country should feel how important the profession of a police officer is, how much the guys risk their lives every day. We have to believe in them, absolutely,” she said.
Dekanoidze promised that the National Police will do everything so that the children of employees and fighters will not need anything.
On his Facebook page, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
“I sing to the homelands of those who perished near the Dnieper. Malice screams at us all. Therefore, we can appreciate and respect the feat of law enforcement officers, who, risking their lives, are protecting Ukraine. Evil must be punished,” he wrote.
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