Participants in the screening of a film about Yuri Shchekochikhin praised his work as a journalist and politician.

The film itself, which briefly recounted Shchekochikhin's life, was based on the recollections of people who knew him (many of whom are now deceased) and some newsreel footage. The Chechen theme was only touched upon indirectly: footage was shown of Shchekochikhin as a deputy demanding the resignation of Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev during the First Chechen War.

And at the end of the film, where the story about the "children's ship" project was told, it was accompanied by newsreel footage, clearly filmed in Chechnya, showing the traces of war – both physical and moral – in the souls of the local population.

The film's director, Yulia Mavrina, in response to questions, noted that the film is expected to be posted online in the future, including on the Yabloko party website, thanks to whose support it could appear, and also presented at various film festivals.

After the first two films, we had numerous interviews left over that were used for this film.

Responding When asked about the reasons for the film's "schematic" nature, Nadezhda Azhgikhina explained that "And the Ship Sails On" is the third part of a trilogy planned back in the late 2000s (which is why many of the interviews in the film were listed as having been conducted in 2011-2012). "The first film, "Yuri Shchekochikhin. Once I Was There," was directed by Evgenia Golovnya, who even managed to secure funding for it from the Ministry of Culture. Then, after her death, Yulia [Mavrina] took over the films. And everything dragged on. But a lot was told about his life in the second film, "The Weight of the Unfinished." From the first two films, we had a ton of interviews left over that were used for this film. "Furthermore, the film incorporated discussions of the two previous films with journalism students I taught and with members of the Youth Yabloko party in 2024," she noted.

Azhgikhina noted with regret that the HSE students she recently taught couldn't recall any of the famous journalists of the recent past. "But that just means we need to remind them," she emphasized.

Dmitry Gasanov, winner of the "Young People about Young People" competition held by the Y. Shchekochikhin Charitable Foundation, posed a question to Azhgikhina and Mavrina, noting that young journalists in Russia are usually unaware of Shchekochikhin: "What are young people missing for new Shchekochikhins to emerge?" Yulia Mavrina responded that what's missing is, first and foremost, knowledge about the journalist himself. "Yuri Petrovich evoked such a blissful feeling that, upon learning about him, people wanted to fight for justice," she noted.

Former Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin noted that Shchekochikhin was "an amazing person" for him. "He was an idealist, pushing through to make some of his ideals take on real form. People like this are always needed, striving for the impossible, because then there's a chance of achieving something," he said.

He made people like me feel uneasy about compromises.

Playwright Alexander Gelman recalled that Shchekochikhin was a very principled person. "He made people like me feel uneasy about compromises," he said.

Gelman emphasized the importance of the new documentary: "It's important that people learn who Yura is—everyone should know about him."

Shchekochikhin's student, Boris Minaev, noted that wherever he worked, he quickly became the center of a close group of friends. "The amazing light that emanated from him drew people," he emphasized.

Minaev stated that Shchekochikhin should have become Russia's greatest journalist, but he didn't have the chance because the newspapers he worked for—Komsomolskaya Pravda and Literaturnaya Gazeta—faded, while Novaya Gazeta was prevented from becoming one due to the changing political situation.

The evening repeatedly touched on the topic of Shchekochikhin's death, which occurred under very strange circumstances. Speaking about his death, Grigory Yavlinsky stated that his death left many unanswered questions and resembled a crime. "I hope this will be clarified in the future," he remarked.

Nadezhda Azhgikhina noted that the investigation into Shchekochikhin's death is a "complex matter." "If they couldn't get to the truth then, it's even more difficult now," she emphasized.

Vladimir Lukin clearly noted that, although "the legal details haven't been studied," Shchekochikhin's death was likely caused by the fact that he "very harshly stepped on the toes of those in power, who were tainted by one, two, or three corruption cases, and his death was a consequence of that," he stated.

Concluding the evening, Azhgikhina urged those present to "gather stories." "This is important because it shows what was done in even more difficult conditions than now," she concluded.

I think the focus here isn't on geography, but rather on the fact that it was in Chechnya that something systematically happened that shouldn't have left anyone indifferent.

Natella Boltyanskaya, a journalist with sotaproject.com (the SOTA online project has been added to the Ministry of Justice's register of foreign agents), commented to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent following the film's release, touching on the relationship between Shchekochikhin and Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered in 2006. "It's difficult for me to judge who followed in whose footsteps. Both Anya and Yuri Petrovich were independent thinkers. I don't think the focus here is on geography, but rather on the fact that it was in Chechnya that something systematically unfolded that shouldn't have left anyone indifferent. And she's also a journalist, so she asks questions, goes, and investigates. But don't forget, Shchekochikhin wasn't just investigating Chechnya; he was, at a guess, investigating the "Three Whales" case. And Politkovskaya, too, was investigating abuses and corruption. Did they read each other's work? I think they did, even jealously. After all, they were both passionate and greedy in their work. Did Anya consult with each other? On the one hand, it's common practice at Novaya Gazeta, but on the other, it all depends on the specific assignment and its organizers," she emphasized.

Boltyanskaya also noted a number of common factors in the fates of the two journalists that made them dangerous to the authorities: "Empathy, interest in specific fates, a desire to understand and learn. And, to a certain extent, an inability to ignore them. Plus the common factor of 'Novogazetstvo.' That's a diagnosis, and I would say an excellent one."

Speaking about Shchekochikhin's death, Boltyanskaya noted that his death, presumably from poison, was not a "dress rehearsal" for Politkovskaya's murder. "Poisoning as a method continued with the poisonings of Litvinenko, Navalny, Bykov, and Kara-Murza. Murder with a firearm is a different story. What these murders have in common is the very fact of eliminating those who were undesirable and asking sensitive questions. It's a proven theorem that the Russian government has continued to unleash its excesses since the decision to murder Shchekochikhin. It has continued and isn't stopping," she noted.

The film presentation took place at the Moscow office of the Yabloko party. About 100 people, including many young people, gathered in the hall on the fourth floor of the building.

Student Makar told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he attended the film screening because he is interested in the events and figures of the 1990s, and Yuri Shchekochikhin is a prominent democratic figure. Yabloko supporter Fedor told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he came because there are very few liberal democratic events in Moscow that are not held underground. "Yuri Shchekochikhin is one of the wonderful, bright journalists, and one of the first victims of the changed situation," he stated.

Yuri Shchekochikhin was elected to the State Duma in December 1995 on the Yabloko list and joined the Yabloko faction. In February 1996, he became a member of the parliamentary security committee, and in April 1997, he joined the commission investigating the involvement of officials of state authorities of the Russian Federation and state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in corrupt activities. In December 1999, he was again elected to the State Duma on the Yabloko list and became a member of the corresponding parliamentary faction. In March-April 1997, he participated in the liberation of Russian army servicemen forcibly detained in Chechnya during military operations. In 2002-2003, he was a member of the "Public Commission for the Investigation of the Circumstances of the Apartment Building Explosions in Moscow and Volgodonsk and Exercises Conducted in the City of Ryazan in September 1999." His most recent investigations involved corruption in the Russian Prosecutor General's Office. He worked, in particular, on the "Three Whales" case involving furniture smuggling, the investigation of which was personally overseen by President Vladimir Putin, Lenta.ru reports.

In 2010, Moscow University Press published Yuri Shchekochikhin's book "Three Epochs of Russian Journalism," and the Union of Journalists of Russia and the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University organized its presentation in Moscow. "Shchekochikhin said that the first war in Chechnya began not because of an ethnic conflict, but because of the division of oil. He did a lot, perhaps much more than others, to ensure that this war ended as quickly as possible, and he never betrayed his friends, even acquaintances, whom he met during his intense work in the Caucasus, no matter their nationality," recalled columnist Vyacheslav Izmailov at the presentation.