Head of “Rosnano”, Anatoly Chubais is dissatisfied with the version of his interview, which was issued on the eve in the German newspaper Handelsblatt. Let us recall that Chubais argued on modernization, the role of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev in it, as well as the fate of Mikhail Khodorkovsky in that interview. Now the head of Rosnano argues that the meaning of his words had been distorted by a journalist of the German publication.

That's what Chubais said the statement, posted on his official website: "After having read the material published in the newspaper, I was unpleasantly surprised: the text attributes to me the statements that I have never made. In particular, “people aged Putin believe that modernization is possible only in a very limited scale”. Other quotations had been distorted and simply taken out of context - for example, my statement about the case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky”.

Anatoly Chubais asks Handelsblatt, which he has always treated with great respect, to publish a refutation promptly. He hopes that it will include the undistorted speech and "fix the situation."

Also the head of Rosnano reminds: one can find out about the distortions if he reads the full transcript and listen to audio on the site of Rosnano.

Let us recall that German journalist Florian Villershauzen – the one who wrote the article about Chubais in Handelsblatt - in particular, concluded that the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin "is not a" locomotive of modernization. "

In his turn, Chubais claims thathe had never said such words and the reporter misrepresented the meaning of what he had said:

"... I think that if a favorite topic of journalists is raised; meaning Medvedev or Putin, then one should admit that Medvedev has a generational feature. It is very important. In this sense, even I myself can feel it - I'm older. He is younger. He is a little bit different. For him, theme of modernization both in global and personal respect, with the iPad, iPhone and Twitter, where he is daily - is very organic for him, it is not invented, it is completely organic for a man of his generation. And this is positive. But why to lose the positive which Putin’s generation has or the one that Medvedev’s generation posses . They can try to throw them together in order to show: "this one is bad, the other one is good." Or, on the contrary, they can try to find a balance due to the generational difference, which they have in between."

The author of the German article also compared the fate of Anatoly Chubais and former Yukos CEO, Mikhail Khodorkovsky - one became the head of a huge concern, and the other ended in the prisoner’s dock and, in my opinion, embodies "an ominous warning about the insecurity of investing in Russia." In connection with this statement, the interviewer wrote on behalf of Chubais: "The verdict against Khodorkovsky had been a mistake", the head of Rosnano said categorically. But he immediately adds that this is "his personal opinion only". He is afraid to express such a politicized opinion as it may be disliked in Moscow.

According to the interpretation of the interview provided by Rosnano, in fact Chubays said the following words about Khodorkovsky:

"It seems to me that this topic is the most beloved one by all Western journalists. In reality, of course it's serious, but its significance is greatly exaggerated. I do not believe that this decision is the condition for modernization; Even though I was among those persons who had publicly defended Khodorkovsky, who had publicly condemned the government's actions. Despite the fact I am among those who thought and believed that the conviction of Khodorkovsky was a mistake, still I do not think that the release of Khodorkovsky is the only way to start the modernization of the country."

Correspondent of the “Svoboda” Radio got in touch with German journalist Florian Villershauzenom who had spoken to Chubais. He explained that the newspaper will publish the protest by Chubais without making any comments - that's the law in Germany.

When asked about his opinion of those disagreements, Villershauzen replied that he had interviewed carefully, but indeed he had had to cut several phrases during the final preparation. "But I personally believe that the basic was more or less preserved. If this is something he has disliked, I am very sorry about that, of course. We do work seriously here ", the journalist said.