Businessmen Protest Against Russia Corruption

It takes a brave man – or a brave woman - to speak out in Russia, particularly if you are taking aim at the government.

But the well-built businessman who runs the Lenin Farm on Moscow’s southern boundary certainly comes across as fearless.

His name is Pavel Grudinin and I met him at milking time in one of his run-down, Soviet-era sheds.

"We have good cows here," he said, casting an eye over his herd, "and you know, we produce European-quality milk".

But there was something bothering Mr Grudinin – a problem he really wanted to get off his chest.

"You can’t run a profitable business in Russia," said the farm director.

"What is profitable is holding a government post so you can bribe and extort money created by others."

He then took us for a little tour, across the yard to a new milking hall that is nearing completion.

"It’s taken us three years to get permission to build this and it’s on our own land," he said, shaking his head.

The farm director blames bribe-seeking officials and administrators for deliberately holding the project up: "The bureaucrat who doesn’t get a $10,000 bribe, won’t give permission for a new farm building.

"That’s how it works in Russia. Everyone knows what’s going on but nobody does anything about it."

His views are shared by many, including the government’s business ombudsman, Boris Titov.

Last year, Mr Titov estimated that 200,000 Russian businessmen had been jailed by corrupt officials seeking bribes.

When I went to see him, he told me: "There are people in jail right now who shouldn’t be there – four or five people I think, something like that."

When I asked why he did not try to get them out, he said: "Obviously, the prosecutor’s office has a different view."

When Mr Grudinin had the opportunity to speak publicly, he took it with gusto at a recent session of the Moscow Economic Forum.

Together with several other businessmen, including factory owner Dmitry Potapenko, they harangued officials and MPs (BSE: MPSLTD.BO - news) for their all-encompassing incompetence.

Mr Grudinin even took the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, to task: "The President says, let’s increase production in farming … but who will invest the money if it is not profitable in principle. Doesn’t he understand that?"

In response, officials on the panel questioned the businessmen’s patriotism.

Footage from the forum was posted online and - surprisingly perhaps - Grudinin and Potapenko went viral.

Their various outbursts have been viewed more than two million times.

I asked Mr Grudinin whether the attention made him nervous - government critics are often dealt with harshly here.

"We will survive," he said, with trademark directness.

"The bureaucrats will come and go and the political regime will change.

"But we will stay. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine."

I hope he is right.