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Нет, их инициатива, в рамках школьных клубов, они там более-менее сами заправляют. Поскольку дети учатся в основном непростые, то у них обоснованно несколько другое представление о своих возможностях, чем у прочих. С российской стороны было бы глупо этим не воспользоваться, это такая Саманта Смит 2.0 получилась.
Ну, Таймс вот что пишет (там пейволл, так что выношу куском):
The value of playing host to ten boys from a school that produced 19 prime ministers and countless statesmen and public figures appears not to have been lost on Mr Putin, who has a keen eye for public relations coups. He received them in a grand state room where they sat at a table for an hour of talks, with photographers and a film crew in attendance. His guests dressed impeccably, two sporting Old Etonian ties, although afterwards several boys struck poses lying on a rug in an ante room for a triumphal group photograph.
Back at Eton College in Berkshire there was considerable surprise when pictures emerged yesterday of the boys at the Kremlin: the masters knew nothing of their visit, which they had planned in utmost secrecy. There is a long tradition at Eton of pupil-led societies. Boys learn to arrange events, write letters of invitation to potential guests and, more importantly, use family or other contacts to bring in prominent speakers. Gianfranco Zola and Jeffrey Archer were among boys’ guests last term.
There is an understanding, however, that society events happen at the school and in term time. This group of boys spent their final year at Eton plotting a clandestine visit to the Kremlin at a time of fraught London-Moscow relations. Their chutzpah was, some thought, “very Etonian”.
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Several boys later exchanged online messages of thanks with contacts who helped to arrange the visit, including tour guides and drivers. One referred to Tikhon Shevkunov, an Orthodox abbot who is rumoured to be a spiritual adviser and “confessor” to the president. He refuses to comment on their relationship but has praised Mr Putin for saving Russia from “vulgar liberals”.
It appears that the abbot made a private visit to Eton in March and the boys asked him about the prospect of visiting Russia and meeting Mr Putin. According to Evgeny Markin, an aide to the abbot, the answer was positive and they were advised to write to the president.
Ну и для comic relief немножко:
Not everyone was impressed by their antics. Chris Bryant, the Labour MP and a frequent critic of Mr Putin, said: “There’s a dangerous myth abroad in some right-wing circles that Putin has been a bit hard done by. That other Etonian Boris Johnson seems to think we should press the reset button with Russia. But let’s not forget the Russian state had one man killed on British soil, Alexander Litvinenko, and another who worked for a UK firm, Sergei Magnitsky . . . We should work with Europe to strengthen our common position over Russia not undermine it.”
Edited at 2016-09-01 10:26 (UTC)
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