Now in some films of the detective genre you can hear the word "liquidator", which, according to the theme of the film, means "killer". This is fully consistent with the interpretation of the word in explanatory dictionaries, where it is written that the "liquidator" is a person who is engaged in the liquidation, elimination of something or someone. However, this term can be used not only as a synonym for the word "killer", but also in meanings not related to crime.
Etymology of the word
The term has Latin roots and comes from the word "liquidus", which translates as "clean, transparent." This Latin word has given rise to many cognate terms in the Russian language, for example, - liquidation, liquidate, liquid.
The term "liquidator" was first used in the UK in the mid-19th century. This word was found in the records and acts of the English Stock Exchange. The term was used in the following meaning: a liquidator is an official appointed by the court when the company enters the liquidation process. This person is responsible for collecting all assets in the event of bankruptcy of the company. It must also settle all financial and credit claims against the company before its dissolution. The term "liquidator" has become widely used in the legal vocabulary of the Anglo-Saxon countries. Prior to this, the equivalent role in Britain was played by "official managers" in accordance with the amendments to the Law "On the Results of Joint Stock Companies" of 1844. At the moment, the term "liquidator" is used not only in the meaning of the head of the liquidation process of a bankrupt company, but also in many others.
Historical context
The liquidators or supporters of liquidationism were called members of the Russian Social Democratic Party, who called for abandonment of revolutionary activity. This political movement arose in 1907 after the defeat during the first Russian revolution. Supporters of liquidationism opposed any illegal political struggle, believing that party activity can only be within the framework of law. Vladimir Lenin condemned this political trend.
Sherstobitov and his autobiographical work "Liquidator"
In the nineties, the word "liquidator" was often used as a synonym for the term hired killer, killer. One of them was the notorious Sherstobitov.
Alexei L. Sherstobitov was born on January 31, 1967 in the capital of Russia. He was a hired killer of the Medvedkovskaya group and collaborated with the Orekhovsky criminal community. He was nicknamed Lesha the soldier in a criminal environment. The investigation proved the twelve murders and attempts that he committed. In the colony Lesha, a soldier began to write literary works.
Sherstobitov’s book “Liquidator” hit the shelves of books and became popular. The newly-minted author also wrote a continuation of his autobiographical novel, Liquidator, part 2. He also wrote books: The Skin of the Beast, Another's Bride, and Liquidator, the full version.
The trial of Sherstobitov
At the trial, Lesha, the soldier said that he fully admits his guilt, but asked to commute the sentence and punishment. Motivating his request, he made certain arguments. He refused to blow up the thirty bandits of the Izmaylovskaya group, saved the life of a business woman, not having to kill her. Having left the criminal community, he made a living by building and repairing. Alexei Sherstobitov often did not obey the orders of the leaders of the criminal community, refusing and delaying the time allotted for the elimination of competitors and enemies.
For example, he did not begin to lay an explosive device at the Vvedensky cemetery during a memorial service in honor of one of the criminal authorities, as confirmed by information from the criminal case. According to
operational information, Sherstobitov killed more than thirty people by order of the Orekhov group.
Killer Solonik
Another well-known liquidator is the Russian killer Alexander Solonik, on whose account dozens of murders, including the murders of leaders of criminal groups and "thieves in law." Solonik who committed 3 escapes from prison and pre-trial detention center, became one of the most wanted criminals. He became a legendary figure among the criminal world and law enforcement agencies of post-Soviet Russia. In the mid-nineties, his name thundered on television, all the Russian police were looking for him. But in Athens in early 1997, its liquidation also took place. The liquidators of the killer were sent by his superiors, the leaders of the Kurgan group. He was killed along with his girlfriend Svetlana Kotova, finalist of the Miss Russia 1996 contest.
The liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
Also, the term "liquidator" is used to refer to volunteers involved in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine during the perestroika period.
The liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are the generic name of approximately 500,000-900,000 Soviet citizens who carried out various emergency operations (including the construction and backfilling of the sarcophagus) in the territories affected by the explosion at a nuclear power plant in April 1986.
The first in the elimination of the consequences of the disaster were the workers of the station. The employees were engaged in shutting down equipment, sorting out debris, eliminating foci of burning nuclear equipment and other activities directly in the reactor room, engine block and other rooms of the emergency unit. The number of victims of a nuclear explosion exceeded thirty people, of which one died directly during the accident. Another died within an hour after the explosion from numerous injuries, other nuclear power plant workers died within two to three weeks after the disaster from burns and acute radiation sickness.
The number of victims of the Chernobyl accident
In the period 1986-1992. experts totaled more than 600,000 Chernobyl liquidators. More than a million people were involved in thirty-kilometer territory to eliminate the consequences of an emergency. The destructive effect of radioactive substances has affected the health of the liquidators.
Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, problems arose with the rehabilitation of the victims, as they came from various states (Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan, and other former Soviet republics). The Russian leadership did not disclose the actual figures of the victims, calling this data a state secret. However, according to studies by experts from Belarus, mortality from cancer among emergency responders is three times higher than among the entire population of affected countries. The exact number of the dead can still not be called. According to approximate data of scientists and experts, over 20,000 people who were involved in the elimination of the consequences died from radiation within 20 years after the disaster. bang
Fukushima accident
The accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant is the largest radiation disaster. According to the generally accepted scale of nuclear disasters, she was given the seventh (maximum) level. This accident happened in March 2011 as a result of the strongest earthquake in the history of Japan, which caused a strong tsunami. The earthquake and tsunami waves broke all the means of electrical power and standby diesel generators, which made it impossible for the standard and emergency cooling systems to function. This series of events led to the fact that on the very first day the active reactor zone melted at three power units.
In the suburbs, panic broke out, authorities evacuated people. The Japanese government has attracted liquidators. This accident caused the closure of all nuclear power plants in Japan. The German government, led by Merkel, also eliminated all nuclear facilities.
A curious fact: a month before the disaster, a special agency in Japan approved the work of power unit No. 1. According to statistics, this accident did not cause human casualties, but in the economic aspect caused tremendous financial losses, which are estimated by analysts at two hundred billion dollars.
Organization liquidator
The main meaning of the term "liquidator" is legal. This is the official who must ensure and control the process of termination of the LLC. This person is appointed by the general meeting of participants of the limited liability organization. He fully submits all liquidation documents to the court and tax authorities. The liquidator of an LLC may be a specialized organization with an appropriate profile, but this is quite expensive. In principle, any person who is aware of the financial and tax affairs of the company can be selected for this position.
As practice shows, usually liquidators are appointed accountants or financiers of the enterprise. A lawyer of a limited liability company or other specialist who works under a legal aid contract can also perform this work.
Termination of LLC
The liquidation of an LLC is the termination of a limited liability company without transferring its rights and obligations to other persons. A legal entity may be abolished by its owners voluntarily or by decision of the judiciary in situations established in article 62 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Traditionally, all processes of liquidation of LLCs are voluntary.
Finally
Thus, the term liquidator can be used in the following meanings:
- Supporters of the historical political direction at the beginning of the 20th century in Russia, who denied the revolutionary struggle.
- An official who is engaged in the liquidation of a limited liability company and represents the interests of the company in court and other bodies.
- A hired killer, that is, a person taking the life of people for selfish ends.
- This term is used to refer to people who deal with the consequences of disasters, emergencies, for example, the liquidator of the Chernobyl accident.
This concept is also used in a general sense: a liquidator is a person who is engaged in the elimination of something.