Fire, water and 506 million
5 November 2017, a record amount was drawn in the history of Russian lotteries - 506 million rubles. But the winner didn't show up for the money. "Russian Post" was looking for a millionaire throughout the country. It turned out, that a lucky ticket was bought in the working village of Panino in the Voronezh region. After this news, fortune hunters were drawn there - queues were lined up at the post office for lotteries. true, no one is so lucky, as 63-year-old Natalia Vlasova.
At that time, the pensioner had no idea, that they are looking for her. The ticket was gathering dust in the sideboard. It was checked by a 10-year-old granddaughter and was wrong, thought, that there is no win. Pass to the new, happy life almost ended up in the trash can.
Natalya Vlasova worked all her life in Gosstrakh - constant business trips, routine. And the pension turned out to be small, order 8 000 rubles. Husband, also a pensioner, received a little more. The daughter served as a secretary in court - how much do state employees earn?? And the child also grows in the family, means, need money.
- It's impossible to buy anything on retirement ... So I baked pies and sold them, - Natalya Vlasova will tell later in a single interview with RIA Voronezh. Almost every day she drove pastries to the bus station by bike. Everything was disassembled - delicious.
Lotteries were hope for Natalia. She bought tickets for every holiday over the years - on New Year's Eve and on her birthday..
Learning, what is the jackpot owner looking for in Panino, Natalia asked her daughter to check the ticket again. Winnings! The amount threw her into confusion. Several times she and her daughter called the hotline and clarified everything. It seemed, extra zeros were added to the sum.
I had to urgently fly to Moscow, paperwork. It turned out, what's nothing.
- I borrowed boots, jacket. Good, that I know everyone in the market, they dressed me up. I, true, did not say, why are you going to Moscow, - Natalia recalled.
Natalia Vlasova. Photo: Andrey Arkhipov /riavrn.ru
At the request of the organizers, Natalia and her daughter gave a TV interview. They didn't know, that you can refuse it. The program was shown on one of the federal TV channels.
The Vlasovs began to receive money at the beginning 2019 of the year, tranches. Even before receiving the win, Natalia shared her plans with the journalists:
- First I will repair my house. Then I will help my daughters with housing. I will buy a good car for my husband, so that he can go fishing in any weather. And charity, of course, I'll do ...
A year and a half after the win, the Vlasov family lives modestly, quiet. Doesn't give interviews - not to federal channels, no local newspaper. Fellow villagers don't really know anything about the changes in Natalia's life. Doesn't he ride a bicycle around the village anymore. She and her husband bought an SUV. Yes, and there is no time to talk with neighbors - business.
- Natalia Vlasova is not going to leave Panino. Now her family is building two houses in the village.. Natalia herself did not harden after winning, helps people. Learned, that her ex-neighbor's husband had cancer - gave money for surgery and treatment. I heard, that the son of a postal worker has lung cancer, also offered financial assistance. But the man at that time was treated for free, so his family refused. Unfortunately, he died. The Vlasovs paid for his funeral, - told "Pravmir" in the Paninsky regional newspaper "Nash Krai".
An acquaintance of Natalia, on condition of anonymity, said, that she supported the parish of the Church of the Kazan Mother of God in Panino. There this information was confirmed.
