INTERVIEW. With Peter MOURAVIEFF – APOSTOL. About the future of cryptocurrency. What kind of President would he become. About Ukraine, Russia and the USA. On the upcoming Declaration of Animal Rights. Edward Snowden.. And the motto on the Tereshchenko family’s coat of arms.
Remember Russian princes from Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”? Brave Bolkonsky, dreamy Bezukhov? Or the young Russian Decembrists? They all still exist. Though, not anymore in Russia.. But up to now, if you want to know how to rule Russia or Ukraine, or to be an impeccable diplomat, financier or businessman, all the great ones will point you to these people, the descendants of the great Russian and Ukrainian aristocrats, to an almost inconceivable level of intelligence and excellence of these people.
The journalist of RUSSIAN ATHENS and Korrespondent.NET blogger, Sofia TERESHCHENKO (who herself is a descendant of the Ukrainian Tereshchenko dynasty), had an exclusive interview with the real Russian prince, direct descendant of the house of the Mouravieff-Apostol (and the Tereshchenko family).
The Mouravieff-Apostol dyansty is a Russian ancient noble family that linked its fate with other no less famous names of Ukraine, Russia and the world (during the time of Russian Empire) such as: Tereshchenko, Rothschild etc. This family is famous all over the world not only for their courage, wisdom and willpower, but also for their God’s gift to do good, miracles and abundance.
Peter Apostol by Sunman.
S: What do you think about digital currencies as bitcoin, ethereum et cetera? Is an AI our future of banking and cash?
P: Urban America is already essentially a cashless economy if you want it to be. Prices are still linked to dollars but I pay with my phone, I could be drawing on a credit card, debit card, or a crypto wallet. Cryptos have plenty of applications but I don’t think daily purchases will become one. I have conflicting thoughts on what the early regulations’ impact will look like but you can bet it will be messy.
S: If you become the President of Russia, what would be the first thing you’d do in the office? And what would you change in the country?
P: I’d call for many of the world’s most influential leaders and heads of state to join me in Russia for a few days to tour the nation. I would want to show them our vast resources, wonderful culture, but also the things many nations would want swept under the rug. The ugly, broken, poor, and detonating. I would invite them to host similar trips in their countries and seek ways to better leverage our good to help other’s bad.
S: Honestly, would you rather be a President of the US, Russia or Ukraine? Because you literally can.. And why?
P: I would prefer to be President of Ukraine. I feel it is a country that is not only near and dear to my heart but also one that I could accomplish the most good. Russia and The United States are both so intertwined in such deep set corruption and status quo, change is slow and hard, meaningful change is all but a unicorn. Ukraine’s long and positive history is still recent enough that many of the problems can be reversed in our lifetime.
S: Who do you consider the biggest power influencer globally: Silicon Valley (technology), Hollywood (entertainment) or Wall Street (finances)?
P: I work with many venture capital companies and see what some of the disruptive technology coming out of Silicon Valley is, and its incredible. Between SV and Israel, you will not recognize the world in ten years. Hollywood makes movies and people who watch movies don’t end up influencing much. Wall street pretty much keeps to itself and probably spends more time reacting to its own echo chamber with influence coming from Silicon Valley.
S: What are your thoughts on wildlife conservation and environmental issues? Share with us maybe some of your personal moments with this subject.
P: I think there should be strict punishments for hurting any endangered species of plants or animals, more grants should be provided to support and protect them as well. On the environment, I think this is our call to arms as a race. We need to recognize protecting the environment is possible and we can achieve it but we must work together, put our differences and greed aside, and be proud knowing we’re doing the impossible. Personally, I’ve seen a lot of urbanization in the world living in Miami while it experienced one of the fastest periods of growth for any US city. The impact has been awful and riddled with problems that don’t expose themselves for long enough that it’s too late to reverse them and soon enough that we’ll have to deal with it. That causes us to compartmentalize the rest of the country and that works out for the worse generally with many areas losing their economy to become detreated and then neglected.
Peter Apostol, photo by Sunman.
S: If tomorrow UN will publish, that animals are equal to humans and need to be well protected by the law, that humans finally speak for those who have no voice and that we have to respect our nature. Would you vote YES for the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights?
P: I am a big proponent of animal rights across the board. I think most people unanimously agree they don’t want to harm endangered animals or domesticated friends, there are monsters out there that abuse pets and of course poachers that seek rare trophies and they should receive the strictest punishments we can give them. The biggest animal right violations I worry about are the hardest to combat and you can read about it books like The Jungle. Things have come a long way in over a century but it’s still practices that are driven by profit and protected by big business in the meat harvesting industry.
S: Do you approve Edward Snowden blowing the lid off US and UK surveillance programme and the way he sold classified CIA information to Russians? Who do you think he is, a hero or a banal blatant national traitor?
P: Yes, I think the advancements of technology and the implications it has are not well enough understood, people don’t even know what they should be afraid of right now. The government is taking advantage of the public’s ignorance and is overstepping basic rights to privacy. Snowden made himself a martyr to shed light on the government’s over reaching, martyrs die for their crimes but change the world in doing so. He needs to accept the consequences of his actions, good and bad.
In Miami, Florida.
Peter Apostol during former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s Book Signing Event. Palm Beach. 2019. By Sunman.
S: Would you rather live as an international nomad, traveling the earth and relocating or do you prefer a social life, big cities and comfort?
P: I am a creature of habit, when I find a good place I like to go back to it as much as I can. I love learning all the areas secrets, hidden spots, all the stuff you only pick up being there and exploring. Of course, I’ll go crazy anywhere for too long. So, short of brief trips, I think I need to move every 7 to 12-ish years. Don’t ask where I got those numbers from, but we’ll see if that holds up.
S: What does a motto on the Tereshchenko family’s coat of arms “Aspiring for the common good” mean to you?
P: It’s beautiful the more you think about it. Breaking it down, to aspire is to perpetually pursue because you can no longer aspire for something once you’ve obtained it. In choosing the word, “Aspire” the family is saying you will always work towards this, regardless of how much you achieve. “For the common good” to me is a uniform level of decency possessed by all, the way man treats fellow man. Combined you have a family’s purpose, promise, and prescription.
S: What are your goals for the nearest future?
P: I always have a few real goals that drive me, usually one or two personal and one or two professional. I try to set my short-term goals as stepping stones to some more loosely defined long term goal. My current macro-level theme / long term goal that I am working towards every day is to always take the highroad. Sometimes I think the more society advances the further backwards people go in how they treat each other. I’d like to lead by example to help others and leave the world a little bit better than I found it.
S: Peter, from April 2019, I started asking everybody I interview, a question about dinosaurs in the Bible. Can you open me secret, where are the dinosaurs in the Bible on your opinion?
P: Dinos were the oil that burned for 8 days so I guess we can thank Dinosaurs and their rotten feathers for creating Judaism and then Christianity.
S: What are your favorite vintage cars models? Do you have any story to share with us?
P: I could list cars you’ve heard of and ones you haven’t until this is a short novel but I’ll keep things brief as best I can. The vintage Ferraris are all works of art, they produced cars in the 50’s and 60’s that set records at auction, transform garages into “automotive galleries”, and aren’t capable of producing a living driver that isn’t grinning from ear to ear as he roars down the road. The Brits did some god-awful things in terms of automotive trust worthiness but they too made a few greats. Jag’s XK140 (best known for its cameo in Cruel Intentions) is probably the quintessential roadster. Aston Martin has always looked like an art dealer and not a car manufacturer, and I’m somewhat partial to a Bentley but Rolls Royce is in my blood. That leaves Germany; Mercedes changed the world with the 300SL, and not just the gull-wing. While BMW and Audi both get special mentions for the old Audi Quattro of the 80’s on the rally circuit and BMW’s 507 that has curves and lines better than you’ll find on a super model, Porsche still designs off their original 911 and that’s just impressive.
S: How do you usually spend a weekend? Is it a nice refreshing rose in a lounge bar or a dazzling club with bunch of people and music?
P: I spent years in South Beach night clubs followed by years in New York and Palm Beach lounges. I enjoyed all of that at the time but it wasn’t fulfilling. My weekends are now my best attempt at mixing some combination of family, travel, golf, and some sort of work.
S: A wish from Peter M-A to all readers and those who search the meaning of life.
P: For those searching, I believe you’ve found the answer. Sometimes your destination is the journey and life is no exception. Take the adventures, cherish the memories, and smile.
Recommended reading:
Kovalinsky, Vitaliy Vasilievich. The Tereshchenko family. Kiev: Press of Ukraine, 2003.,
Michel Tereshchenko. The first oligarch. 1886-1956 years. Publisher: Nika-Center, 2012.
For Better – For Worse: the autobiography of Vladimir Vladimirovitch Mouravieff-Apostol-Korobyine
We recommend to visit:
Museum-Estate of the Mouravieff-Apostol House, Moscow, Russia, Staraya Basmannaya, 23/9, building 1
Recommended movie:
“The Captivating Star of happiness” is a film by Vladimir Motyl about the fate of the Decembrists and their wives, filmed in 1975 (on the 150th anniversary of the Decembrist uprising).
Russian film directed by Andrei Kravchuk, featuring the uprising of the Decembrists in 1825:
The Union of Salvation.
In Russia, the premiere was scheduled for December 26, 2019, the day of the 194th anniversary of the uprising. According to the site of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, the budget for the film in 2016 was estimated at 700 million rubles.
(y.2019)