The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival

other until the policeman finally came to his senses.
Trush, understandably, was furious; he was also deafened in his right
ear, a condition from which he has never fully recovered. But his
response to this nearly disastrous screwup is telling. Trush was within his
rights to beat this idiot within an inch of his life, and to end his career
then and there. Instead, Trush, who has two grown children of his own,
covered for the young man. In most police departments, officers are
required to account for their bullets, and this officer had a lot of
accounting to do—nearly half a clip’s worth. But through some army
contacts, Trush made arrangements for the procurement of replacement
bullets and, after a memorable tongue-lashing, the young man’s penance
was limited to repairing Trush’s roof. In a similar accident at a stakeout
in the forest, another junior officer inadvertently shot up the dirt around
Trush’s feet. Trush gave that boy another chance, too.
“In situations like this, my rule is from the Bible,” Trush explains: “
‘First, there was the word and then a deed.’ It is always better to warn a
person first; if he does not understand that warning, take action. That’s
the principle that I follow. Not for everyone, though.”
Trush is a practicing Christian in a largely secular society and, in this
sense, patience, compassion, and forgiveness could be seen as
revolutionary acts against a system that has, for generations,
demonstrated a minimum of these qualities. While Trush will make
allowances for youth, inexperience, and desperation, there are some
things he will not forgive. Along with young, careless policemen, Trush
must also deal with the old and cynical ones. In Primorye, as in many
parts of Russia, policemen have poor reputations and are generally
perceived as corrupt and dangerous bullies. Well armed, with the freedom
and the means to go where they please, police are implicated in many
poaching incidents. They can be extremely dangerous when caught in
compromising positions, especially in remote areas. Nonetheless, one
winter day, when a group of four police officers refused to get out of their
car after he’d stopped them on a back road, Trush pulled out a canister of
Mace and sprayed it into the car’s air intake. The heater was on so the
Mace quickly filled the passenger compartment. Recalling the incident,