Paul
Goble
Staunton, May 31 – For whatever
reasons – possibly including the approach of summer and the absence of major
pieces of good news – the Russian media this week has been filled with strange
stories that cast light on the nature of Russia under Vladimir Putin. Here are seven which surfaced today:
·
Moscow Mulls
Dropping GDP as a Measure of Economic Performance. GDP, the most
widely used measure of a country’s economic performance and one on which Russia
has not been doing well, may soon not be computed by the Russian government.
Officials have picked up on Western academic and banking criticism of the
measure and so may soon stop issuing even falsified GDP figures (lenta.ru/news/2018/05/31/gross_domestic_product/).
·
Tukhachevsky Blamed
for Rise of Modern Russian Neo-Paganism. Russian Orthodox activists concerned
about the spread of paganism among Russians are placing blame on Mikhail Tukhachevsky,
the Soviet military leader who was executed by Stalin. Before his death, the
commander called for the Soviet state to promote paganism to “save” itself from
Christianity (ruskline.ru/news_rl/2018/05/31/neoyazychestvo_vsegda_pahnet_demonizmom/).
·
Water Bottle
Shaped Like Soccer Ball a Threat to Life and Limb. Many companies
are seeking to cash in on the World Cup craze by offering products ranging from
bread shaped like a football to vodka named after the event. But one company
has created a public relations disaster for itself. A Russian water company has
produced bottles in the shape of a football that when sunlight passes through
them act as a lens and can set things on fire (themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-world-cup-themed-water-bottle-ignites-objects-media-reports-61652).
·
Blondes Really Do Fare
Better in Putin’s Power Vertical. Whether they have more fun or not is an
open question, but blonde young women really do fare better in rising through
the ranks of the Putin power vertical, according to Komsomolskaya pravda. All
four of the female ministers are blondes as are most female spokespersons for
government agencies (kp.ru/daily/26836.4/3876663/).
·
40 Regions Lack
Hospitals for Children; Half in the Others are in Bad Condition. Thanks to underinvestment
in health care over many years and Putin’s “optimization” campaign, 40 regions
in the Russian Federation now do not have special hospitals for children. Of
the remaining regions that do, half of their hospitals are in substandard
condition and some in such bad repair that they should simply be torn down and
replaced (forum-msk.org/material/news/14687937.html).
·
Russian Man
without Hands Accused of Strangling a Policeman. Aslan Iritov, an
invalid who has no hands, has been accused by prosecutors in Kabardino-Balkaria
of strangling a policeman. Pictures of Iritov showing his lack of hands have
gone viral on the Russian net, one more indication of just how hyperbolically
absurd Russian jurisprudence can be (enta.ru/articles/2018/05/29/iritov/). Not to be left behind, Moscow police today accused
an erotic model of using force against them (https://vz.ru/news/2018/5/31/925574.html).
·
Kamchatka Deputy
Demands Parking Space for His Horse. Mikhail
Puchkovsky, a deputy in the Kamchatka regional parliament, is demanding that
officials provide him with “a parking space” for his horse. Either because of
rising gas prices or some other reasons, the deputy has decided to dispense
with his car and come to work on horseback (kam.kam24.ru/news/main/20180531/59904.html).
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