Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Moscow ‘Bombing Voronezh’ – A Joke Takes on a Life of Its Own


Paul Goble

            Staunton, January 9 – When Vladimir Putin introduced counter-sanctions in response to Western sanctions on Russia, many Russians joked that he was “bombing Voronezh” because his counter-sanctions hurt the Russian population far more than they did any foreign producer or government. 

            But each joke, the Region.Expert portal says, “is only partially a joke.”  The residents of Voronezh have taken it seriously, and yesterday, a group of them went into the streets of that city with signs that reflected their anger at corruption and official irresponsibility, signs that few in Moscow would risk carrying (region.expert/bomb-voronezh/).

                Moreover, this aspect of the “joke” may soon spread: those engaged in the protest posted pictures of themselves and their signs on Facebook so that residents of other Russian cities and town can see how Voronezh residents feel about being “bombed” by Putin (facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1482446821891796&id=100003794766759).

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