Paul Goble
Staunton, June 24 – Russians are reacting to the reports that the wives of politicians often have astronomical incomes and wealth far exceeding their husbands with the suggestion that this is the latest Russian innovation: a business climate in which only the wives of politicians are in a position to succeed.
That is perhaps the most insightful Russian anecdote in the latest collection of jokes and stories Moscow journalist Tatyana Pushkaryova offers (publizist.ru/blogs/107374/43258/-). Among the best of the rest are the following:
· Russians have got to get used to the fact that their standard of living will not return to what it was earlier anytime soon, officials say; but they add that people shouldn’t be discouraged as these officials will do all the necessary eating for them.
· Ilya Medvedev, the son of the former Russian president, has explained his life in the United States. He says that he hates Americans and only went there to destroy them from the inside, a clear example of lying that shows the apple has not fallen far from the tree.
· Russia is ignoring the West’s insistence that Moscow not fight on foreign territories. Where should Russia fight then? At home?
· A Rosneft official has described Hitler as a great strategist who failed only because he did not mobilize soon enough. Is he really talking about Germany?
· Now that Finland and Sweden are on their way to joining NATO, Moscow has decided to rename Nordic walking “Old Russian Fun.” Some Russians wonder what will happen with rollercoasters.
· Russian life has shown something remarkable: After corruption, the most profitable occupation is fighting corruption.
· In rotten democracy, the worst people have the chance to defend their rights; in a sacred authoritarian country, these same people have the right to rule.
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