Russian boys Now Dream of Becoming Wagner Mercenaries and Girls of Becoming Military Widows, Not Bandits and Prostitutes as was the Case in the 1990s

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Feb. 14 – According to the latest anecdote circulating in Moscow, Russians are shaking their heads over the progress their country has made since the 1990s. Then, boys wanted to be bandits and girls, prostitutes; now, the boys want to be Wagner PMC fighters and the girls military widows, a sign of which groups they think are the most rewarded.

            That is only one of the Russian stories Moscow journalist Tatyana Pushkaryova has assembled in latest collection (publizist.ru/blogs/107374/45146/-). Among the most instructive of the rest are the following:

·       Anyone who thinks Putin is a CIA agent just because he has done so much to harm Russia needs to recognize that there is a simpler explanation and one that the Kremlin leader himself provided a long time ago. In 2004, Putin said that “if you work as president for seven years, you will go crazy.”

·       It is very difficult to bring the Internet to Russian villages; but it is completely impossible to remove it once it has reached them.

·       On the anniversary of his special military operation in Ukraine, Putin will promise to make things in Russia so bad that even death in the war in Ukraine will seem preferable.

·       After it was learned that the Kremlin would pay everyone 500 rubles to attend a pro-war meeting, Russians asked how might it be possible to keep them from going? The answer is elementary: pay them 600 rubles.

·       It is very difficult to bring the Internet to the village. And then to remove the village from the Internet is completely impossible.

·       Russian airlines are asking permission to reduce maintenance, but they should do away with it altogether since maintenance is a Western plot against Russia. Instead, he carriers should simply make sure that all passengers are without sin and will pray throughout their flights.

·       Putin’s spokesmen have announced that he will meet with the heads of the KPRF and LDPR before his speech, an action that suggests the director has decided to consult with his puppets in advance.

·       Russian teachers say that Valentine’s Day greetings not be sent out this year to all and sundry. After all, as of now, you can love only Putin and the war.

·       Some want to educate people, others to take advantage of the ignorance of the masses, and still others to bring ignorance to the masses. The second and third are much more profitable.