Moscow Calls On All Parties in Karabakh Conflict to Ensure Safety of Russian ‘Peacekeepers’

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Sept. 23 – Normally, peacekeepers are responsible for ensuring the safety of the population; but Moscow has turned things around. The Russian foreign ministry has appealed to all parties in the Karabakh conflict to take every possible step to ensure the safety of Russian “peacekeepers,” some Russians are saying.

            This is just one of the anecdotes circulating in Russia that have been assembled by Moscow journalist Tatyana Pushkaryova and posted on line at publizist.ru/blogs/107374/46807/-. Among the best of the rest which capture much about how things are going in Russia today are the following:

·       Russian defense minister Sergey Shoygu visited an arms show in Tehran and was shocked that Iranian UAVs are an exact copy of Russian Geran drones.

·       Putin said he was pleased to accept Xi Jinping’s offer to come to China. He had no choice: when the boss calls, you have to accept with pleasure.

·       Moscow has found a new way to deal with problems: simply declare shortcomings to be advantages and go on as before.

·       On the anniversary of the mobilization, military registration offices have invited men over 18 to take part in these festive events.

·       Some in the Duma have proposed sending all those in Russia who are unemployed to fight in Ukraine. What can these deputies be thinking? After all, everyone in Russia knows that they are effectively unemployed – and so would be the first candidates for dispatch if such a program were adopted.

·       Even Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov doesn’t believe what he says, but he has to say it because despite the size of Russia, there is nowhere he can retreat to as behind him is a noose.