Russian ‘Peacekeepers’ in Karabakh Arrested for Shouting ‘No to War,’ Some Russians Say

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Sept. 20 – According to an anecdote now circulating in Moscow, some Russian troops operating under the guise of “peacekeepers” in Karabakh have been arrested by the Investigative Committee for shouting the slogan “no to war,” a slogan that would get almost anyone in Russia in trouble if it concerned the Ukrainian conflict.

            That is only one of the stories Russians are telling each other that have been posted online by Moscow journalist Tatyana Pushkaryova (publizist.ru/blogs/107374/46797/-). Among the best of the rest are the following:

·       The lives of Russians would be much improved if their leaders actually had to experience what other Russians routinely do. But it would be a mistake to think that any really senior Russian officials will take that step.

·       Nearly half of all Russians think that their lives will improve over the next five years, raising the question if by some chance they are related to an African tribe that has not yet realized that sex is associated with childbirth.

·       No one can tell Putin why the ruble has really collapsed because anyone who did would be arrested as soon as the police could come to his office.

·       The Kremlin knows the smallest details about Joe Biden’s life but it says it doesn’t know anything about Kadyrov’s illness.

·       A Russian has found a way around the EU ban on Russian made cars. He says his Lada is not a car but “a bucket of bolts.”

·       According to Nikolay Patrushev, the Anglo-Saxons may be able to life with an environment that is protected; but Russians need to destroy forests, pollute rivers and kill rare animals if they are to avoid death.

·       Restricting internet access and banning books isn’t enough. Russia needs to do away with education and revive illiteracy which was widespread in the golden age of Rus.