Annals of Wealthy, Successful Russia

Blogger Paul Goble reports:

Dramatically rising prices for bread – up more than 10 percent this month alone — have led some officials in the northern capital to think about issuing food stamps for the city’s poor or even ration cards to ensure that everyone there will be able to purchase this basic staple, according to a member of the local legislature.

In comments to the Fontanka.ru news agency yesterday, Yuriy Rakov, the first deputy chairman of that body’s Committee on Economic Development, Industrial Policy and Trade, said that “in the immediate future, the introduction of ration cards in Petersburg is possible”

But as soon as he said that and indicated that city officials, including Governor Valentina Matvienko, were considering what to do about the rising price of bread, Rakov backed off, saying that “this sounds bad. Perhaps [what he should have said is the introduction of] food stamps like in the United States for less well-off families.”

The reasons for increases in the price of bread are not far to seek: Ukraine stopped exporting grain to the Russian Federation this year. Russian production is stagnant. And processing costs are up. But the kind of step Rakov is talking about highlights just how unequally Russia’s recent economic gains have been distributed.

His remarks are especially striking because they come less than a week after the Public Opinion Foundation published the results of a recent poll on hunger in Russia, who has experienced it and who has not, and when Russians feel hunger was most prevalent in their past.

Only 10 percent of the sample said that they had ever had to go hungry in recent times, compared with 67 percent who said they had never had to do so. But an increasing share said that they feared there could be food shortages in the future – 62 percent this year as compared to 55 percent last.

At the same time, however, many recalled hungry times in the past – during and after the second world war, in the course of collectivization, or even earlier. And 30 percent of those who said they had not personally suffered in this way indicated that members of their families – presumably from older age groups – had.

These results at the very least suggest that the fear of hunger remains a real one for many Russians even though few are suffering from it now. Rakov’s comments will do nothing to calm these fears; instead, they almost certainly will generate new concerns not only in St. Petersburg but elsewhere in the Russian Federation as well.

UPDATE ON JULY 11: The suggestion that St. Petersburg might introduce bread rationing or food stamps of one kind or another proved so explosive that the city government within a few hours of the Fontanka.ru report not only denied it but said it was appealing to the central Russian government to help it cope with rising prices for grain and bread.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Putin’s Glorious, Resurgent, Wealthy Russia is World #3 . . . in Suicides Per Capita

34
Russian Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

11
American Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

When was the last time you heard “President” Vladimir Putin give a speech about Russia’s suicide problem? Does he even know about it? The Moscow Times reports:

Russian Internet forums and communities abound with people looking for easy ways to commit suicide and inviting others to join them. Popular blog site LiveJournal.com alone has 124 Russian-language communities interested in suicide, with names like Self-Killers Club, Suicide World, and Suicide Truth. The Russian Internet is teeming with chat rooms and forums to discuss the issue, such as Last-limit.narod.ru, Pagesofpain.narod.ru and Danaja666.narod.ru. Many communities and forums say their goal is suicide prevention, but visits over several days found people eagerly exchanging information on how to commit suicide and find a suicide partner. “Somebody help me, advise me how to accomplish a certain suicide with medicine,” says a comment posted in the LiveJournal community Suicid_mir. One of the answers to the request reads: “I don’t think drugs [are best], most likely [jumping] from a high floor [will do]. I am replying to you because I am looking for someone to accompany me. I am scared to do it alone, but together would be easier, I believe.”

The dark deliberations come as no surprise to demographers, who say Russian speakers are more likely to commit suicide than any other group on Earth. Russia has the third-highest suicide rate in the world, with 32* people in every 100,000 killing themselves per year, according to the State Statistics Service figures from 2005, the most recent year available. The leader is Lithuania, followed by Belarus. Since 1970, the number of people committing suicide in Russia has surpassed the number dying from accidental alcohol poisoning or murders. Twenty-nine people in 100,000 now die from alcohol poisoning every year, and 25 per 100,000 are murdered, according to State Statistics Service.

The suicide rate remains high in large part due to a lack of close-knit networks of families and friends throughout much of the country and a near-complete absence of crisis centers offering free counseling. Private counseling is too expensive for many, costing an average of 1,000 rubles per hour. “There are few of these centers in big cities, while in small towns people have nowhere to go if they are depressed or are in low spirits,” said Gontmakher of the Social Policy Center. He said he advocated the creation of a hotline for psychological assistance modeled after the “02” phone number for police and “03” for an ambulance. Moscow has 10 crisis hotlines offering free counseling, and St. Petersburg has four, according to Yellowpages.ru. But most of the hotlines keep strict hours and are aimed as specific groups, such as HIV-positive people, victims of domestic violence, drug users and gays — not just anyone contemplating suicide.

Svetlana Marinich, a St. Petersburg therapist who has manned a crisis hotline for the city’s Petrodvorets district for two years, said she gets a suicide call once every few months. “Mostly they are teenagers and young people who call with such thoughts after an unfortunate romance,” she said. Many other calls come from lonely pensioners, Marinich said. Marinich noted that women are more likely to attempt suicide, but men are more likely to succeed.

*LR: This figure — 32/100,000 — while still breathtakingly high, is based on Kremlin-crunched data and is lower than what the international ratings agency WHO records for Russia (the figure given in the graphic at the top of the post). Both figures are taken from the Moscow Times source material which you can see by clicking through to the link.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Putin’s Glorious, Resurgent, Wealthy Russia is World #3 . . . in Suicides Per Capita

34
Russian Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

11
American Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

When was the last time you heard “President” Vladimir Putin give a speech about Russia’s suicide problem? Does he even know about it? The Moscow Times reports:

Russian Internet forums and communities abound with people looking for easy ways to commit suicide and inviting others to join them. Popular blog site LiveJournal.com alone has 124 Russian-language communities interested in suicide, with names like Self-Killers Club, Suicide World, and Suicide Truth. The Russian Internet is teeming with chat rooms and forums to discuss the issue, such as Last-limit.narod.ru, Pagesofpain.narod.ru and Danaja666.narod.ru. Many communities and forums say their goal is suicide prevention, but visits over several days found people eagerly exchanging information on how to commit suicide and find a suicide partner. “Somebody help me, advise me how to accomplish a certain suicide with medicine,” says a comment posted in the LiveJournal community Suicid_mir. One of the answers to the request reads: “I don’t think drugs [are best], most likely [jumping] from a high floor [will do]. I am replying to you because I am looking for someone to accompany me. I am scared to do it alone, but together would be easier, I believe.”

The dark deliberations come as no surprise to demographers, who say Russian speakers are more likely to commit suicide than any other group on Earth. Russia has the third-highest suicide rate in the world, with 32* people in every 100,000 killing themselves per year, according to the State Statistics Service figures from 2005, the most recent year available. The leader is Lithuania, followed by Belarus. Since 1970, the number of people committing suicide in Russia has surpassed the number dying from accidental alcohol poisoning or murders. Twenty-nine people in 100,000 now die from alcohol poisoning every year, and 25 per 100,000 are murdered, according to State Statistics Service.

The suicide rate remains high in large part due to a lack of close-knit networks of families and friends throughout much of the country and a near-complete absence of crisis centers offering free counseling. Private counseling is too expensive for many, costing an average of 1,000 rubles per hour. “There are few of these centers in big cities, while in small towns people have nowhere to go if they are depressed or are in low spirits,” said Gontmakher of the Social Policy Center. He said he advocated the creation of a hotline for psychological assistance modeled after the “02” phone number for police and “03” for an ambulance. Moscow has 10 crisis hotlines offering free counseling, and St. Petersburg has four, according to Yellowpages.ru. But most of the hotlines keep strict hours and are aimed as specific groups, such as HIV-positive people, victims of domestic violence, drug users and gays — not just anyone contemplating suicide.

Svetlana Marinich, a St. Petersburg therapist who has manned a crisis hotline for the city’s Petrodvorets district for two years, said she gets a suicide call once every few months. “Mostly they are teenagers and young people who call with such thoughts after an unfortunate romance,” she said. Many other calls come from lonely pensioners, Marinich said. Marinich noted that women are more likely to attempt suicide, but men are more likely to succeed.

*LR: This figure — 32/100,000 — while still breathtakingly high, is based on Kremlin-crunched data and is lower than what the international ratings agency WHO records for Russia (the figure given in the graphic at the top of the post). Both figures are taken from the Moscow Times source material which you can see by clicking through to the link.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Putin’s Glorious, Resurgent, Wealthy Russia is World #3 . . . in Suicides Per Capita

34
Russian Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

11
American Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

When was the last time you heard “President” Vladimir Putin give a speech about Russia’s suicide problem? Does he even know about it? The Moscow Times reports:

Russian Internet forums and communities abound with people looking for easy ways to commit suicide and inviting others to join them. Popular blog site LiveJournal.com alone has 124 Russian-language communities interested in suicide, with names like Self-Killers Club, Suicide World, and Suicide Truth. The Russian Internet is teeming with chat rooms and forums to discuss the issue, such as Last-limit.narod.ru, Pagesofpain.narod.ru and Danaja666.narod.ru. Many communities and forums say their goal is suicide prevention, but visits over several days found people eagerly exchanging information on how to commit suicide and find a suicide partner. “Somebody help me, advise me how to accomplish a certain suicide with medicine,” says a comment posted in the LiveJournal community Suicid_mir. One of the answers to the request reads: “I don’t think drugs [are best], most likely [jumping] from a high floor [will do]. I am replying to you because I am looking for someone to accompany me. I am scared to do it alone, but together would be easier, I believe.”

The dark deliberations come as no surprise to demographers, who say Russian speakers are more likely to commit suicide than any other group on Earth. Russia has the third-highest suicide rate in the world, with 32* people in every 100,000 killing themselves per year, according to the State Statistics Service figures from 2005, the most recent year available. The leader is Lithuania, followed by Belarus. Since 1970, the number of people committing suicide in Russia has surpassed the number dying from accidental alcohol poisoning or murders. Twenty-nine people in 100,000 now die from alcohol poisoning every year, and 25 per 100,000 are murdered, according to State Statistics Service.

The suicide rate remains high in large part due to a lack of close-knit networks of families and friends throughout much of the country and a near-complete absence of crisis centers offering free counseling. Private counseling is too expensive for many, costing an average of 1,000 rubles per hour. “There are few of these centers in big cities, while in small towns people have nowhere to go if they are depressed or are in low spirits,” said Gontmakher of the Social Policy Center. He said he advocated the creation of a hotline for psychological assistance modeled after the “02” phone number for police and “03” for an ambulance. Moscow has 10 crisis hotlines offering free counseling, and St. Petersburg has four, according to Yellowpages.ru. But most of the hotlines keep strict hours and are aimed as specific groups, such as HIV-positive people, victims of domestic violence, drug users and gays — not just anyone contemplating suicide.

Svetlana Marinich, a St. Petersburg therapist who has manned a crisis hotline for the city’s Petrodvorets district for two years, said she gets a suicide call once every few months. “Mostly they are teenagers and young people who call with such thoughts after an unfortunate romance,” she said. Many other calls come from lonely pensioners, Marinich said. Marinich noted that women are more likely to attempt suicide, but men are more likely to succeed.

*LR: This figure — 32/100,000 — while still breathtakingly high, is based on Kremlin-crunched data and is lower than what the international ratings agency WHO records for Russia (the figure given in the graphic at the top of the post). Both figures are taken from the Moscow Times source material which you can see by clicking through to the link.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Putin’s Glorious, Resurgent, Wealthy Russia is World #3 . . . in Suicides Per Capita

34
Russian Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

11
American Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

When was the last time you heard “President” Vladimir Putin give a speech about Russia’s suicide problem? Does he even know about it? The Moscow Times reports:

Russian Internet forums and communities abound with people looking for easy ways to commit suicide and inviting others to join them. Popular blog site LiveJournal.com alone has 124 Russian-language communities interested in suicide, with names like Self-Killers Club, Suicide World, and Suicide Truth. The Russian Internet is teeming with chat rooms and forums to discuss the issue, such as Last-limit.narod.ru, Pagesofpain.narod.ru and Danaja666.narod.ru. Many communities and forums say their goal is suicide prevention, but visits over several days found people eagerly exchanging information on how to commit suicide and find a suicide partner. “Somebody help me, advise me how to accomplish a certain suicide with medicine,” says a comment posted in the LiveJournal community Suicid_mir. One of the answers to the request reads: “I don’t think drugs [are best], most likely [jumping] from a high floor [will do]. I am replying to you because I am looking for someone to accompany me. I am scared to do it alone, but together would be easier, I believe.”

The dark deliberations come as no surprise to demographers, who say Russian speakers are more likely to commit suicide than any other group on Earth. Russia has the third-highest suicide rate in the world, with 32* people in every 100,000 killing themselves per year, according to the State Statistics Service figures from 2005, the most recent year available. The leader is Lithuania, followed by Belarus. Since 1970, the number of people committing suicide in Russia has surpassed the number dying from accidental alcohol poisoning or murders. Twenty-nine people in 100,000 now die from alcohol poisoning every year, and 25 per 100,000 are murdered, according to State Statistics Service.

The suicide rate remains high in large part due to a lack of close-knit networks of families and friends throughout much of the country and a near-complete absence of crisis centers offering free counseling. Private counseling is too expensive for many, costing an average of 1,000 rubles per hour. “There are few of these centers in big cities, while in small towns people have nowhere to go if they are depressed or are in low spirits,” said Gontmakher of the Social Policy Center. He said he advocated the creation of a hotline for psychological assistance modeled after the “02” phone number for police and “03” for an ambulance. Moscow has 10 crisis hotlines offering free counseling, and St. Petersburg has four, according to Yellowpages.ru. But most of the hotlines keep strict hours and are aimed as specific groups, such as HIV-positive people, victims of domestic violence, drug users and gays — not just anyone contemplating suicide.

Svetlana Marinich, a St. Petersburg therapist who has manned a crisis hotline for the city’s Petrodvorets district for two years, said she gets a suicide call once every few months. “Mostly they are teenagers and young people who call with such thoughts after an unfortunate romance,” she said. Many other calls come from lonely pensioners, Marinich said. Marinich noted that women are more likely to attempt suicide, but men are more likely to succeed.

*LR: This figure — 32/100,000 — while still breathtakingly high, is based on Kremlin-crunched data and is lower than what the international ratings agency WHO records for Russia (the figure given in the graphic at the top of the post). Both figures are taken from the Moscow Times source material which you can see by clicking through to the link.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Putin’s Glorious, Resurgent, Wealthy Russia is World #3 . . . in Suicides Per Capita

34
Russian Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

11
American Suicide Rate Per 100,000 people

When was the last time you heard “President” Vladimir Putin give a speech about Russia’s suicide problem? Does he even know about it? The Moscow Times reports:

Russian Internet forums and communities abound with people looking for easy ways to commit suicide and inviting others to join them. Popular blog site LiveJournal.com alone has 124 Russian-language communities interested in suicide, with names like Self-Killers Club, Suicide World, and Suicide Truth. The Russian Internet is teeming with chat rooms and forums to discuss the issue, such as Last-limit.narod.ru, Pagesofpain.narod.ru and Danaja666.narod.ru. Many communities and forums say their goal is suicide prevention, but visits over several days found people eagerly exchanging information on how to commit suicide and find a suicide partner. “Somebody help me, advise me how to accomplish a certain suicide with medicine,” says a comment posted in the LiveJournal community Suicid_mir. One of the answers to the request reads: “I don’t think drugs [are best], most likely [jumping] from a high floor [will do]. I am replying to you because I am looking for someone to accompany me. I am scared to do it alone, but together would be easier, I believe.”

The dark deliberations come as no surprise to demographers, who say Russian speakers are more likely to commit suicide than any other group on Earth. Russia has the third-highest suicide rate in the world, with 32* people in every 100,000 killing themselves per year, according to the State Statistics Service figures from 2005, the most recent year available. The leader is Lithuania, followed by Belarus. Since 1970, the number of people committing suicide in Russia has surpassed the number dying from accidental alcohol poisoning or murders. Twenty-nine people in 100,000 now die from alcohol poisoning every year, and 25 per 100,000 are murdered, according to State Statistics Service.

The suicide rate remains high in large part due to a lack of close-knit networks of families and friends throughout much of the country and a near-complete absence of crisis centers offering free counseling. Private counseling is too expensive for many, costing an average of 1,000 rubles per hour. “There are few of these centers in big cities, while in small towns people have nowhere to go if they are depressed or are in low spirits,” said Gontmakher of the Social Policy Center. He said he advocated the creation of a hotline for psychological assistance modeled after the “02” phone number for police and “03” for an ambulance. Moscow has 10 crisis hotlines offering free counseling, and St. Petersburg has four, according to Yellowpages.ru. But most of the hotlines keep strict hours and are aimed as specific groups, such as HIV-positive people, victims of domestic violence, drug users and gays — not just anyone contemplating suicide.

Svetlana Marinich, a St. Petersburg therapist who has manned a crisis hotline for the city’s Petrodvorets district for two years, said she gets a suicide call once every few months. “Mostly they are teenagers and young people who call with such thoughts after an unfortunate romance,” she said. Many other calls come from lonely pensioners, Marinich said. Marinich noted that women are more likely to attempt suicide, but men are more likely to succeed.

*LR: This figure — 32/100,000 — while still breathtakingly high, is based on Kremlin-crunched data and is lower than what the international ratings agency WHO records for Russia (the figure given in the graphic at the top of the post). Both figures are taken from the Moscow Times source material which you can see by clicking through to the link.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Yet Another Fire Tragedy in Putin’s Russia

Not only are the crazed policies of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin placing the Russian people at risk of yet another cold war, like the one that destoyed the USSR, but Russia has one of the highest murder rates in the world, so it also lacks domestic security. And there are many threats to Russians beyond murder, with fire being one of the outstanding examples. The Associated Press reports yet another horrific example of the latter:

A fire swept through a nursing home Thursday and killed at least 10 people, the latest in a series of deadly fires, many of which were caused by rampant neglect of safety rules. Four people were hospitalized with burns and other injuries, the Omsk regional administration said in a statement. “The delay resulted in fatalities,” Beltsov told The Associated Press. Russia records nearly 18,000 fire deaths a year, several times the per capita rate in the United States and other Western countries. Deadly blazes at schools, hospitals and other state-run facilities in recent years have revealed official negligence and rampant violations of fire safety rules. In Kamyshevatskaya it took firefighters almost an hour to get to the fire site from a larger town, but on Thursday firefighters arrived at the nursing home in just five minutes after receiving information about the fire, Beltsov said. The Omsk regional administration said that local authorities had spent more than $770,000 over the last two years to renovate the nursing home building and it was considered one of the best in the region, the RIA Novosti news agency said.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Yet Another Fire Tragedy in Putin’s Russia

Not only are the crazed policies of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin placing the Russian people at risk of yet another cold war, like the one that destoyed the USSR, but Russia has one of the highest murder rates in the world, so it also lacks domestic security. And there are many threats to Russians beyond murder, with fire being one of the outstanding examples. The Associated Press reports yet another horrific example of the latter:

A fire swept through a nursing home Thursday and killed at least 10 people, the latest in a series of deadly fires, many of which were caused by rampant neglect of safety rules. Four people were hospitalized with burns and other injuries, the Omsk regional administration said in a statement. “The delay resulted in fatalities,” Beltsov told The Associated Press. Russia records nearly 18,000 fire deaths a year, several times the per capita rate in the United States and other Western countries. Deadly blazes at schools, hospitals and other state-run facilities in recent years have revealed official negligence and rampant violations of fire safety rules. In Kamyshevatskaya it took firefighters almost an hour to get to the fire site from a larger town, but on Thursday firefighters arrived at the nursing home in just five minutes after receiving information about the fire, Beltsov said. The Omsk regional administration said that local authorities had spent more than $770,000 over the last two years to renovate the nursing home building and it was considered one of the best in the region, the RIA Novosti news agency said.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Yet Another Fire Tragedy in Putin’s Russia

Not only are the crazed policies of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin placing the Russian people at risk of yet another cold war, like the one that destoyed the USSR, but Russia has one of the highest murder rates in the world, so it also lacks domestic security. And there are many threats to Russians beyond murder, with fire being one of the outstanding examples. The Associated Press reports yet another horrific example of the latter:

A fire swept through a nursing home Thursday and killed at least 10 people, the latest in a series of deadly fires, many of which were caused by rampant neglect of safety rules. Four people were hospitalized with burns and other injuries, the Omsk regional administration said in a statement. “The delay resulted in fatalities,” Beltsov told The Associated Press. Russia records nearly 18,000 fire deaths a year, several times the per capita rate in the United States and other Western countries. Deadly blazes at schools, hospitals and other state-run facilities in recent years have revealed official negligence and rampant violations of fire safety rules. In Kamyshevatskaya it took firefighters almost an hour to get to the fire site from a larger town, but on Thursday firefighters arrived at the nursing home in just five minutes after receiving information about the fire, Beltsov said. The Omsk regional administration said that local authorities had spent more than $770,000 over the last two years to renovate the nursing home building and it was considered one of the best in the region, the RIA Novosti news agency said.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Yet Another Fire Tragedy in Putin’s Russia

Not only are the crazed policies of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin placing the Russian people at risk of yet another cold war, like the one that destoyed the USSR, but Russia has one of the highest murder rates in the world, so it also lacks domestic security. And there are many threats to Russians beyond murder, with fire being one of the outstanding examples. The Associated Press reports yet another horrific example of the latter:

A fire swept through a nursing home Thursday and killed at least 10 people, the latest in a series of deadly fires, many of which were caused by rampant neglect of safety rules. Four people were hospitalized with burns and other injuries, the Omsk regional administration said in a statement. “The delay resulted in fatalities,” Beltsov told The Associated Press. Russia records nearly 18,000 fire deaths a year, several times the per capita rate in the United States and other Western countries. Deadly blazes at schools, hospitals and other state-run facilities in recent years have revealed official negligence and rampant violations of fire safety rules. In Kamyshevatskaya it took firefighters almost an hour to get to the fire site from a larger town, but on Thursday firefighters arrived at the nursing home in just five minutes after receiving information about the fire, Beltsov said. The Omsk regional administration said that local authorities had spent more than $770,000 over the last two years to renovate the nursing home building and it was considered one of the best in the region, the RIA Novosti news agency said.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Yet Another Fire Tragedy in Putin’s Russia

Not only are the crazed policies of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin placing the Russian people at risk of yet another cold war, like the one that destoyed the USSR, but Russia has one of the highest murder rates in the world, so it also lacks domestic security. And there are many threats to Russians beyond murder, with fire being one of the outstanding examples. The Associated Press reports yet another horrific example of the latter:

A fire swept through a nursing home Thursday and killed at least 10 people, the latest in a series of deadly fires, many of which were caused by rampant neglect of safety rules. Four people were hospitalized with burns and other injuries, the Omsk regional administration said in a statement. “The delay resulted in fatalities,” Beltsov told The Associated Press. Russia records nearly 18,000 fire deaths a year, several times the per capita rate in the United States and other Western countries. Deadly blazes at schools, hospitals and other state-run facilities in recent years have revealed official negligence and rampant violations of fire safety rules. In Kamyshevatskaya it took firefighters almost an hour to get to the fire site from a larger town, but on Thursday firefighters arrived at the nursing home in just five minutes after receiving information about the fire, Beltsov said. The Omsk regional administration said that local authorities had spent more than $770,000 over the last two years to renovate the nursing home building and it was considered one of the best in the region, the RIA Novosti news agency said.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Annals of Russian Insanity

In the perpetuation of stereotypes, PRNewswire reports:

Russian Standard, the number one premium vodka in Russia, has been named the “Official Vodka” of the Embassy of the Russian Federation to the United States. As the Russian Embassy’s exclusive vodkas, Russian Standard’s IMPERIA and Russian Standard Original vodkas will be served at major embassy events. This new partnership will be announced today, on the occasion of Russian National Day, during an official state dinner of the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the U.S., Yuri Ushakov, will host the event. In addition to Russia’s #1 premium vodka, the event will feature traditional Russian fare and entertainment, and an exhibition of Russian icons, drawn from the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts. Roustam Tariko, founder of Russian Standard, said, “It is our privilege to be the official vodka of the Russian embassy in Washington D.C., and to represent our country as a truly authentic Russian product and brand.” Tariko continued, “Russia is making great strides in sharing its culture and heritage with the world, and we are proud to bring the #1 premium vodka from the home of vodka to America.”

What’s next, the official cigarette? Not one to miss an opportunity, the company immediately sought to cash in on state approval:

Russian Standard, the number one premium vodka company in Russia, today announced the launch of its “Pure Russian” advertising campaign for its premium brand, Russian Standard Original. The campaign coincides with the national U.S. launch of Russia’s #1 premium vodka.

The strategy for the campaign is to distinguish Russian Standard Original from other brands sold in the U.S. market that only claim Russian authenticity. Russian Standard Original is made in Russia with Russian ingredients, distilled in Russia, bottled in Russia, sold in Russia and #1 in Russia. Other than Russian Standard’s luxury brand IMPERIA, no other vodka sold in the U.S. market can claim this level of Russian authenticity.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Annals of Russia’s Demographic Crisis

Facts about Neo-Soviet Russia’s Health:

• In the first six months of 2005, the Russian population fell by half a million [LR: And that’s only the lowest possible number, the one provided by Kremlin data; the actual number is quite likely far higher]

• By the middle of this century Russia could lose up to half of its people, according to Russian government stats [LR: If we used actual stats rather than those provided by a government presided over by a proud KGB spy, the picture would be even more dire. The same holds true for all the data to follow.]

• Life expectancy for men is 56 years, the same as Bangladesh

• Ten years ago, the life expectancy for men in Russia was 63 [LR: Still much lower than in the West, and in Vladimir Putin’s 8 years in office there has been no improvement]

• The World Health Organisation says that at a conservative estimate more than a million people will have died because of AIDS in Russia by 2020 [LR: When was the last time you heard “President” Putin mention AIDS?]

• Every other newborn baby is diagnosed with a disease at birth

• There are more abortions every year in Russia than babies are born

• Thanks to ill-health, 10 million Russians are infertile [LR: Think about that — 10 million Russians can’t make children, and among those who can more choose to abort than give birth. What does that tell you about the country they live in?]

• A quarter of the population lives below the poverty line [LR: And that’s “poverty” as defined by Russians, not Westerners; in Russia, the average wage is $2.50 per hour, and the minimum wage is $0.25 per hour]

• Paradox #1: Despite all of the above, Moscow has more billionaires than any other city in the world [LR: The same situation as in Tsarist Russia; Russians have learned nothing from their own history or the horrors of the Bolshevik revolution]

• Paradox #2: Despite all of the above, although Russia’s population is in freefall, they’re still throwing people out. Thirty thousand Meshket Turks have recently had to seek asylum in America, having been forced from their homes in the south of the country by discriminatory laws and racist attacks. [LR: And they’re still favoring their government with 70% approval ratings in polls, the ultimate proof of Russian barbarism and stupidity]

Those facts and more were reported by Britain’s Channel 4 in a program called “Death of a Nation.” Click through the link to watch video excerpts and read more about the show. A reader notes:

When I read about it, I thought it would just show a lot of poverty and not focus on any real issues about what is uniquely wrong in Russia. I was wrong. The most dramatic thing was when he went and visited the Meshket Turk people in Krasnodar. Their situation seemed exactly like black South Africans in the apartheid era. Now 30000 of them are apparently being expelled from Russia and being taken in by the USA (so the people said themselves). It is worth seeing the posts to the forum on the subject on the website. Anyway, during the filming the crew were accosted by drunken neo-facist cossack police who said they had no right to film there. They were then taken away in extreme fear to the house of the officer and given hospitality with large amounts of alcoholic drinks, after which the officer collapsed in a drunken stupor. Later at the police offices, the crew were given moonshine vodka, whipped for fun, and found a copy of one of the police officers’ favorite books – Mein Kampf. They then whent to the inauguration of the same police officer as colonel, which would put him in charge of hundreds of police. Perhaps it has been shown somewhere at some time in America. It is a pity it has not been put on the You Tube.

The greatest horror of all, of course, is that despite all these egregious, undeniable failures, the Russian people still chooose to favor “President” Putin with stratospheric approval ratings, do not require him to participate in debates or to run in contested elections. In other words, they are committing suicide (again).

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Annals of Russia’s Demographic Crisis

Facts about Neo-Soviet Russia’s Health:

• In the first six months of 2005, the Russian population fell by half a million [LR: And that’s only the lowest possible number, the one provided by Kremlin data; the actual number is quite likely far higher]

• By the middle of this century Russia could lose up to half of its people, according to Russian government stats [LR: If we used actual stats rather than those provided by a government presided over by a proud KGB spy, the picture would be even more dire. The same holds true for all the data to follow.]

• Life expectancy for men is 56 years, the same as Bangladesh

• Ten years ago, the life expectancy for men in Russia was 63 [LR: Still much lower than in the West, and in Vladimir Putin’s 8 years in office there has been no improvement]

• The World Health Organisation says that at a conservative estimate more than a million people will have died because of AIDS in Russia by 2020 [LR: When was the last time you heard “President” Putin mention AIDS?]

• Every other newborn baby is diagnosed with a disease at birth

• There are more abortions every year in Russia than babies are born

• Thanks to ill-health, 10 million Russians are infertile [LR: Think about that — 10 million Russians can’t make children, and among those who can more choose to abort than give birth. What does that tell you about the country they live in?]

• A quarter of the population lives below the poverty line [LR: And that’s “poverty” as defined by Russians, not Westerners; in Russia, the average wage is $2.50 per hour, and the minimum wage is $0.25 per hour]

• Paradox #1: Despite all of the above, Moscow has more billionaires than any other city in the world [LR: The same situation as in Tsarist Russia; Russians have learned nothing from their own history or the horrors of the Bolshevik revolution]

• Paradox #2: Despite all of the above, although Russia’s population is in freefall, they’re still throwing people out. Thirty thousand Meshket Turks have recently had to seek asylum in America, having been forced from their homes in the south of the country by discriminatory laws and racist attacks. [LR: And they’re still favoring their government with 70% approval ratings in polls, the ultimate proof of Russian barbarism and stupidity]

Those facts and more were reported by Britain’s Channel 4 in a program called “Death of a Nation.” Click through the link to watch video excerpts and read more about the show. A reader notes:

When I read about it, I thought it would just show a lot of poverty and not focus on any real issues about what is uniquely wrong in Russia. I was wrong. The most dramatic thing was when he went and visited the Meshket Turk people in Krasnodar. Their situation seemed exactly like black South Africans in the apartheid era. Now 30000 of them are apparently being expelled from Russia and being taken in by the USA (so the people said themselves). It is worth seeing the posts to the forum on the subject on the website. Anyway, during the filming the crew were accosted by drunken neo-facist cossack police who said they had no right to film there. They were then taken away in extreme fear to the house of the officer and given hospitality with large amounts of alcoholic drinks, after which the officer collapsed in a drunken stupor. Later at the police offices, the crew were given moonshine vodka, whipped for fun, and found a copy of one of the police officers’ favorite books – Mein Kampf. They then whent to the inauguration of the same police officer as colonel, which would put him in charge of hundreds of police. Perhaps it has been shown somewhere at some time in America. It is a pity it has not been put on the You Tube.

The greatest horror of all, of course, is that despite all these egregious, undeniable failures, the Russian people still chooose to favor “President” Putin with stratospheric approval ratings, do not require him to participate in debates or to run in contested elections. In other words, they are committing suicide (again).

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Annals of Russia’s Demographic Crisis

Facts about Neo-Soviet Russia’s Health:

• In the first six months of 2005, the Russian population fell by half a million [LR: And that’s only the lowest possible number, the one provided by Kremlin data; the actual number is quite likely far higher]

• By the middle of this century Russia could lose up to half of its people, according to Russian government stats [LR: If we used actual stats rather than those provided by a government presided over by a proud KGB spy, the picture would be even more dire. The same holds true for all the data to follow.]

• Life expectancy for men is 56 years, the same as Bangladesh

• Ten years ago, the life expectancy for men in Russia was 63 [LR: Still much lower than in the West, and in Vladimir Putin’s 8 years in office there has been no improvement]

• The World Health Organisation says that at a conservative estimate more than a million people will have died because of AIDS in Russia by 2020 [LR: When was the last time you heard “President” Putin mention AIDS?]

• Every other newborn baby is diagnosed with a disease at birth

• There are more abortions every year in Russia than babies are born

• Thanks to ill-health, 10 million Russians are infertile [LR: Think about that — 10 million Russians can’t make children, and among those who can more choose to abort than give birth. What does that tell you about the country they live in?]

• A quarter of the population lives below the poverty line [LR: And that’s “poverty” as defined by Russians, not Westerners; in Russia, the average wage is $2.50 per hour, and the minimum wage is $0.25 per hour]

• Paradox #1: Despite all of the above, Moscow has more billionaires than any other city in the world [LR: The same situation as in Tsarist Russia; Russians have learned nothing from their own history or the horrors of the Bolshevik revolution]

• Paradox #2: Despite all of the above, although Russia’s population is in freefall, they’re still throwing people out. Thirty thousand Meshket Turks have recently had to seek asylum in America, having been forced from their homes in the south of the country by discriminatory laws and racist attacks. [LR: And they’re still favoring their government with 70% approval ratings in polls, the ultimate proof of Russian barbarism and stupidity]

Those facts and more were reported by Britain’s Channel 4 in a program called “Death of a Nation.” Click through the link to watch video excerpts and read more about the show. A reader notes:

When I read about it, I thought it would just show a lot of poverty and not focus on any real issues about what is uniquely wrong in Russia. I was wrong. The most dramatic thing was when he went and visited the Meshket Turk people in Krasnodar. Their situation seemed exactly like black South Africans in the apartheid era. Now 30000 of them are apparently being expelled from Russia and being taken in by the USA (so the people said themselves). It is worth seeing the posts to the forum on the subject on the website. Anyway, during the filming the crew were accosted by drunken neo-facist cossack police who said they had no right to film there. They were then taken away in extreme fear to the house of the officer and given hospitality with large amounts of alcoholic drinks, after which the officer collapsed in a drunken stupor. Later at the police offices, the crew were given moonshine vodka, whipped for fun, and found a copy of one of the police officers’ favorite books – Mein Kampf. They then whent to the inauguration of the same police officer as colonel, which would put him in charge of hundreds of police. Perhaps it has been shown somewhere at some time in America. It is a pity it has not been put on the You Tube.

The greatest horror of all, of course, is that despite all these egregious, undeniable failures, the Russian people still chooose to favor “President” Putin with stratospheric approval ratings, do not require him to participate in debates or to run in contested elections. In other words, they are committing suicide (again).

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Annals of Russia’s Demographic Crisis

Facts about Neo-Soviet Russia’s Health:

• In the first six months of 2005, the Russian population fell by half a million [LR: And that’s only the lowest possible number, the one provided by Kremlin data; the actual number is quite likely far higher]

• By the middle of this century Russia could lose up to half of its people, according to Russian government stats [LR: If we used actual stats rather than those provided by a government presided over by a proud KGB spy, the picture would be even more dire. The same holds true for all the data to follow.]

• Life expectancy for men is 56 years, the same as Bangladesh

• Ten years ago, the life expectancy for men in Russia was 63 [LR: Still much lower than in the West, and in Vladimir Putin’s 8 years in office there has been no improvement]

• The World Health Organisation says that at a conservative estimate more than a million people will have died because of AIDS in Russia by 2020 [LR: When was the last time you heard “President” Putin mention AIDS?]

• Every other newborn baby is diagnosed with a disease at birth

• There are more abortions every year in Russia than babies are born

• Thanks to ill-health, 10 million Russians are infertile [LR: Think about that — 10 million Russians can’t make children, and among those who can more choose to abort than give birth. What does that tell you about the country they live in?]

• A quarter of the population lives below the poverty line [LR: And that’s “poverty” as defined by Russians, not Westerners; in Russia, the average wage is $2.50 per hour, and the minimum wage is $0.25 per hour]

• Paradox #1: Despite all of the above, Moscow has more billionaires than any other city in the world [LR: The same situation as in Tsarist Russia; Russians have learned nothing from their own history or the horrors of the Bolshevik revolution]

• Paradox #2: Despite all of the above, although Russia’s population is in freefall, they’re still throwing people out. Thirty thousand Meshket Turks have recently had to seek asylum in America, having been forced from their homes in the south of the country by discriminatory laws and racist attacks. [LR: And they’re still favoring their government with 70% approval ratings in polls, the ultimate proof of Russian barbarism and stupidity]

Those facts and more were reported by Britain’s Channel 4 in a program called “Death of a Nation.” Click through the link to watch video excerpts and read more about the show. A reader notes:

When I read about it, I thought it would just show a lot of poverty and not focus on any real issues about what is uniquely wrong in Russia. I was wrong. The most dramatic thing was when he went and visited the Meshket Turk people in Krasnodar. Their situation seemed exactly like black South Africans in the apartheid era. Now 30000 of them are apparently being expelled from Russia and being taken in by the USA (so the people said themselves). It is worth seeing the posts to the forum on the subject on the website. Anyway, during the filming the crew were accosted by drunken neo-facist cossack police who said they had no right to film there. They were then taken away in extreme fear to the house of the officer and given hospitality with large amounts of alcoholic drinks, after which the officer collapsed in a drunken stupor. Later at the police offices, the crew were given moonshine vodka, whipped for fun, and found a copy of one of the police officers’ favorite books – Mein Kampf. They then whent to the inauguration of the same police officer as colonel, which would put him in charge of hundreds of police. Perhaps it has been shown somewhere at some time in America. It is a pity it has not been put on the You Tube.

The greatest horror of all, of course, is that despite all these egregious, undeniable failures, the Russian people still chooose to favor “President” Putin with stratospheric approval ratings, do not require him to participate in debates or to run in contested elections. In other words, they are committing suicide (again).

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Annals of Russia’s Demographic Crisis

Facts about Neo-Soviet Russia’s Health:

• In the first six months of 2005, the Russian population fell by half a million [LR: And that’s only the lowest possible number, the one provided by Kremlin data; the actual number is quite likely far higher]

• By the middle of this century Russia could lose up to half of its people, according to Russian government stats [LR: If we used actual stats rather than those provided by a government presided over by a proud KGB spy, the picture would be even more dire. The same holds true for all the data to follow.]

• Life expectancy for men is 56 years, the same as Bangladesh

• Ten years ago, the life expectancy for men in Russia was 63 [LR: Still much lower than in the West, and in Vladimir Putin’s 8 years in office there has been no improvement]

• The World Health Organisation says that at a conservative estimate more than a million people will have died because of AIDS in Russia by 2020 [LR: When was the last time you heard “President” Putin mention AIDS?]

• Every other newborn baby is diagnosed with a disease at birth

• There are more abortions every year in Russia than babies are born

• Thanks to ill-health, 10 million Russians are infertile [LR: Think about that — 10 million Russians can’t make children, and among those who can more choose to abort than give birth. What does that tell you about the country they live in?]

• A quarter of the population lives below the poverty line [LR: And that’s “poverty” as defined by Russians, not Westerners; in Russia, the average wage is $2.50 per hour, and the minimum wage is $0.25 per hour]

• Paradox #1: Despite all of the above, Moscow has more billionaires than any other city in the world [LR: The same situation as in Tsarist Russia; Russians have learned nothing from their own history or the horrors of the Bolshevik revolution]

• Paradox #2: Despite all of the above, although Russia’s population is in freefall, they’re still throwing people out. Thirty thousand Meshket Turks have recently had to seek asylum in America, having been forced from their homes in the south of the country by discriminatory laws and racist attacks. [LR: And they’re still favoring their government with 70% approval ratings in polls, the ultimate proof of Russian barbarism and stupidity]

Those facts and more were reported by Britain’s Channel 4 in a program called “Death of a Nation.” Click through the link to watch video excerpts and read more about the show. A reader notes:

When I read about it, I thought it would just show a lot of poverty and not focus on any real issues about what is uniquely wrong in Russia. I was wrong. The most dramatic thing was when he went and visited the Meshket Turk people in Krasnodar. Their situation seemed exactly like black South Africans in the apartheid era. Now 30000 of them are apparently being expelled from Russia and being taken in by the USA (so the people said themselves). It is worth seeing the posts to the forum on the subject on the website. Anyway, during the filming the crew were accosted by drunken neo-facist cossack police who said they had no right to film there. They were then taken away in extreme fear to the house of the officer and given hospitality with large amounts of alcoholic drinks, after which the officer collapsed in a drunken stupor. Later at the police offices, the crew were given moonshine vodka, whipped for fun, and found a copy of one of the police officers’ favorite books – Mein Kampf. They then whent to the inauguration of the same police officer as colonel, which would put him in charge of hundreds of police. Perhaps it has been shown somewhere at some time in America. It is a pity it has not been put on the You Tube.

The greatest horror of all, of course, is that despite all these egregious, undeniable failures, the Russian people still chooose to favor “President” Putin with stratospheric approval ratings, do not require him to participate in debates or to run in contested elections. In other words, they are committing suicide (again).

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Poverty in Russia: Once Again, Destroying the Common People — and with them Russia’s future

The United Nations Development Program released a report on Russian poverty earlier this week. In it even Kremlin sycophant Sergei Mironov, Russia’s equivalent to the American U.S. Senate Majority leader, admits: “Objective indicators and scientific studies show worsening of human potential in Russia over the last 15-20 years. The negative trend can be seen across the board, from education levels and qualifications to health and life expectancy. This entails a decline in living standards of our people, and it undermines prospects for economic development, which is the basis for solving social problems.” Yet, the moronic Russian people, who are literally being killed off by the Kremlin, continue to favor it with 70%+ approval in polls and do not demand any credible opposition candidates in elections.

The UNDP report: “Only about a quarter of the country’s population lives in the regions with a Human Development Index score above the national average.” That means that three-quarters of the nation is below average, and that the average can be maintained only by having a tiny group of ultra wealthy people, just as in Tsarist times.

The report states that 60% of Russia’s regions have poverty rates higher than 20%. This polarization of wealth has a huge impact at the most basic level of mere survival. The report states: “Life expectancy in the most developed regions, Moscow (71) and the Tyumen Oblast autonomous districts (68), is much higher than the country’s average (65). In the least developed regions life expectancy indicators remain very low: the Republic of Tyva – 56, Chita, Amur and Pskov oblasts – 59-60 years. An extremely high level of mortality among men – an acute gender issue in Russia – is the major reason for low indicators in this area.”

According to the report, tuberculosis is running rampant in poorer areas, whilst AIDS is ravaging the wealthier ones.

Sexism is going hand-in-hand with wealth disparity:

Gender inequality remains evident in politics and income distribution. Higher income levels in a region tend to entail a larger gap between average wages of men and women and, vice-versa, this differentiation is minor in regions with lower income levels. Another problem is an extremely low representation of women in government: only one region in ten has a level of female representation in the parliament above 20 percent, while in about a quarter of regions this indicator is less than 5 percent or none. As a rule, there are more women in the parliament in bigger and wealthier regions.

Once again, we see Russia plunging down the road to elitism, with a tiny minority in Moscow and St. Petersburg hoarding vast quantities of the nation’s wealth while a huge underclass is oppressed, as if Russia learned nothing at all from the Tsarist period. And even while this happens, Russia is also plunging down the road to dicatorship, empowering a KGB regime in the Kremlin as if it had learned nothing from the Soviet period.

Russia appears to be a doomed nation.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Poverty in Russia: Once Again, Destroying the Common People — and with them Russia’s future

The United Nations Development Program released a report on Russian poverty earlier this week. In it even Kremlin sycophant Sergei Mironov, Russia’s equivalent to the American U.S. Senate Majority leader, admits: “Objective indicators and scientific studies show worsening of human potential in Russia over the last 15-20 years. The negative trend can be seen across the board, from education levels and qualifications to health and life expectancy. This entails a decline in living standards of our people, and it undermines prospects for economic development, which is the basis for solving social problems.” Yet, the moronic Russian people, who are literally being killed off by the Kremlin, continue to favor it with 70%+ approval in polls and do not demand any credible opposition candidates in elections.

The UNDP report: “Only about a quarter of the country’s population lives in the regions with a Human Development Index score above the national average.” That means that three-quarters of the nation is below average, and that the average can be maintained only by having a tiny group of ultra wealthy people, just as in Tsarist times.

The report states that 60% of Russia’s regions have poverty rates higher than 20%. This polarization of wealth has a huge impact at the most basic level of mere survival. The report states: “Life expectancy in the most developed regions, Moscow (71) and the Tyumen Oblast autonomous districts (68), is much higher than the country’s average (65). In the least developed regions life expectancy indicators remain very low: the Republic of Tyva – 56, Chita, Amur and Pskov oblasts – 59-60 years. An extremely high level of mortality among men – an acute gender issue in Russia – is the major reason for low indicators in this area.”

According to the report, tuberculosis is running rampant in poorer areas, whilst AIDS is ravaging the wealthier ones.

Sexism is going hand-in-hand with wealth disparity:

Gender inequality remains evident in politics and income distribution. Higher income levels in a region tend to entail a larger gap between average wages of men and women and, vice-versa, this differentiation is minor in regions with lower income levels. Another problem is an extremely low representation of women in government: only one region in ten has a level of female representation in the parliament above 20 percent, while in about a quarter of regions this indicator is less than 5 percent or none. As a rule, there are more women in the parliament in bigger and wealthier regions.

Once again, we see Russia plunging down the road to elitism, with a tiny minority in Moscow and St. Petersburg hoarding vast quantities of the nation’s wealth while a huge underclass is oppressed, as if Russia learned nothing at all from the Tsarist period. And even while this happens, Russia is also plunging down the road to dicatorship, empowering a KGB regime in the Kremlin as if it had learned nothing from the Soviet period.

Russia appears to be a doomed nation.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Poverty in Russia: Once Again, Destroying the Common People — and with them Russia’s future

The United Nations Development Program released a report on Russian poverty earlier this week. In it even Kremlin sycophant Sergei Mironov, Russia’s equivalent to the American U.S. Senate Majority leader, admits: “Objective indicators and scientific studies show worsening of human potential in Russia over the last 15-20 years. The negative trend can be seen across the board, from education levels and qualifications to health and life expectancy. This entails a decline in living standards of our people, and it undermines prospects for economic development, which is the basis for solving social problems.” Yet, the moronic Russian people, who are literally being killed off by the Kremlin, continue to favor it with 70%+ approval in polls and do not demand any credible opposition candidates in elections.

The UNDP report: “Only about a quarter of the country’s population lives in the regions with a Human Development Index score above the national average.” That means that three-quarters of the nation is below average, and that the average can be maintained only by having a tiny group of ultra wealthy people, just as in Tsarist times.

The report states that 60% of Russia’s regions have poverty rates higher than 20%. This polarization of wealth has a huge impact at the most basic level of mere survival. The report states: “Life expectancy in the most developed regions, Moscow (71) and the Tyumen Oblast autonomous districts (68), is much higher than the country’s average (65). In the least developed regions life expectancy indicators remain very low: the Republic of Tyva – 56, Chita, Amur and Pskov oblasts – 59-60 years. An extremely high level of mortality among men – an acute gender issue in Russia – is the major reason for low indicators in this area.”

According to the report, tuberculosis is running rampant in poorer areas, whilst AIDS is ravaging the wealthier ones.

Sexism is going hand-in-hand with wealth disparity:

Gender inequality remains evident in politics and income distribution. Higher income levels in a region tend to entail a larger gap between average wages of men and women and, vice-versa, this differentiation is minor in regions with lower income levels. Another problem is an extremely low representation of women in government: only one region in ten has a level of female representation in the parliament above 20 percent, while in about a quarter of regions this indicator is less than 5 percent or none. As a rule, there are more women in the parliament in bigger and wealthier regions.

Once again, we see Russia plunging down the road to elitism, with a tiny minority in Moscow and St. Petersburg hoarding vast quantities of the nation’s wealth while a huge underclass is oppressed, as if Russia learned nothing at all from the Tsarist period. And even while this happens, Russia is also plunging down the road to dicatorship, empowering a KGB regime in the Kremlin as if it had learned nothing from the Soviet period.

Russia appears to be a doomed nation.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Poverty in Russia: Once Again, Destroying the Common People — and with them Russia’s future

The United Nations Development Program released a report on Russian poverty earlier this week. In it even Kremlin sycophant Sergei Mironov, Russia’s equivalent to the American U.S. Senate Majority leader, admits: “Objective indicators and scientific studies show worsening of human potential in Russia over the last 15-20 years. The negative trend can be seen across the board, from education levels and qualifications to health and life expectancy. This entails a decline in living standards of our people, and it undermines prospects for economic development, which is the basis for solving social problems.” Yet, the moronic Russian people, who are literally being killed off by the Kremlin, continue to favor it with 70%+ approval in polls and do not demand any credible opposition candidates in elections.

The UNDP report: “Only about a quarter of the country’s population lives in the regions with a Human Development Index score above the national average.” That means that three-quarters of the nation is below average, and that the average can be maintained only by having a tiny group of ultra wealthy people, just as in Tsarist times.

The report states that 60% of Russia’s regions have poverty rates higher than 20%. This polarization of wealth has a huge impact at the most basic level of mere survival. The report states: “Life expectancy in the most developed regions, Moscow (71) and the Tyumen Oblast autonomous districts (68), is much higher than the country’s average (65). In the least developed regions life expectancy indicators remain very low: the Republic of Tyva – 56, Chita, Amur and Pskov oblasts – 59-60 years. An extremely high level of mortality among men – an acute gender issue in Russia – is the major reason for low indicators in this area.”

According to the report, tuberculosis is running rampant in poorer areas, whilst AIDS is ravaging the wealthier ones.

Sexism is going hand-in-hand with wealth disparity:

Gender inequality remains evident in politics and income distribution. Higher income levels in a region tend to entail a larger gap between average wages of men and women and, vice-versa, this differentiation is minor in regions with lower income levels. Another problem is an extremely low representation of women in government: only one region in ten has a level of female representation in the parliament above 20 percent, while in about a quarter of regions this indicator is less than 5 percent or none. As a rule, there are more women in the parliament in bigger and wealthier regions.

Once again, we see Russia plunging down the road to elitism, with a tiny minority in Moscow and St. Petersburg hoarding vast quantities of the nation’s wealth while a huge underclass is oppressed, as if Russia learned nothing at all from the Tsarist period. And even while this happens, Russia is also plunging down the road to dicatorship, empowering a KGB regime in the Kremlin as if it had learned nothing from the Soviet period.

Russia appears to be a doomed nation.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Poverty in Russia: Once Again, Destroying the Common People — and with them Russia’s future

The United Nations Development Program released a report on Russian poverty earlier this week. In it even Kremlin sycophant Sergei Mironov, Russia’s equivalent to the American U.S. Senate Majority leader, admits: “Objective indicators and scientific studies show worsening of human potential in Russia over the last 15-20 years. The negative trend can be seen across the board, from education levels and qualifications to health and life expectancy. This entails a decline in living standards of our people, and it undermines prospects for economic development, which is the basis for solving social problems.” Yet, the moronic Russian people, who are literally being killed off by the Kremlin, continue to favor it with 70%+ approval in polls and do not demand any credible opposition candidates in elections.

The UNDP report: “Only about a quarter of the country’s population lives in the regions with a Human Development Index score above the national average.” That means that three-quarters of the nation is below average, and that the average can be maintained only by having a tiny group of ultra wealthy people, just as in Tsarist times.

The report states that 60% of Russia’s regions have poverty rates higher than 20%. This polarization of wealth has a huge impact at the most basic level of mere survival. The report states: “Life expectancy in the most developed regions, Moscow (71) and the Tyumen Oblast autonomous districts (68), is much higher than the country’s average (65). In the least developed regions life expectancy indicators remain very low: the Republic of Tyva – 56, Chita, Amur and Pskov oblasts – 59-60 years. An extremely high level of mortality among men – an acute gender issue in Russia – is the major reason for low indicators in this area.”

According to the report, tuberculosis is running rampant in poorer areas, whilst AIDS is ravaging the wealthier ones.

Sexism is going hand-in-hand with wealth disparity:

Gender inequality remains evident in politics and income distribution. Higher income levels in a region tend to entail a larger gap between average wages of men and women and, vice-versa, this differentiation is minor in regions with lower income levels. Another problem is an extremely low representation of women in government: only one region in ten has a level of female representation in the parliament above 20 percent, while in about a quarter of regions this indicator is less than 5 percent or none. As a rule, there are more women in the parliament in bigger and wealthier regions.

Once again, we see Russia plunging down the road to elitism, with a tiny minority in Moscow and St. Petersburg hoarding vast quantities of the nation’s wealth while a huge underclass is oppressed, as if Russia learned nothing at all from the Tsarist period. And even while this happens, Russia is also plunging down the road to dicatorship, empowering a KGB regime in the Kremlin as if it had learned nothing from the Soviet period.

Russia appears to be a doomed nation.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Annals of Putin’s Wealthy Russia: The Disabled Starve Themselves

The Moscow Times reports yet more information dispelling the ridiculous notion that Russians are prospering under Dictator Putin:

KISELYOVSK, Kemerovo Region — In a cramped, two-room apartment here, six people with work-related disabilities on Thursday entered the 60th day of a hunger strike over prescription medicine subsidies and pensions.

“We want the laws to work in this country. We want to be able to go to the pharmacy and get our medicine as the law provides,” said Alexander Gartman, the protest organizer and a participant.

“The hunger strike is our last chance. The authorities have turned their backs on us, and our appeals and complaints have fallen on deaf ears. Now we’re prepared to go all the way,” said Gartman, the head of Regressnik, a regional nongovernmental organization that serves the needs of people disabled on the job.

The emaciated protesters lie on mattresses on the floor of Gartman’s apartment. On the 42nd day of the hunger strike, doctors told the protesters that if they continued, their bodies would suffer irreparable damage and they would eventually die. “We had no choice but to start taking in a minimal amount of nourishment from sugar water, juice and herbal tea to stay alive,” Gartman said.

Other disabled workers come to the apartment every day to offer their support. Many of them are prevented by health problems from taking part.

“If I were to join the hunger strike, my only act of protest would be to die,” said Alexander Uskov, a diabetic, who was visiting the apartment earlier this week.

As Uskov was speaking, Gartman sent home an elderly couple, Nikolai Pulyayev and his wife Valentina, who had also come to show their support. “Nikolai would like to join us, but he has a serious stomach ailment that doesn’t allow him to,” Gartman said.

At issue in the hunger strike are reductions in disabled workers’ benefits that have made it next to impossible for the workers to pay for vital prescription drugs.

In May 2006, the government decided to compensate disabled workers only for Russian medicines. Previously, they had been reimbursed in full for all prescribed medicines. The government issued a list of medicines included in the program and the amount it would pay in compensation.

Doctors often prescribe foreign-made medicines, however, leaving disabled workers to pay the sizeable difference out of their own pockets.

“If the prescribed medicine is imported, payment covers only the cost of the Russian-made equivalent,” said Irina Kadetova, director of the regional branch of the state Social Insurance Fund.

Even the prices the government sets on domestic medicines lag well behind actual retail prices.

The protesters have appealed to authorities all the way to Moscow, but so far with no success. After two months without food, they aren’t sure they will live to see their concerns addressed.

Over two months, medical personnel have responded to three calls from the apartment, and a number of protesters have been forced to quit because of failing health. Sergei Geiger was hospitalized after 20 days with stomach trouble. Nikolai Kuchmar was also forced to drop out after developing intestinal complications. Geiger and Kuchmar worked for years in a local coal mine.

The other protesters and their supporters have similar stories.

Nikolai Pulyayev worked in a mine for 25 years until he was injured in 1987. He has been fighting ever since to receive the benefits to which he is entitled by law. After 17 years, the government finally classified him as unfit to work, but his benefits are not indexed to inflation. The state pays him 1,700 rubles ($66) per month.

So far, the authorities have done little to respond to the protesters’ demands.

Not long ago, a letter arrived from Mikhail Mironov, head of the department that handles citizens’ appeals in the administration of President Vladimir Putin. In the letter, Gartman said, Mironov directed Kemerovo Governor Aman Tuleyev to deal with the hunger strikers’ demands.

In response, Deputy Governor Yevgeny Baranov told the protesters that none of their demands fell within the purview of the regional government.

Last Friday, the protesters received a second letter from Mironov, in which he renewed his request for Tuleyev to sit down and talk with Gartman and the others. The governor’s office has responded with silence.

Such indifference is the best the hunger strikers have received from the authorities.

In the first few days, Kiselyovsk police tried to disrupt the protest. “Some officers entered the apartment when one of us opened to door to go outside. They made no attempt to conceal their intention to use force against us,” said hunger striker Vladimir Korovkin.

“The officers grabbed Vasily Kisel, a diabetic, by the legs and hair and started dragging him toward the door,” Korovkin said. “He nearly passed out. The frightened cops called for an ambulance.”

A dozen policemen also sealed off the apartment and discouraged supporters from entering by demanding ID and making threats. The protesters filmed the harassment.

“Police personnel did in fact exceed their authority,” said Kiselyovsk’s chief prosecutor, Alexander Zharikov.

After looking into the matter, Zharikov sent legal opinions to this effect to Lieutenant General Anatoly Vinogradov, the regional police chief, and to Kiselyovsk Mayor Sergei Lavrentyev.

“They’re exacerbating the situation when these issues could be solved peacefully,” Zharikov said.

As fate would have it, during the third week of the hunger strike, Lavrentyev was given an award for defending human rights by the regional human rights ombudsman, Nikolai Volkov.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Annals of Putin’s Wealthy Russia: The Disabled Starve Themselves

The Moscow Times reports yet more information dispelling the ridiculous notion that Russians are prospering under Dictator Putin:

KISELYOVSK, Kemerovo Region — In a cramped, two-room apartment here, six people with work-related disabilities on Thursday entered the 60th day of a hunger strike over prescription medicine subsidies and pensions.

“We want the laws to work in this country. We want to be able to go to the pharmacy and get our medicine as the law provides,” said Alexander Gartman, the protest organizer and a participant.

“The hunger strike is our last chance. The authorities have turned their backs on us, and our appeals and complaints have fallen on deaf ears. Now we’re prepared to go all the way,” said Gartman, the head of Regressnik, a regional nongovernmental organization that serves the needs of people disabled on the job.

The emaciated protesters lie on mattresses on the floor of Gartman’s apartment. On the 42nd day of the hunger strike, doctors told the protesters that if they continued, their bodies would suffer irreparable damage and they would eventually die. “We had no choice but to start taking in a minimal amount of nourishment from sugar water, juice and herbal tea to stay alive,” Gartman said.

Other disabled workers come to the apartment every day to offer their support. Many of them are prevented by health problems from taking part.

“If I were to join the hunger strike, my only act of protest would be to die,” said Alexander Uskov, a diabetic, who was visiting the apartment earlier this week.

As Uskov was speaking, Gartman sent home an elderly couple, Nikolai Pulyayev and his wife Valentina, who had also come to show their support. “Nikolai would like to join us, but he has a serious stomach ailment that doesn’t allow him to,” Gartman said.

At issue in the hunger strike are reductions in disabled workers’ benefits that have made it next to impossible for the workers to pay for vital prescription drugs.

In May 2006, the government decided to compensate disabled workers only for Russian medicines. Previously, they had been reimbursed in full for all prescribed medicines. The government issued a list of medicines included in the program and the amount it would pay in compensation.

Doctors often prescribe foreign-made medicines, however, leaving disabled workers to pay the sizeable difference out of their own pockets.

“If the prescribed medicine is imported, payment covers only the cost of the Russian-made equivalent,” said Irina Kadetova, director of the regional branch of the state Social Insurance Fund.

Even the prices the government sets on domestic medicines lag well behind actual retail prices.

The protesters have appealed to authorities all the way to Moscow, but so far with no success. After two months without food, they aren’t sure they will live to see their concerns addressed.

Over two months, medical personnel have responded to three calls from the apartment, and a number of protesters have been forced to quit because of failing health. Sergei Geiger was hospitalized after 20 days with stomach trouble. Nikolai Kuchmar was also forced to drop out after developing intestinal complications. Geiger and Kuchmar worked for years in a local coal mine.

The other protesters and their supporters have similar stories.

Nikolai Pulyayev worked in a mine for 25 years until he was injured in 1987. He has been fighting ever since to receive the benefits to which he is entitled by law. After 17 years, the government finally classified him as unfit to work, but his benefits are not indexed to inflation. The state pays him 1,700 rubles ($66) per month.

So far, the authorities have done little to respond to the protesters’ demands.

Not long ago, a letter arrived from Mikhail Mironov, head of the department that handles citizens’ appeals in the administration of President Vladimir Putin. In the letter, Gartman said, Mironov directed Kemerovo Governor Aman Tuleyev to deal with the hunger strikers’ demands.

In response, Deputy Governor Yevgeny Baranov told the protesters that none of their demands fell within the purview of the regional government.

Last Friday, the protesters received a second letter from Mironov, in which he renewed his request for Tuleyev to sit down and talk with Gartman and the others. The governor’s office has responded with silence.

Such indifference is the best the hunger strikers have received from the authorities.

In the first few days, Kiselyovsk police tried to disrupt the protest. “Some officers entered the apartment when one of us opened to door to go outside. They made no attempt to conceal their intention to use force against us,” said hunger striker Vladimir Korovkin.

“The officers grabbed Vasily Kisel, a diabetic, by the legs and hair and started dragging him toward the door,” Korovkin said. “He nearly passed out. The frightened cops called for an ambulance.”

A dozen policemen also sealed off the apartment and discouraged supporters from entering by demanding ID and making threats. The protesters filmed the harassment.

“Police personnel did in fact exceed their authority,” said Kiselyovsk’s chief prosecutor, Alexander Zharikov.

After looking into the matter, Zharikov sent legal opinions to this effect to Lieutenant General Anatoly Vinogradov, the regional police chief, and to Kiselyovsk Mayor Sergei Lavrentyev.

“They’re exacerbating the situation when these issues could be solved peacefully,” Zharikov said.

As fate would have it, during the third week of the hunger strike, Lavrentyev was given an award for defending human rights by the regional human rights ombudsman, Nikolai Volkov.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Annals of Putin’s Wealthy Russia: The Disabled Starve Themselves

The Moscow Times reports yet more information dispelling the ridiculous notion that Russians are prospering under Dictator Putin:

KISELYOVSK, Kemerovo Region — In a cramped, two-room apartment here, six people with work-related disabilities on Thursday entered the 60th day of a hunger strike over prescription medicine subsidies and pensions.

“We want the laws to work in this country. We want to be able to go to the pharmacy and get our medicine as the law provides,” said Alexander Gartman, the protest organizer and a participant.

“The hunger strike is our last chance. The authorities have turned their backs on us, and our appeals and complaints have fallen on deaf ears. Now we’re prepared to go all the way,” said Gartman, the head of Regressnik, a regional nongovernmental organization that serves the needs of people disabled on the job.

The emaciated protesters lie on mattresses on the floor of Gartman’s apartment. On the 42nd day of the hunger strike, doctors told the protesters that if they continued, their bodies would suffer irreparable damage and they would eventually die. “We had no choice but to start taking in a minimal amount of nourishment from sugar water, juice and herbal tea to stay alive,” Gartman said.

Other disabled workers come to the apartment every day to offer their support. Many of them are prevented by health problems from taking part.

“If I were to join the hunger strike, my only act of protest would be to die,” said Alexander Uskov, a diabetic, who was visiting the apartment earlier this week.

As Uskov was speaking, Gartman sent home an elderly couple, Nikolai Pulyayev and his wife Valentina, who had also come to show their support. “Nikolai would like to join us, but he has a serious stomach ailment that doesn’t allow him to,” Gartman said.

At issue in the hunger strike are reductions in disabled workers’ benefits that have made it next to impossible for the workers to pay for vital prescription drugs.

In May 2006, the government decided to compensate disabled workers only for Russian medicines. Previously, they had been reimbursed in full for all prescribed medicines. The government issued a list of medicines included in the program and the amount it would pay in compensation.

Doctors often prescribe foreign-made medicines, however, leaving disabled workers to pay the sizeable difference out of their own pockets.

“If the prescribed medicine is imported, payment covers only the cost of the Russian-made equivalent,” said Irina Kadetova, director of the regional branch of the state Social Insurance Fund.

Even the prices the government sets on domestic medicines lag well behind actual retail prices.

The protesters have appealed to authorities all the way to Moscow, but so far with no success. After two months without food, they aren’t sure they will live to see their concerns addressed.

Over two months, medical personnel have responded to three calls from the apartment, and a number of protesters have been forced to quit because of failing health. Sergei Geiger was hospitalized after 20 days with stomach trouble. Nikolai Kuchmar was also forced to drop out after developing intestinal complications. Geiger and Kuchmar worked for years in a local coal mine.

The other protesters and their supporters have similar stories.

Nikolai Pulyayev worked in a mine for 25 years until he was injured in 1987. He has been fighting ever since to receive the benefits to which he is entitled by law. After 17 years, the government finally classified him as unfit to work, but his benefits are not indexed to inflation. The state pays him 1,700 rubles ($66) per month.

So far, the authorities have done little to respond to the protesters’ demands.

Not long ago, a letter arrived from Mikhail Mironov, head of the department that handles citizens’ appeals in the administration of President Vladimir Putin. In the letter, Gartman said, Mironov directed Kemerovo Governor Aman Tuleyev to deal with the hunger strikers’ demands.

In response, Deputy Governor Yevgeny Baranov told the protesters that none of their demands fell within the purview of the regional government.

Last Friday, the protesters received a second letter from Mironov, in which he renewed his request for Tuleyev to sit down and talk with Gartman and the others. The governor’s office has responded with silence.

Such indifference is the best the hunger strikers have received from the authorities.

In the first few days, Kiselyovsk police tried to disrupt the protest. “Some officers entered the apartment when one of us opened to door to go outside. They made no attempt to conceal their intention to use force against us,” said hunger striker Vladimir Korovkin.

“The officers grabbed Vasily Kisel, a diabetic, by the legs and hair and started dragging him toward the door,” Korovkin said. “He nearly passed out. The frightened cops called for an ambulance.”

A dozen policemen also sealed off the apartment and discouraged supporters from entering by demanding ID and making threats. The protesters filmed the harassment.

“Police personnel did in fact exceed their authority,” said Kiselyovsk’s chief prosecutor, Alexander Zharikov.

After looking into the matter, Zharikov sent legal opinions to this effect to Lieutenant General Anatoly Vinogradov, the regional police chief, and to Kiselyovsk Mayor Sergei Lavrentyev.

“They’re exacerbating the situation when these issues could be solved peacefully,” Zharikov said.

As fate would have it, during the third week of the hunger strike, Lavrentyev was given an award for defending human rights by the regional human rights ombudsman, Nikolai Volkov.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !