Anton Chekhov’s famous lesson to young playwrights was: “If in the first act you hung a gun on the wall, then in the next act you have to shoot. Over the past 20 years, Vladimir Putin, a deeply paranoid megalomaniac who has completely isolated himself from his own people, let alone the rest of the world, has gradually devoted Russia’s considerable wealth to building a globalizing secure state. . Since the Beslan school massacre in 2004, which provided the starting pretext to justify this reorientation, the Russian president has continued to hang guns on the walls, in defiance of any other national project.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
This restricted channeling of the country’s resources has led to a steady decline in the standard of living of ordinary citizens who do not have the chance to work within government structures, such as the MVD (Ministry of Internal Affairs, which includes functions similar to those of the FBI), the security forces (the infamous unaccountable siloviki, which include the Federal Security Service [FSB]the GRU, the FSO and other organizations), the army, the police or the corporate networks run by oligarchs with links to Putin.
A Federal Security Service officer can expect to earn the ruble equivalent of US$1,100 per month and a police officer US$600-700, in addition to benefits such as housing assistance, free university education for family members or even free or reduced-price holidays. A surgeon, on the other hand, can earn between US$200 and US$300 by working multiple jobs, while a teacher will have to settle for just US$100 or less. Salaries for office workers fall somewhere in between.
In general, any interesting position can only be obtained through the use of nepotism, networks of influence or corruption.
A man with the required skills can hope to find employment as an auto mechanic or construction worker. There are also unskilled and low-paying jobs in catering, private security and retail. Car owners often act as unofficial taxi drivers. Some men, unable to find a job, try to survive by betting on sporting events, while many others rely on the financial support of their wife or partner, who earns an income by working in beauty salons or engaging in informal business activities, such as buying and selling clothes, cosmetics or household products.
However, without having the necessary connections and being ready to indulge in dishonest, often criminal practices, it becomes more and more difficult, if not impossible, for the average Russian to lead a more or less normal existence. The cost of living in Russia – apart from Moscow and St. Petersburg, which are world famous cities and where prices reflect this reality – is slightly lower than in the West, but not by much. And considering the much higher wages in the aforementioned cities, the national average of US$660 per month should be significantly lower for most regions.
With the collapse of the ruble, the cost of living increases, but wages do not. Pensions barely cover the cost of monthly utilities. Welfare benefits, including bonuses paid to medical professionals exhausted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are being diverted along the way into the hands of obscure strangers, never reaching people. in need. Health services are constantly being reduced, and hospitals are closing under the pretext of “maximizing efficiency”. Putin constantly claims to be “acting within the law”, but the Russian justice system is manipulated for the sole purpose of supporting and protecting those in power.
Russia is a prosperous nation. However, rather than investing this wealth in the development of the country, its leaders have chosen to set up a gigantic security apparatus that only serves the interests of the president and his entourage.
The Russian state is a kleptocracy in the strict sense of the word, and for years its billionaire kleptocrats who have plundered the Russian people have been welcomed with open arms by Western countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. , too willing to turn a blind eye and grant residence permits and passports without due diligence. Among those privileged Russians who benefit from Western safety nets, many show nothing but contempt for their host country in their Russian-language social media posts, praising Putin and insisting that life in Russia is as good, if not better than in Western countries – as our “oppressive” and “totalitarian” constraints in the context of a pandemic are supposed to demonstrate –, even going so far as to say that Russia is “freer” .
Ordinary Russian citizens had no say in the decision to launch an invasion of Ukraine: it was the long-standing personal obsession of a president that the majority of Russians do not support, but which they cannot freely oppose. Teenage conscripts, told they were being sent to participate in “exercises”, are dismayed to find themselves on the front line, forced to fight people they never considered enemies. As our leaders languish and mourn the fate of the Ukrainians, they should also reflect on the role they played in allowing Putin and his entourage to build this war machine, which was naturally unleashed against the victim nearest and most convenient. The guns couldn’t hang indefinitely, and now they’ve been unhooked to hit thousands of innocent victims.